LUCIEN’S POV

Morning came without mercy.

I'm already dressed when the light creeps through the curtains—black trousers, crisp shirt, the familiar weight of responsibility settling on my shoulders like armor. Work clothes. Control clothes. The kind that reminds the world I am steady, unshaken, in command.

Inside, I am anything but.

I’d barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her turning away from me. Heard the quiet break in her breathing. Felt the distance she put between us like a blade pressed to my ribs.

I move through the room quietly, setting the table with hands that don’t tremble even though my chest feels too tight. Bread,...