Chapter 94 Chapter ninty-four
Lena’s POV
I wake up with my heart already racing.
It isn’t even the alarm that pulls me out of sleep — it’s the feeling that today matters in a way I don’t know how to survive.
For a moment I just lie there, staring at the ceiling, listening to the soft hum of the city outside my window. My room feels too quiet. Too still. Like it’s holding its breath with me.
Sebastian’s birthday.
Two days ago it was just a date on a calendar.
Now it feels like a fault line.
I roll onto my side and pull the duvet tighter around my shoulders, trying to calm the storm inside my chest. My phone is on the nightstand, screen dark, but I keep glancing at it like it might explode with meaning at any second.
What does today even mean for us?
We’re not public.
We’re not secret.
We’re not nothing.
We’re suspended somewhere fragile and dangerous, and I don’t know how long it can hold.
I finally sit up, rubbing my face, trying to shake off the heaviness. My mind drifts — stupidly, traitorously — to Wes.
To the way he used to smile at me when he thought I wasn’t looking.
To the way Sebastian talks about him with quiet pride.
To the impossible position I’m standing in without either of them knowing the full truth.
I survived the man who wanted to destroy us…
I don’t know if we’ll survive the truth.
The words echo through me like a warning.
A knock at the door jolts me so hard I nearly fall off the bed.
I freeze.
Another knock. Firm. Professional.
“Delivery for Ms. Lena Sawyer”
My heart slams into my ribs.
I pull on a robe and open the door slowly.
Two men in dark suits stand in the hallway, polished and precise. One holds a massive white box tied with a black silk ribbon. The other carries several smaller cases.
“From Mr. Lancaster,” the first says.
Sebastian.
My breath catches.
They step inside carefully, as if my tiny apartment is made of glass, setting the boxes on my small dining table with reverence. One of them hands me a simple envelope.
“For you.”
They leave quietly, the door clicking shut behind them, and suddenly the room feels too small to contain what he’s just sent me.
I stand there for a long second, staring at the boxes like they might bite.
Then I pick up the envelope.
My name is written in his handwriting.
Lena.
Just that.
Inside is a single card.
For today.
For you.
— S
My throat tightens.
I sit down slowly and untie the ribbon.
The lid lifts and I actually gasp.
The dress is midnight blue silk, flowing and elegant, the kind of fabric that looks like it belongs under chandeliers and soft music and whispered conversations. It’s rare. Beautiful. Timeless.
Like him.
I lift it carefully, my fingers trembling.
The second box holds heels — delicate, sharp, impossibly elegant.
The third…
I stop breathing.
Inside is jewelry that looks like it belongs in a museum.
A diamond necklace that catches the light and fractures it into a thousand tiny suns. Matching earrings. A slim bracelet that glows softly even in my small kitchen.
It’s too much.
It’s everything.
It’s him saying: You matter. You belong here. You are chosen.
Tears sting my eyes.
My phone buzzes.
Sebastian:
Good morning.
I stare at the screen.
Me:
You didn’t have to do this.
Three dots appear.
Sebastian:
I wanted to.
Another message.
Sebastian:
No pressure. No expectations. Just… today is important to me. And so are you.
My chest aches.
Me:
Thank you.
A pause.
Sebastian:
Are you nervous?
I laugh softly through tears.
Me:
Terrified.
Sebastian:
So am I.
That makes my heart crack open.
I carry the dress into my room and hang it where I can see it, like it’s real, like this is really happening.
I shower slowly, letting the water calm my shaking hands.
I dry my hair, style it carefully.
I move like I’m preparing for something sacred and dangerous at the same time.
When I finally step into the dress, it fits perfectly — like he knew my body better than I do.
I fasten the necklace with unsteady fingers and stare at myself in the mirror.
I barely recognize the woman looking back.
She looks strong.
And fragile.
And terrified.
And in love.
My phone buzzes again.
Sebastian:
Car will be downstairs in thirty minutes.
Me:
Okay.
I sit on the edge of my bed, heels in my hands, heart pounding so loudly I swear the neighbors can hear it.
This is it.
The day everything shifts.
The day the man I love turns another year older — and I step deeper into a life I’m not sure I can survive without breaking something precious.
I whisper into the quiet room, to no one and everyone:
“Please… don’t let this destroy us.”
Then I stand, slip on the heels, and walk toward the door.