Chapter 33 - Fractured Truths

The silence of Lucian’s sanctuary was unnerving, the kind of quiet that felt like it could swallow you whole. I stood by the window, staring at the faint city lights below, trying to calm the storm raging in my chest.

My lips still tingled from his kiss—our kiss—and my skin seemed to hum where his hands had touched me. I hated myself for it, for the way I had given in so easily. For the way Lucian had made me feel something so raw and consuming, something I couldn’t name, let alone control.

But the memory of Edward’s face—so pale, so broken in that hospital bed—kept intruding, like a sharp blade twisting into my thoughts. His voice, his desperate words begging me to stay away from Lucian, echoed in my head. I had left him behind. I hadn’t even gone back to see him, and the shame of it was almost unbearable.

What are you doing, Seraphina?

“Thinking again?”

Lucian’s voice cut through my thoughts, low and smooth, but tinged with that dangerous edge I had come to know too well. I turned to see him leaning in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest, watching me.

“You look like you’re about to jump out of that window.”

I didn’t answer. He was studying me too closely, and I felt exposed under the weight of his gaze. I forced myself to meet his eyes, trying to keep my voice steady. “What do you want, Lucian?”

He smirked, the expression both dark and infuriating. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

I shook my head. “I’m just tired.”

His smirk disappeared, his eyes narrowing. “Don’t lie to me, Seraphina. You’re always running—running from me, running from yourself.” He stepped forward, the space between us shrinking with each deliberate stride. “What are you so afraid of?”

I clenched my fists at my sides, willing myself not to step back. “I’m not afraid of you.”

“No?” Lucian stopped just in front of me, close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from him. He tilted his head, his voice soft, dangerous. “Then why do you shake every time I touch you? Why do your breaths hitch when I get close?”

“I hate you,” I whispered, though the words lacked conviction.

Lucian chuckled, and the sound sent shivers crawling up my spine. “You can keep telling yourself that, little dove. But we both know the truth, don’t we?”

He reached out, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering for just a moment. My heart betrayed me, pounding so loudly I was sure he could hear it. I wanted to pull away, to scream at him, but I couldn’t move. It was as if he had me trapped, caught in a snare of my own making.

Then the phone rang.

The sudden sound broke the spell, and I flinched as Lucian sighed and turned toward the desk where the phone sat. He picked it up, his voice sharp and cold. “What?”

I watched him as he listened, his expression darkening with every passing second. Finally, he hung up, his jaw tight.

“Who was that?” I asked cautiously.

Lucian’s eyes flicked back to me, unreadable. “Edward.”

My breath caught. “Edward?”

He smiled, but it wasn’t a pleasant smile. “It seems your little hero is persistent. He wants to see you.”

“Let me go to him,” I said quickly, taking a step forward. “He’s in the hospital, Lucian. He—”

Lucian’s hand shot out, gripping my wrist hard enough to make me wince. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“You can’t keep me here,” I snapped, struggling against his hold.

“Can’t I?” Lucian’s voice was calm, but his eyes burned with something dark and possessive. “Edward’s nothing to you. Why are you so eager to run to him?”

“Because he’s my friend!” I shouted, trying to wrench my wrist free. “He’s been hurt, Lucian, because of us! He’s—”

“Because of me, you mean.”

I froze. Lucian’s voice had dropped to a dangerous whisper, and his grip on my wrist loosened, though he didn’t let me go. “Don’t pretend, Seraphina. Don’t lie to yourself about what he is to you. Edward wants to take you away from me. He wants you to hate me.”

I swallowed hard, my heart hammering in my chest. “That’s not true.”

Lucian stepped closer, his face inches from mine. “Isn’t it?” he murmured, his voice soft but deadly. “Do you think he cares about you because he’s noble? Because he’s a good man? He doesn’t see you the way I do, Seraphina. He doesn’t know you.”

His words sank into me, poisoning my thoughts. I wanted to fight him, to deny everything he was saying, but part of me knew there was truth in his words. Edward didn’t know this version of me, the one who felt drawn to Lucian in ways I couldn’t explain.

“I’m not yours,” I whispered.

Lucian’s eyes flared, his hand slipping up from my wrist to cup my jaw, forcing me to look at him. “Say it again.”

I glared at him, hating the way my body betrayed me, the way my breath came faster, heat pooling in places I didn’t want to acknowledge. “I’m not yours.”

“You’re lying again,” he growled, his grip tightening. “You’ve always been mine. You just don’t want to admit it.”

The doorbell rang.

Lucian’s jaw tensed, his eyes flickering to the sound, and for the first time, I saw something like uncertainty in his expression. He let go of me and turned, striding to the door.

I stood frozen, every nerve in my body on edge, my mind racing.

Edward.

I knew it was him. It had to be.

Lucian opened the door, and sure enough, there he was. Edward stood in the hallway, pale and fragile but determined, his dark eyes fixed on Lucian with a mix of fear and anger.

“I need to see her,” Edward said, his voice hoarse but steady.

Lucian didn’t move, his body blocking the doorway. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Edward’s gaze shifted to me, his expression softening. “Seraphina,” he said, his voice pleading. “Come with me.”

Something inside me cracked at the sound of his voice, at the sight of him standing there, so broken but still trying to save me. I took a step forward before Lucian’s voice stopped me.

“Don’t move.”

His tone was cold, sharp as a blade. I froze, torn between the two of them—Edward, who was risking everything to reach me, and Lucian, who stood between us like an immovable force.

Edward turned his attention back to Lucian, his hands trembling at his sides. “You don’t own her,” he said quietly.

Lucian laughed softly, though there was no humor in it. “You’re a fool. You think you can save her from me?”

“She doesn’t need saving,” Edward shot back. “Not from you, not from anyone. She just needs to choose.”

His words hit me hard, the truth of them echoing in my mind. Choose. That was all I had ever wanted. To have a choice. To be free.

Lucian’s expression darkened, and he turned to look at me, his eyes burning into mine. “Is that what you want, Seraphina? To choose?”

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “Yes.”

Lucian’s gaze softened, though the danger in his eyes didn’t disappear. “Fine,” he said, his voice quiet, almost calm. “Then choose. But know this—if you leave with him, you’re never coming back.”

The air seemed to thicken around me, and I felt like I was drowning under the weight of his words. I looked at Edward, who stood there with such hope in his eyes, and then back at Lucian, whose gaze held something else—something dark and consuming, but no less real.

“Seraphina,” Edward said softly, holding out his hand. “Please.”

Lucian didn’t say anything, but

I could feel him watching me, waiting.

I took a breath, my heart pounding painfully in my chest, and stepped forward.