Chapter 35 - Breaking Free

The weight of the revelations from Isolde pressed heavily on my chest as I stood between Edward and Lucian. My heart was racing, my mind spinning, and the room felt suffocating. Lucian’s calm, calculated facade had crumbled, revealing the storm of control and obsession beneath it. Edward’s resolve to save me was steady, but his pale face betrayed his own pain and exhaustion.

I needed air. I needed out.

“Enough!” My voice cracked through the tension, startling both men. I stepped back, holding up a trembling hand to keep them at bay. “I can’t do this.”

“Seraphina,” Edward began, his voice soft, imploring.

“No.” I cut him off, my eyes darting to Lucian. “I’ve had enough lies, enough manipulation, enough of you both deciding what’s best for me!”

Lucian’s jaw clenched, his dark eyes narrowing as he took a step closer. “Don’t lump me in with him. I’ve only ever—”

“Protected me?” I spat, cutting him off. My voice rose as the anger and confusion inside me boiled over. “By keeping me in the dark? By controlling my every move? By lying to me about Isabella?”

His face twisted, his hands curling into fists at his sides. “I did what I had to do to keep you safe.”

“Safe?” My laugh was bitter, sharp. “You’ve suffocated me, Lucian. Every choice I’ve tried to make, you’ve twisted it to fit your narrative. I can’t breathe when I’m with you.”

Something flickered in his eyes—pain, anger, desperation. “And you think you’ll breathe with him?” He gestured sharply to Edward, his voice dripping with venom. “He can’t protect you, Seraphina. He doesn’t even know you anymore. He clings to a version of you that doesn’t exist.”

Edward’s face hardened. “At least I let her choose, Lucian. At least I don’t cage her like some prized possession.”

“You’re a fool,” Lucian snarled, stepping toward him.

“Stop it!” I screamed, stepping between them. My hands trembled as I pushed them apart. “This isn’t about either of you! This is about me, and I’m done being caught in the middle of your war.”

Edward reached out, his hand hovering near my arm but not quite touching me. “Seraphina, you don’t have to stay here. You don’t have to deal with him anymore. Come with me. We can figure this out together.”

His voice was soft, pleading, and for a moment, I wanted to believe him. But then Lucian’s voice cut through the haze.

“You leave with him,” he said, his tone low and dangerous, “and you’ll regret it, little dove. You’ll come crawling back, begging for my protection when you realize he can’t give you what you need.”

The room spun as his words sank into me, venomous and seductive all at once. He was wrong—he had to be wrong—but a part of me, the part that had been under his spell for so long, whispered otherwise.

I closed my eyes, trying to steady myself. “I can’t do this anymore. I need to get out of here.”

Lucian’s face darkened. “You’re not going anywhere.”

Edward stepped forward, his voice trembling but firm. “You don’t get to decide that.”

For a moment, I thought Lucian might strike him. The air between them was electric, charged with barely restrained violence. But instead, Lucian turned to me, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that stole the breath from my lungs.

“Is that what you want?” he asked, his voice soft but razor-sharp. “To leave me? To walk away and never look back?”

I hesitated, the weight of his gaze pinning me in place. “I—”

“Don’t lie to yourself, Seraphina,” he murmured, stepping closer. “You know what we have. You know it’s real. He can’t give you that.”

“Stop.” My voice cracked, and I took a step back, my resolve crumbling under the force of his presence. “Stop trying to control me.”

Edward’s hand closed around mine, grounding me. “You don’t have to stay here. You don’t have to listen to him anymore.”

The touch was gentle, supportive, and it was enough to break the spell Lucian had over me. I pulled my hand free from Edward’s and held it up, silencing them both.

“I’m leaving,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “Alone.”

Both men froze, their reactions starkly different. Edward’s face fell, disappointment and understanding mingling in his eyes. Lucian’s expression twisted, a storm of anger and pain flashing across his features.

“You don’t know what you’re doing,” Lucian growled, stepping toward me.

“I know exactly what I’m doing,” I shot back, my voice firm. “I’m choosing myself for once.”

Lucian’s lips pressed into a thin line, his body taut with barely restrained fury. “You think you can survive out there without me? Without my protection?”

“I’ll take my chances.”

I turned toward the door, my legs shaking as I forced myself to move. Edward called after me, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.

The cold night air hit me like a slap, but it was a welcome relief. I inhaled deeply, the tension in my chest loosening slightly as I put distance between myself and the chaos inside.

For the first time in what felt like forever, I was alone.

But the echoes of Lucian’s voice followed me, his final words etched into my mind.

“You’ll come back to me, Seraphina. You always will.”

Edward's grip on Seraphina's hand tightened, and his breath came in shallow bursts. Despite his fragile appearance, he seemed unyielding, his voice shaking but firm as he faced Lucian.

“She’s not staying here,” Edward said, his tone like a thread pulled taut, ready to snap. “You’ve done enough damage.”

Lucian’s lips curved into a mocking smile, the predator beneath the surface shimmering through his calm facade. “You’re out of your depth, Edward. Did you think storming in here would make her yours? That you could just walk out with her?” He laughed, but the sound was devoid of humor.

“I’m not a thing to be fought over,” Seraphina interjected, her voice trembling yet sharp. “You both need to—”

“Stay out of this,” Lucian and Edward said simultaneously. The command in their voices clashed, two wills vying for dominance over the same battlefield.

The air in the room grew thick, suffocating. Seraphina felt herself slipping deeper into the chaos of the moment, her mind torn between the fear that Lucian's darkness awakened in her and the hope that Edward’s presence reignited.

Lucian stepped closer, his posture loose but undeniably threatening. His gaze was locked on Edward, sharp as a blade. “Tell me, Edward. What exactly do you think you’re saving her from?”

“From you!” Edward spat, his voice cracking under the weight of his emotion. “You’re poison, Lucian. You consume everything you touch. You’ve twisted her, trapped her in this sick game—”

Lucian moved like lightning. One second, he was standing calmly, and the next, he had Edward pinned against the doorframe, his forearm pressing into Edward’s chest.

“Enough.” Lucian’s voice was low, almost a growl. “You think you understand her? You think you can love her better than I can?” He leaned in, his face inches from Edward’s. “You don’t even know her.”

“Stop it!” Seraphina screamed, rushing forward and trying to pull Lucian away. “You’re going to kill him!”

Lucian’s eyes flicked to her, and for a moment, they softened—but only slightly. He released Edward, who collapsed against the wall, gasping for air.

“You need to leave,” Lucian said coldly, not even looking at Edward as he spoke. “If you care about her, you’ll walk away now. Before you make this worse.”

Edward wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, his dark eyes blazing with defiance. “You don’t scare me.”

“You should be terrified,” Lucian replied, his voice like ice.

Seraphina stepped between them, her hands trembling as she pushed against Lucian’s chest. “Enough! Both of you!” Her voice broke, tears spilling over her cheeks. “I can’t do this anymore. You’re tearing me apart!”

For a moment, the room was silent, the only sound the ragged breathing of all three of them.

Lucian took a step back, his expression unreadable. “Then tell him to leave,” he said softly. “Make the choice, Seraphina. Him or me.”

Edward’s voice cut through the silence. “Don’t let him manipulate you. You know what’s right, Seraphina. You know who you can trust.”

Her hands shook at her sides as she turned to Edward, his face bruised but full of desperate hope. Then she looked at Lucian, who stood like an immovable shadow, his eyes burning with a possessive hunger that both terrified and captivated her.

“I don’t know,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I don’t know what’s right anymore.”

Lucian reached for her, his touch surprisingly gentle as he cupped her face, forcing her to meet his gaze. “You don’t need to know what’s right,” he murmured. “You just need to know what you want.”

Edward staggered forward, his expression stricken. “He’s twisting you, Seraphina. Don’t let him pull you into his darkness.”

“I’m already in it,” she whispered, the words slipping out before she could stop them.

Edward’s face crumpled, and he let out a shuddering breath. “Then let me help you out. Please.”

Lucian’s grip on her tightened, his voice a low snarl. “She doesn’t want to leave, Edward. Stop pretending this is about her. You just want to win.”

Seraphina felt as if she were standing at the edge of a cliff, the ground crumbling beneath her feet. Every part of her screamed for her to run, but she didn’t know which direction to go.

“Choose,” Lucian said again, his voice like a whip crack.

Edward held out his hand, his fingers trembling. “Come with me, Seraphina.”

Lucian stepped closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Stay.”