Chapter 45 Chapter Forty Five
Lena’s POV
The elevator keeps climbing, humming softly beneath our feet, but it feels like my entire world has shrunk into this tiny metal box… and the man standing a breath away from me.
Sebastian isn’t looking away.
He isn’t pretending
His eyes lock on mine with a raw, unfiltered intensity that steals the ground from under me. My lungs squeeze. My pulse stutters violently against my ribs.
I feel the heat of him from across the elevator—like I’m being pulled forward without him even moving.
“Lena…” he murmurs, the word shaped like confession, like surrender, like warning.
He steps closer.
Just an inch.
But my heartbeat is suddenly loud enough to drown out the storm outside.
His gaze drops—my lips, my throat, my chest—before dragging back up with slow deliberation that makes my knees threaten to buckle.
He opens his mouth—finally, finally about to say something—
DING.
The elevator doors slide open.
A family steps in—two laughing kids, a tired mother, a father balancing a suitcase.
The spell shatters.
Sebastian jerks back the way a man drops a burning match.
I step into the far corner, staring at the changing floor numbers, breathing shallow, pretending I don’t feel the ghost of the moment still clinging to my skin.
He doesn’t look at me again.
Not even once.
The hallway — we walk together but feel miles apart
When the crowd exits on their floor, Sebastian and I step into the hall.
Silence trails behind us like a shadow.
The storm outside pounds against the hotel windows, thunder rolling through the walls like the world is warning both of us.
He walks stiffly, jaw clenched so tightly I can see the muscle twitching beneath his skin.
I clutch the strap of my bag, fingers trembling despite my attempt to hide it. Every inch between us feels like a wire pulled taut—one wrong move and it’ll snap.
When we reach the suite, he opens the door for me.
He doesn’t say anything.
Inside the suite — the storm hits him first
The door clicks shut.
Sebastian immediately pulls at his suit jacket like it’s suffocating him. He tosses it on the couch—carelessly, unlike him—his movements sharp, restless.
I swallow and move toward my room, ready to escape this tension before it tears me apart.
I barely make two steps when he says my name.
“Lena.”
Just one word.
Soft.
But it arrests me completely.
I turn slowly.
He looks… undone.
His hand drags through his hair in a single rough motion. His chest rises and falls faster than it should.
He opens his mouth.
Closes it.
Takes a step toward me… then stops.
The war inside him is written across every line of his face.
“I—” he begins, voice unsteady, rare and terrifying. “I need to—”
He shakes his head.
“Forget it,” he mutters, and the words slice through me cleanly. “Just… forget it.”
The disappointment hits me with physical force.
I nod—even though the movement hurts.
“Of course,” I say quietly. “Don’t worry. I’ll forget everything.”
The lie tastes like ash.
The storm outside explodes—and so does the power
A violent crack of thunder shakes the windows.
Another follows, louder, closer.
Rain lashes the building, angry and relentless.
Then—
The lights flicker.
Flicker again.
And the entire suite plunges into darkness.
I gasp, barely audible.
“Lena?” Sebastian’s voice slices through the dark, deeper, rougher. “Where are you?”
“I’m—here,” I manage.
His footsteps approach—controlled, yet urgent.
I feel him before I see him.
The warmth of him.
The proximity.
His hands find my arms in the dark—firm, steady—pulling me closer before either of us can think.
My breath catches.
He’s right in front of me.
Too close.
Close enough that despite the pitch-black room, I know he’s staring down at me.
The emergency lights flick on—a dim, reddish glow from the exit sign, just enough to paint the outline of his face.
And God.
He’s looking at me like he’s breaking.
“Are you okay?” he asks, voice soft but strained.
“I’m fine,” I whisper.
He doesn’t let go of my arms.
Darkness reveals truth better than light ever could
The storm rumbles, vibrating through the room.
His hands slide down my arms slowly—too slowly. He’s still touching me, even after the excuse of finding me is gone.
“You think I don’t care,” he says suddenly.
My heart lurches.
His face is half-shadowed, half-lit, but his eyes…
His eyes are unguarded.
“That’s the problem,” he finishes, voice breaking on the last word.
The problem.
I swallow hard. “Then what do you care about?”
His breath stops.
He steps closer—a fraction.
“Don’t ask me that,” he whispers, like it costs him something. “Please.”
His please does more damage than any argument ever could.
Lightning exposes everything he’s hiding
A bolt of lightning flashes.
For one split second, the room is bright white—
And in that frozen moment, I see him clearly.
Eyes soft.
A man who wants something and hates that he wants it.
Then darkness again.
I grip the edge of the counter with shaky fingers, trying to steady myself.
Not because of the storm.
Because of him.
I shift my weight—barely an inch.
My shoulder brushes his chest.
He inhales sharply.
And then—
He leans in.
Not fully.
Not enough to touch.
But enough that his breath grazes my cheek, warm and shaky.
My lips part.
My heart races.
He’s going to kiss me.
He is actually—
He stops.
Every muscle in him goes rigid.
“This can’t happen,” he whispers, strained, tortured.
My chest cracks open.
“Right,” I whisper. “Because wanting me is a problem.”
He flinches.
He actually flinches.
But the moment is already dying.
Light returns—and so do his walls
The power surges back suddenly.
Bright lights flood the suite.
We both blink and step apart instantly—as if the light caught us sinning
Sebastian turns away first, grabbing his jacket like he needs armor.
His voice is clipped, emotionless.
Back to the CEO who feels nothing.
“We have an early meeting. Prepare the files.”
The whiplash is brutal.
“Of course,” I say stiffly.
He nods—without looking at me—and walks toward his bedroom.
But then… a slip he can’t take back
I turn toward my room, my hand already on the doorknob, when I hear it.
His voice.
Low.
Unsteady.
Not meant for me.
“I shouldn’t want her.”
The words hit me like a tidal wave.
My hand freezes on the doorknob.
He doesn’t know I heard.
He doesn’t know I’m standing here—heart thundering, breath shaking, entire body unraveling.
I close my door silently, press my back against it, and let the truth wash over me like fire.