Lucien was restless all day.
He couldn't focus on work, couldn't sit through meetings. Ava's name echoed in his mind, a haunting whisper from a past he couldn't touch.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her face. And every time she looked away from him, he felt an ache in his chest.
A phantom pain for something lost.
Downstairs, Ava quietly washed dishes in the servant's kitchen. The chatter from the other staff faded in her ears as she stared at the soap bubbles, lost in thought.
He remembered her name.It had slipped from his lips so naturally, like muscle memory.
And for one terrifying second… she had hoped.
Maybe… he's starting to remember us.
But hope was dangerous. She had learned that the hard way.
So why were her eyes filling with tears now?
One fell. Then another.
She turned away quickly, wiping her face with the back of her sleeve, but it was too late, someone had already seen her.
Lucien stood in the doorway, silent.
He hadn't meant to follow her.
He told himself he was just walking by. Just curious. Just restless.
But when he saw her there, shoulders trembling, trying to hide her tears. he couldn't move.
Something twisted in his chest. Not pity. Not confusion.
Pain. Real, raw pain.
"Ava," he said softly.
She stiffened. Wiped her tears faster.
"I'm fine, sir."
"No, you're not."
He stepped into the room, his voice low. "Talk to me."
"I said I'm fine," she repeated, forcing a tight smile. "I'm just tired"
"I don't like seeing you like this," he cut in.
She blinked, startled.
He looked just as confused by his own words.
"I don't know why it bothers me so much… but it does," he murmured. "Seeing you cry. It hurts."
Tears welled up in her eyes again, even as she tried to hold them back.
"Why do you care?" she whispered.
He stepped closer. Slowly. Carefully.
"I don't know."
Then without thinking, he reached out and gently wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb.
They both froze at the touch.
His eyes searched hers like they held answers he couldn't find anywhere else.
"You feel familiar," he whispered.
"And you feel like home," she said before she could stop herself.
His breath caught.
In the quiet that followed, neither moved. Neither dared to speak. The world stilled around them.
Until footsteps echoed from the hallway, breaking the moment.
Ava stepped back.
Lucien's hand dropped.
But his gaze stayed on her. haunted, desperate, and lost.
He didn't remember her yet.
But he remembered this feeling.