Chapter-8 | THE END?

  The clock continued its relentless ticking, a cruel reminder that time moved forward, whether Aria was ready for it or not. She sat in the dim light of the lab, the cold metallic chair grounding her as the latest message from the CRONARCHS replayed in her mind. The words cut deep, like shards of ice embedding themselves in her chest.

  Queen of Artemis... Imagine Rowan’s face when he finds out who killed his parents...

  The thought was unbearable. The Rowan she knew, the Rowan who laughed with her, who trusted her, who had vowed to stand by her against the CRONARCHS—he would be gone. What would remain would be a hollow shell, filled with rage and betrayal.

  She stared at the glowing screen before her, its crimson hue casting long, sinister shadows across the walls. The last line of the message still burned in her mind:

  We have the most powerful weapon in our hands—Rowan himself. Imagine what he will do when he learns the truth.

  Aria’s breath trembled as she closed her eyes, pressing her palms against them as though she could block out reality itself. But reality had sharp edges, and it refused to be ignored.

  Then, another chime.

  A new message.

  MESSAGE FROM THE HIGH COUNCIL OF CRONARCHS

  > Dear Aria, We understand the weight of your predicament. We are not without compassion. After all, we know the truth of your heart. And so, we offer you a choice: Reset the timeline. Erase Rowan’s pain. Erase your betrayal. Begin anew, without the burden of your past mistakes. A clean slate. There is, of course, a cost. To rewrite the timeline is to risk everything you have fought for. Memories are fragile things, and once unraveled, they may never be woven together in quite the same way. But consider this: Wouldn’t it be worth it to spare Rowan the pain of discovering the truth? To protect him from the knowledge that the woman he loves is the one who destroyed his family?

  We await your answer. Time, after all, is slipping away.

  Aria stared at the message, her heart pounding so violently she thought it might tear through her chest. They were offering her salvation—or damnation. A chance to erase the risk of losing Rowan forever, but at a cost so high she could scarcely comprehend it.

  Reset the timeline...

  The words echoed like a siren song. To go back. To undo her worst sins. To rewrite history, to prevent Rowan from ever knowing the truth.

  But at what cost?

  She imagined it—waking up in a world where the war with the CRONARCHS had never begun, where she and Rowan could find each other naturally, without the shadows of betrayal and death looming over them. A world where she was not Queen of Artemis, where Rowan’s parents were still alive, where they could simply be... them.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Yet, she knew better than anyone that rewriting time was never so clean. Memories were like threads in a tapestry—pull one out, and the entire structure could unravel. There was no guarantee Rowan would find her again. No guarantee their love would survive the reset.

  She pressed her forehead against the cold metal of the lab table, her mind racing.

  What do I do?

  The door to the lab slid open quietly, and she stiffened.

  “Aria?” Rowan’s voice was soft, concerned.

  She quickly shut off the holographic screen, wiping her face before turning to face him. He stood there, shirt rumpled, hair tousled from sleep, his eyes soft but searching.

  “You okay? You’ve been down here all night.”

  Aria forced a smile, though she knew it didn’t reach her eyes.

  “Couldn’t sleep,” she whispered.

  Rowan took a step closer, studying her with that same intensity that had always unnerved her—as though he could see right through her, straight to her soul.

  “Something’s wrong,” he said, not a question, but a fact.

  Aria hesitated, feeling the chasm between them grow wider with every heartbeat.

  “I—I just... I had a bad dream,” she lied.

  Rowan didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t press. Instead, he reached out, gently brushing a strand of hair from her face.

  “You don’t have to carry everything alone, you know,” he murmured.

  Aria nearly broke right there, the weight of the offer from the CRONARCHS pressing down on her like a suffocating blanket.

  I do, though. I have to carry this alone. Because if you knew the truth, you’d never look at me like this again.

  “I know,” she whispered.

  Rowan kissed her forehead gently, lingering for a moment before pulling away.

  “Come to bed soon,” he said softly.

  She watched him leave, her heart aching in ways she hadn’t known were possible.

  When he was gone, she turned back to the screen. The CRONARCHS’ message still glowed ominously.

  Reset the timeline...

  She stared at the words, the cursor blinking expectantly, waiting for her decision.

  She knew what was at stake. If she said no, the truth would eventually come out, and Rowan would never forgive her. But if she said yes... she could lose everything.

  Her finger hovered over the keyboard.

  What would you choose, Rowan? she wondered.

  But she knew the answer. Rowan would never choose to forget. He believed in facing the truth, no matter how painful.

  And that, Aria realized, was the difference between them.

  With a deep breath, she began to type her reply.

  To be countineud…..