I walked.
My footsteps echoed in the cavernous hallway, each one a hollow sound that seemed to swallow itself. I didn't know where I was going. Didn't care. The plush, wine-colored runner muffled my steps, but my heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.
Just away. Away from that kitchen with its smell of burnt pancakes and coffee. Away from the sound of his voice, that low, controlled timbre that could both command armies and shatter my resolve. Away from those eyes—those dark, penetrating eyes that looked at me like I was already his. A possession. A problem to be fixed. A decision already made.
You're a monster, Lucian.
The words echoed in the quiet space between my temples. I meant them. The cold certainty of it had settled in my bones.
Didn't I?
