Chapter 90: The Things Left Unsaid**

Seraphina **didn’t look back**.

She kept walking, each step heavy, her chest tight.

She shouldn’t have come.

She shouldn’t have let herself **see him again**.

The wind howled through the palace corridors as she walked, her fingers trembling. Her magic **burned beneath her skin**, a cruel reminder that every time she used it, it **cost her something she could never get back**.

She had tried to be **strong**.

She had tried to pretend that it didn’t hurt when Lucian spoke to her with that raw, desperate look in his golden eyes.

But it did.

And worst of all—**she had wanted him to stop her**.

But he didn’t.

She had turned away, and he **let her go**.

Seraphina’s throat burned.

She **hated herself for hoping**.

For thinking, just for a second, that maybe—just maybe—**he would fight for her**.

*"He’s married."*

The words were like ice in her veins.

He wasn’t hers to hope for.

He never had been.

**"Seraphina!"**

She **froze**.

Her heart slammed against her ribs.

Lucian’s voice **echoed through the hallway**, breathless, sharp.

Before she could move, before she could even think, he was there—**grabbing her wrist**, spinning her back around to face him.

Her breath **hitched**.

Lucian’s golden eyes **blazed**, his grip firm but trembling.

"Don’t walk away from me," he said, his voice low, desperate.

Seraphina **stared at him**, something sharp clawing at her chest.

"Let go," she murmured.

Lucian **didn’t**.

"Not until you answer me," he said, voice rough. "Not until you tell me the truth."

Seraphina’s pulse pounded in her ears.

"What truth?" she whispered.

Lucian’s jaw clenched.

"You think I don’t know?" His voice was quiet, but the intensity in his gaze was **shattering**. "You think I don’t feel it?"

Seraphina **tried to pull away**, but he **held firm**.

"Lucian—"

"Tell me you don’t care," he said, voice shaking. "Tell me that it didn’t mean anything—that everything between us was a lie."

Seraphina’s **stomach twisted**.

"You’re married," she whispered.

Lucian **flinched**.

"You think that changes what’s in my heart?" he asked, voice raw.

Seraphina’s fingers **curled into fists**.

"You belong to someone else."

Lucian **laughed bitterly**. "Is that what you think?" His golden eyes burned into hers. "That a crown and a vow could erase what I feel for you?"

Seraphina’s chest **ached**.

"You shouldn’t be saying this," she murmured.

Lucian **stepped closer**.

"I don’t care what I should or shouldn’t do," he said. "I care about you."

Seraphina’s breath **shook**.

"Then you shouldn’t have let me go."

Lucian **froze**.

For the first time, she saw it—the pain in his eyes, the way his breath hitched, the way his hands trembled slightly as he still held onto her wrist.

"You think I wanted to?" he whispered.

Seraphina swallowed hard.

Lucian let out a shuddering breath, his fingers tightening around hers.

"I never wanted to let you go, Seraphina," he admitted. "But you made that choice for me."

A lump formed in Seraphina’s throat.

"Because I had to," she whispered.

Lucian’s **expression darkened**.

"Why?" he asked. "Why did you think you had to?"

Seraphina exhaled shakily.

"Because I was dying," she said again, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lucian’s eyes **hardened**.

"And you thought pushing me away would save you?"

Seraphina let out a bitter laugh.

"Would it have changed anything?" she asked, tilting her head. "Would you have done anything differently?"

Lucian’s jaw **tightened**.

"I wouldn’t have let you go," he said, his voice **hoarse**.

Seraphina’s **heart cracked**.

"You already did."

Lucian **flinched**, but his grip on her only **tightened**.

"I never stopped looking for you," he murmured. "Not even for a second."

Seraphina let out a shaky breath.

"Lucian—"

"Do you regret it?" he asked suddenly.

Seraphina **stared at him**.

"Regret what?"

Lucian’s throat worked as he swallowed.

"Leaving me."

Her breath caught.

Lucian took another step forward, his voice softer now, but no less intense.

"Do you regret choosing Cassian?"

Seraphina’s hands **trembled**.

She thought of Cassian’s **cold stare**.

Of the way he had **turned his back on her**.

Of the way she had **betrayed him for something she didn’t even know how to use**.

Did she regret it?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

But what she did know was—**Lucian shouldn’t be asking this**.

Not when he had a wife waiting for him in another room.

Not when she had spent months **trying to forget what he meant to her**.

Not when every second she stood here, **looking into his golden eyes, hurt her more than any wound ever could**.

Seraphina inhaled sharply.

"I don’t know," she admitted, voice breaking.

Lucian’s face **fell**.

She pulled her wrist away.

This time, he let her go.

Seraphina stepped back, her arms wrapping around herself.

"I can’t do this," she whispered.

Lucian’s hands clenched at his sides.

"Seraphina—"

"You should go back," she said quickly, **before he could say something she wasn’t ready to hear**.

Lucian’s **eyes darkened**.

"To my wife," he said bitterly.

Seraphina’s breath hitched, but she forced herself to **nod**.

"Yes."

Lucian’s golden eyes **burned into hers**.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then, **without another word, he turned and walked away**.

Seraphina watched his figure disappear into the dark corridors, her chest aching, her vision blurring.

She clenched her jaw.

She wouldn’t cry.

She **wouldn’t**.

Because she had already lost him.

And there was **nothing left to mourn**.

\---