Chapter 121
My heart hammers.
“I just wanted you free,” I say, softer than I mean to.
Her eyes narrow. “You wanted you free. You wanted to prove your parents don’t control you.”
“That’s not true.”
“Then what is?”
I shouldn’t look at her mouth. I do anyway.
“The truth,” I say low, “is you don’t make sense.”
Her expression flickers.
“You tell me you hate me,” I continue, words spilling rough, “and then in the dark, when we’re alone, you hold onto to me like I’m the only thing keeping you alive.”
Her face pales.
“That’s not true.”
“You did,” I say.
“God’s, I’m so done with you.”
She turns to leave. I grab her hand before she can pull away, her pulse frantic beneath my fingers. I drag her knuckles to my cheek, jaw clenched.
“Tell me it meant nothing then,” I demand. “Tell me the pit meant nothing.”
Her lips part.
And then another voice cuts in.
“Dominic.”
Lucas.
He steps into the lantern light like he’s been summoned by tension, positioning himself between us so quickly I barely have time to register it. His shoulder bumps mine, subtle, forcing space.
Ellie jerks her hand back, as if she’s been burned.
“Lucas, stop,” she says immediately, but her voice is thin now.
“No,” Lucas says, eyes locked on me. “I’m sick of watching this mess.”
Every ounce of softness is gone from my bones.
“Get the fuck out of my face,” I growl low.
Lucas doesn’t flinch. “You’re screaming at her.”
“I’m talking to her.”
“You’re cornering her.”
Ellie snaps, “Hello! I can handle myself.”
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Lucas doesn’t look at her. “Not right now.”
“Excuse you?!”
The fact that he doesn’t look at her, like he’s not asking permission, makes something dark curl in my gut.
“You don’t get to decide what she needs,” I say, voice low.
“And you do?” Lucas shoots back. “After everything you just said about her back there? She’s shaking. It concerns me when you corner her and call it honesty.”
Ellie snaps, “I’m not shaking,” but her voice betrays her, thin at the edges.
Lucas doesn’t look at her. He keeps his eyes on me, jaw set, shoulders squared like he’s bracing for impact. “You don’t see it, do you?” he says. “You don’t see what you do to her.”
I take a step forward. He matches it instantly.
“What I do?” I growl. “You’ve been circling her for weeks like a vulture.”
“At least I don’t pretend I don’t care,” he shoots back.
That lands.
Hard.
People are watching now, having left to follow the drama of the gala outside I don’t care. All I can see is him standing there like he has any right to this ground.
“You think you know her?” I snap. “You think you understand her better than I do?”
Lucas laughs. “I know you don’t.”
Ellie finally breaks. “Stop it. Both of you.”
Neither of us listen.
“I’ve had enough,” Lucas says, and something in his voice changes. It’s not careful anymore. It’s not polite. “You never liked her. Not really. You liked the idea of her. The bond. The control. But the moment she didn’t fit into what you wanted, you punished her for it.”
“That’s not true,” I snarl.
“You used her,” he continues, relentless now. “For your pride. For your fights with your parents. For your need to prove something. And I’m sick of watching it.”
My hands curl into fists. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I like her,” Lucas says, voice ringing through the courtyard. “I always have. I just didn’t shove it down her throat. And watching you tear her apart because you don’t know how to want someone without owning them?” He shakes his head. “I’m done.”
Something in my chest breaks.
I turn to Ellie, rage blurring. “So that’s it?” I demand. “You were with him this whole time or something? Like everyone said? Was this all just some game to get back at me?”
Her eyes widen. “Dominic, that’s not – ”
“It proves everything,” I push on, the words spilling out ugly and fast. “The pit. The looks. How you were always toying with me. Him always there. You let me believe-”
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She opens her mouth to argue, to correct me, and I can see it for half a second. The truth, right there, trembling on her lips.
But her shoulders slump, in the way her anger doesn’t rise to meet mine anymore. She looks done. Hollowed out.
Instead of fighting me, she turns away.
She reaches for Lucas’s arm, pullling him away.
That hurts worse than anything she could’ve said.
Lucas hesitates, just for a breath, then let her leads hhim away without looking back.
I don’t follow.
I stand there under the lanterns, surrounded by murmurs and half-seen faces, watching the space she leaves behind swallow itself closed.
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Chapter 121
My heart hammers.
“I just wanted you free,” I say, softer than I mean to.
Her eyes narrow. “You wanted you free. You wanted to prove your parents don’t control you.”
“That’s not true.”
“Then what is?”
I shouldn’t look at her mouth. I do anyway.
“The truth,” I say low, “is you don’t make sense.”
Her expression flickers.
“You tell me you hate me,” I continue, words spilling rough, “and then in the dark, when we’re alone, you hold onto to me like I’m the only thing keeping you alive.”
Her face pales.
“That’s not true.”
“You did,” I say.
“God’s, I’m so done with you.”
She turns to leave. I grab her hand before she can pull away, her pulse frantic beneath my fingers. I drag her knuckles to my cheek, jaw clenched.
“Tell me it meant nothing then,” I demand. “Tell me the pit meant nothing.”
Her lips part.
And then another voice cuts in.
“Dominic.”
Lucas.
He steps into the lantern light like he’s been summoned by tension, positioning himself between us so quickly I barely have time to register it. His shoulder bumps mine, subtle, forcing space.
Ellie jerks her hand back, as if she’s been burned.
“Lucas, stop,” she says immediately, but her voice is thin now.
“No,” Lucas says, eyes locked on me. “I’m sick of watching this mess.”
Every ounce of softness is gone from my bones.
“Get the fuck out of my face,” I growl low.
Lucas doesn’t flinch. “You’re screaming at her.”
“I’m talking to her.”
“You’re cornering her.”
Ellie snaps, “Hello! I can handle myself.”
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Lucas doesn’t look at her. “Not right now.”
“Excuse you?!”
The fact that he doesn’t look at her, like he’s not asking permission, makes something dark curl in my gut.
“You don’t get to decide what she needs,” I say, voice low.
“And you do?” Lucas shoots back. “After everything you just said about her back there? She’s shaking. It concerns me when you corner her and call it honesty.”
Ellie snaps, “I’m not shaking,” but her voice betrays her, thin at the edges.
Lucas doesn’t look at her. He keeps his eyes on me, jaw set, shoulders squared like he’s bracing for impact. “You don’t see it, do you?” he says. “You don’t see what you do to her.”
I take a step forward. He matches it instantly.
“What I do?” I growl. “You’ve been circling her for weeks like a vulture.”
“At least I don’t pretend I don’t care,” he shoots back.
That lands.
Hard.
People are watching now, having left to follow the drama of the gala outside I don’t care. All I can see is him standing there like he has any right to this ground.
“You think you know her?” I snap. “You think you understand her better than I do?”
Lucas laughs. “I know you don’t.”
Ellie finally breaks. “Stop it. Both of you.”
Neither of us listen.
“I’ve had enough,” Lucas says, and something in his voice changes. It’s not careful anymore. It’s not polite. “You never liked her. Not really. You liked the idea of her. The bond. The control. But the moment she didn’t fit into what you wanted, you punished her for it.”
“That’s not true,” I snarl.
“You used her,” he continues, relentless now. “For your pride. For your fights with your parents. For your need to prove something. And I’m sick of watching it.”
My hands curl into fists. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I like her,” Lucas says, voice ringing through the courtyard. “I always have. I just didn’t shove it down her throat. And watching you tear her apart because you don’t know how to want someone without owning them?” He shakes his head. “I’m done.”
Something in my chest breaks.
I turn to Ellie, rage blurring. “So that’s it?” I demand. “You were with him this whole time or something? Like everyone said? Was this all just some game to get back at me?”
Her eyes widen. “Dominic, that’s not – ”
“It proves everything,” I push on, the words spilling out ugly and fast. “The pit. The looks. How you were always toying with me. Him always there. You let me believe-”
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She opens her mouth to argue, to correct me, and I can see it for half a second. The truth, right there, trembling on her lips.
But her shoulders slump, in the way her anger doesn’t rise to meet mine anymore. She looks done. Hollowed out.
Instead of fighting me, she turns away.
She reaches for Lucas’s arm, pullling him away.
That hurts worse than anything she could’ve said.
Lucas hesitates, just for a breath, then let her leads hhim away without looking back.
I don’t follow.
I stand there under the lanterns, surrounded by murmurs and half-seen faces, watching the space she leaves behind swallow itself closed.
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