Silas felt it the moment she walked in.
Not the usual Aaliyah.
Not the girl who used to smile at the floor like it held secrets.
This version of her was made of glass and shadows.
"You okay?" he asked gently, rising from the chair in his apartment.
She didn't meet his eyes. Just nodded once, stiff, and sat on the very edge of his couch—like being too comfortable might break her.
"Do you love me?" she asked, without looking at him.
Silas blinked. "Of course I do."
"Even if I told you I did something unforgivable?"
He took a breath. Moved closer. "There's nothing you could do that would make me stop loving you."
She let the silence hang between them like a rope.
Then she whispered, "I'm pregnant."
It hit like a slap.
The air left his lungs.
His lips parted, but no sound came.
"I… I think it might be yours," she added quickly. "I'm not sure. I'm sorry. I don't know."
His jaw clenched.
She finally looked at him then.
And what he saw wasn't a confession—it was a cry for mercy.
"You slept with him."
It wasn't a question.
"I didn't plan—"
"Was it before or after you came to me?"
"After."
He laughed—cold and bitter. "So what was I, huh? A warm-up act?"
"No!" she snapped, then choked on her own voice. "You were the only place I felt safe. You were the only time I felt… human."
He stood, pacing like a man trapped in a burning room.
"You could've told me, Aaliyah."
"I was scared," she said. "Of losing you. Of facing myself."
"Congratulations," he said bitterly. "You managed both."
She flinched.
But he wasn't done.
"What about Lucien? Does he know?"
She hesitated.
That was answer enough.
"I see," he muttered.
"I didn't choose either of you," she said softly. "I just… broke."
Silas stopped in front of her, eyes burning.
"You think you're broken? No. Broken things don't still make people bleed."
She stood too, now shaking. "I didn't come for your forgiveness, Silas. I just came to tell the truth."
"And what truth is that?"
"That I never wanted to fall in love with either of you."
Tears welled in her eyes.
"But I did."
---
Later, when she was gone, he sat on the edge of the bed where she'd once fallen asleep in his arms.
Then, he texted his brother.
S: "We need to talk. About Aaliyah."
The reply came faster than he expected.
L: "I'm already outside."
---