“I love you, Roza. I’ll always be here for you. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.“

The words were wonderful and dangerous. He shouldn’t have said anything like that to me. He shouldn’t have been promising he’d protect me. I couldn’t be first in his heart, just like he couldn’t be first in mine. That was why I shouldn’t have said what I said next.

”And I won’t let anything happen to you,“ I promised. ”I love you.“