Ava didn't sleep that night.
She scrubbed the kitchen counters long after the staff went to bed. She organized the pantry, re-wiped the marble floors, anything to keep her hands busy and her mind from replaying the kiss.
Lucien had kissed her like he remembered.
Like he needed her.
But he didn't.Not really.
He was engaged to someone else.He didn't even know she was his wife.
By sunrise, Ava stood on the back steps of the mansion, staring at the garden.
She touched her lips.
They still burned.
"You're a maid, Ava. His maid. That's all he thinks you are now."
A tear slipped down her cheek.
"You shouldn't want him."
But she did.
Every inch of her wanted him. Every breath. Every heartbeat.
"Running again?"
A voice behind her.
Lucien.
He leaned against the doorway, coffee cup in hand, hair slightly tousled. His eyes, tired but intent, didn't leave her face.
She looked away. "I wasn't running."
"You've been avoiding me since last night."
She swallowed. "It was a mistake."
He raised an eyebrow. "You call that a mistake?"
She turned to face him, voice firm. "You're engaged."
He flinched. "I didn't ask for that engagement."
"Well, you didn't stop it either," she snapped, then regretted it instantly.
A long pause.
Then, softly:"Tell me something," he said. "If I wasn't engaged... would you still say it was a mistake?"
Her lips parted, but no words came out.
"Because I'd do it again," he murmured. "Right now."
She backed away. "Lucien, please, this can't happen."
"Why not?"
"Because you don't know me."
"I'm trying to."
He stepped forward, but she moved back again.
"I shouldn't want you," she whispered, more to herself than him. "Not like this."
Then she turned and walked away.
He didn't follow.
But his eyes stayed locked on her retreating figure, full of something dangerous.
Determination.
Later that day, Celeste watched from a balcony window, arms crossed.
She had seen the shift in Lucien.
The way his gaze lingered on Ava too long.The way Ava avoided him like she was afraid of herself.
Celeste narrowed her eyes.
Something was going on.
And she was going to find out exactly what.