The rain had started again.
Soft at first — just a whisper against the glass — but soon it grew into a relentless storm that mirrored the chaos inside Lydia's heart.
Jaden stood near the window, his white shirt half-unbuttoned, jaw tense. His phone lay on the table beside him, its screen still glowing from a call that ended too quickly. Lydia's eyes flicked toward it, then back to him.
"Who was that?" she asked, her voice calm but edged with something sharp.
"No one you should worry about," Jaden replied, not meeting her gaze.
Lydia took a step closer. "Every time you say that, it makes me worry even more."
He turned to face her now, and for a moment, the intensity in his eyes softened. "Lydia… please. There are things happening you don't understand."
Her lips trembled, but she lifted her chin. "Then help me understand, Jaden. Because right now, it feels like you're shutting me out."
He exhaled slowly, hands sliding into his pockets. "I'm trying to protect you."
"From what?"
"From Cassandra," he said at last, his voice low and heavy with regret.
That name hit Lydia like a bolt of lightning. She blinked, searching his face. "So it's true? You and her—there's still something between you?"
"No." His answer came too fast. Too defensive. "It's not what you think. She's dangerous. You shouldn't even say her name."
Lydia's voice broke. "Then why does she keep showing up? Why does she know everything about you—about us?"
Jaden clenched his fists, veins rising along his arms. He wanted to tell her everything—the betrayal, the debt, the secret Cassandra held over him—but fear locked his words inside.
Lydia watched him struggle for words, and her silence spoke louder than any accusation.
"Jaden," she whispered finally, "I want to believe you… I do. But every time I look into your eyes, I see walls instead of trust."
The storm outside cracked with thunder, and Jaden stepped closer until he was just inches away from her. His voice dropped, raw and desperate.
"If I tell you the truth, Lydia… everything will change."
"Maybe that's what needs to happen," she said softly.
The sound of rain filled the silence between them _heavy , endless , unforgiving.