Ava needed air.
The mansion walls were suffocating, and her heart had been beating out of rhythm ever since Lucien asked, "Did you cry for me?"
She hadn't answered. She couldn't.
But the answer lived in her chest, where the pain never left.
It was evening now. The garden behind the estate was drenched in moonlight and shadows. The scent of lavender and night jasmine floated through the air as she walked along the cobblestone path, hugging her arms.
She had loved him in silence for too long.
And now… he was starting to look at her with those same eyes again.
Even if he didn't understand why.
She stopped by the old marble fountain, the one they used to sit by on secret dates after midnight, back when he was hers.
Ava closed her eyes.
"I miss you," she whispered.
"You always come here when you're sad."
Her eyes flew open.
Lucien.
He was standing a few feet behind her, hands in his pockets, tie undone. His hair slightly messy, like he'd been running his fingers through it.
She stiffened. "I didn't know anyone was here."
He stepped closer. "I could say the same about you."
A pause. Silence. A hundred unspoken words hovering in the space between them.
"I couldn't sleep," she said softly.
"Neither could I," he murmured. "Every time I close my eyes… I see you."
Her lips parted, breath catching. "Lucien…"
He stepped closer again. "You're not just a maid, are you?"
Her eyes filled. "Please don't ask me that."
"Why not?" he demanded, voice raw. "Because every time I see you, I feel like I'm losing my mind. Because I don't know what's real anymore. Because your voice" he broke off. "it's the only one that calms me. And haunts me."
His hands trembled at his sides.
Ava looked up at him, tears silently slipping down her cheeks.
He reached forward, brushing a thumb over her skin.
Her breath hitched at his touch.
"I don't know why I'm saying this," he whispered, "but I feel like I've kissed you before."
Her gaze locked on his.
"I feel like… you were mine."
Time stopped.
Moonlight kissed their skin.
She didn't speak.
She simply stepped into his space.
And he met her halfway.
Their lips collided in a desperate, broken kiss, not gentle, not sweet but aching.
Like two souls trying to remember what they had lost.
Her hands clutched his shirt.
His arms wrapped around her waist.
And for a moment… it all made sense again.
The world faded.
Only the truth between their lips remained.
But then,
A sharp gasp broke the silence.
A figure stood at the garden arch, clutching a purse.
Celeste.
Lucien's so-called fiancée.
Her face twisted in shock.
"Ava?" she hissed.
Lucien turned, blinking as if waking from a trance.
The moment shattered.