The music room was silent — just me, a half-written song in my notebook, and the ache that wouldn't go away.
Then she walked in.
Serena.
Tall. Confident. Dangerous in the way a wildfire is beautiful right before it burns everything down.
"Still mourning your little heartbreak?" she asked, perching on the edge of the piano like a queen in her throne. "You look like someone killed your puppy."
I didn't answer. I just kept scribbling into my notebook, hoping she'd take the silence as a signal to leave.
She didn't.
"You really thought you stood a chance, didn't you?" she smirked. "With Ava? While Damien exists?"
My grip on the pencil tightened. "What do you want, Serena?"
She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a purr. "A deal."
I finally looked up. Her eyes gleamed.
"I'll give you Ava," she said, like she was offering me a birthday present. "I'll make sure she's done with Damien — fully. For good. You'll have her all to yourself. No competition."
I stared at her. "And what do you want in return?"
Her lips curled. "Damien."
Of course.
She wanted him. Always did. And now she was offering me Ava like she was some object — some prize.
I stood slowly, shutting my notebook with a soft snap.
"You don't get it," I said, stepping away from her. "This isn't a game to me."
Serena raised an eyebrow. "So you'd rather keep suffering in silence? Watching them kiss and laugh while you rot on the sidelines?"
"If that's what love means, then yeah," I said firmly. "Because Ava isn't something to be traded. And if she's with Damien — really with him — then I want her to be happy."
Serena blinked, clearly not expecting that.
"I don't want her just because she's available," I added. "I want her because she chooses me. Not because you messed with her heart."
Serena laughed, but there was something bitter behind it. "You're too soft for this world, Rylan."
"Maybe," I shrugged. "But softness doesn't mean weakness. And I'd rather love Ava the right way and lose her… than win her the wrong way."
I walked past her without another word.
Behind me, she didn't follow.
For the first time, I felt like I had done the brave thing — not for glory, not for pride — but for love.
Real love. Quiet. Steady. Selfless.
Even if it was never returned.