The door burst open.
Lydia's head snapped up, her pulse thrumming in her ears. For a second, she thought Cassandra had returned—but no.
It was Jaden.
He stood at the doorway like a storm bottled in human form—eyes dark, shirt slightly unbuttoned, his breathing uneven. The faint gleam of worry—no, fury—shimmered behind his cold stare.
"Lydia," he said, voice low and hoarse.
Her lips parted, but words refused to come. For a moment, she almost felt safe seeing him there. Almost.
Jaden rushed forward, untying the ribbon around her wrists. His hands were trembling slightly—something she had never seen before. "Did she hurt you?"
Lydia shook her head slowly. "No… but she said things, Jaden."
He froze.
"What things?"
"She said…" Lydia hesitated, remembering Cassandra's chilling words. He destroys everything he touches. "She said you've done this before. That you've hurt people."
Jaden's jaw tightened. He looked away, his shadow stretching long across the candlelit floor.
"She doesn't know what she's talking about," he said sharply.
"Then tell me," Lydia whispered. "Tell me the truth."
He turned back to her—eyes stormy, unreadable. "Some truths," he said slowly, "can't be told without changing everything."
The silence between them was electric, fragile. Lydia could feel her heart breaking and hoping all at once.
"Then what am I to you, Jaden?" she asked quietly.
For a moment, he didn't speak. Then, with a voice that trembled slightly beneath the weight of something dark, he said,
"Something I never deserved."
And before she could respond, he turned and walked away into the night—leaving her in a room filled with broken questions and half-truths.
Lydia stood still, her mind spiraling.
For the first time, she wasn't sure whether to chase after him...or run away from him forever .