The rain had started again, heavy and relentless, as though the sky itself were mourning the choices they had made. The thrum of droplets against the windows of Slythwood Manor felt like a steady drumbeat, almost hypnotic. It was in stark contrast to the storm inside Lucas's mind.
He stood at the window, looking out into the darkness, his gaze distant, his jaw set in tight lines. The flickering light from the fireplace cast long shadows over the room, but the fire seemed insignificant in comparison to the rage building inside him.
This had gone too far. He could feel it in his bones.
Behind him, the soft click of heels against the marble floor echoed in the silence. He didn't need to turn to know who it was. Evelynn had arrived.
"What is it this time?" he asked, his voice rough, laced with the tension that had been building between them for weeks. "Another deal, another threat?"
Evelynn stood in the doorway, her eyes cold, unreadable, but her presence was undeniable. She was power in a dress, calculating, precise, and dangerous. And yet, beneath all that, Lucas could sense something else—the same vulnerability that had drawn him to her in the first place.
"I didn't come here to fight, Lucas," she said, her voice calm, even though there was a sharp edge beneath it. "I came here to make sure we don't both lose everything."
"Everything?" Lucas spun around, his eyes flashing with a sudden burst of anger. "Everything's already lost. You've been playing me from the start, haven't you? You've been using me to get what you want."
Her eyes narrowed, and she stepped into the room, her heels clicking as she crossed the space between them. "That's not what this is about."
"No?" Lucas took a step toward her, his eyes intense, searching for something—anything—in her expression that might explain why she had done this. "Then what is it about, Evelynn? Because every move you make just proves that I'm nothing more than a pawn in your game."
"I didn't mean for it to be this way," she said, her voice softening slightly. "I never wanted to hurt you."
Lucas let out a bitter laugh, the sound harsh and humorless. "You didn't? Then why didn't you tell me the truth from the start? Why all the lies, all the secrets?"
Evelynn took a deep breath, her face hardening. "You don't understand, Lucas. I did what I had to do to survive. You think I wanted this? You think I wanted to bring you into my world, make you a part of all of this?" She gestured around the room, the weight of their reality hanging in the air between them. "I did what I had to do because I had no other choice. I was trying to protect us."
"Protect us?" Lucas spat the words, his frustration boiling over. "From what? From the people who want to tear us apart? Or from the truth?"
Evelynn stepped back, her face a mask of frustration and regret. "You don't get it, Lucas. You don't see the bigger picture."
"The bigger picture?" Lucas advanced on her, his voice low and dangerous. "You think you're the only one with a plan? You think I don't have a vision, a future of my own? I trusted you, Evelynn. I trusted you with everything, and now…" He clenched his fists, willing himself to calm down, but the anger was still there, simmering beneath the surface. "Now, I don't know who you are anymore."
For a moment, there was silence. The weight of his words hung heavily in the room, and Lucas could see the flicker of something in Evelynn's eyes—something that almost resembled guilt. Almost.
"I didn't want to hurt you," she whispered again, but there was no conviction behind it.
"You already did," Lucas said, the words cutting deeper than he expected. He felt them land like daggers between them. "You can't take that back."
Evelynn's shoulders sagged slightly, and for the first time, Lucas saw the toll everything had taken on her. The walls she had so carefully constructed were starting to crumble, revealing the cracks that had always been there.
"You don't understand," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "This wasn't just about you and me. It was never just about us. There were too many forces at play. Too many people who wanted us to fail."
"I don't care about anyone else," Lucas shot back, his tone hard. "I care about you. But I'm starting to wonder if that's a mistake."
Her gaze hardened again, and for a moment, Lucas could see the steel that had always defined her. "You don't get to make that choice, Lucas. Not anymore."
He took another step forward, his presence almost overwhelming. "And why not?"
"Because," she said, her voice low and steady, "this was never your choice to make. It was mine."
The silence between them stretched, filled with unspoken words, regrets, and fears. Lucas could feel the weight of everything they had shared—their past, their connection, their fight for survival. But no matter how much he wanted to, no matter how badly he longed to reach for her and take it all back, he couldn't ignore the truth anymore.
"I don't know who you are anymore, Evelynn," Lucas said, his voice breaking slightly. "I don't know what this is between us. I thought I did, but I was wrong."
"You don't have to know," she said, her tone sharp, almost defensive. "You just have to accept that we're both stuck in this. We're both trapped in this game we've been playing, and we don't get to walk away."
"I can walk away from this," Lucas replied, his voice firm. "I don't need you, and I don't need this."
Evelynn's expression faltered for just a moment, a flicker of doubt crossing her face. But then she steeled herself again, her gaze hardening. "Fine," she said, her voice colder than ever. "Walk away. But don't pretend you'll be free."
With that, she turned and walked out of the room, leaving Lucas standing in the silence of his own thoughts. The anger, the betrayal, the disappointment—all of it collided within him, but there was something else, too. Something far deeper. It was the ache of knowing that he couldn't walk away from her, not really. He might try, but the pull between them was undeniable.
---
Evelynn walked down the long hallway, her footsteps echoing in the empty mansion. She had expected him to lash out, to fight back, but she hadn't expected the sharp pang of regret that had pierced through her chest when he spoke.
She had hurt him. She had betrayed him.
But it was too late to fix it now. Too many things were already set in motion, too many lies woven into the fabric of their lives. She had never intended for things to get this complicated. She had never wanted to lose him.
But now, standing in the silence, she realized that losing him might be the one thing she couldn't afford.