83

THEA

“My… I…” I choke on the words, wiping at my cheeks even though more tears just spill down. “Lyra.” My voice trembles. “Please. Don’t tell anyone about this. Let this be a secret between us.”

She straightens up a bit, her brows knitting together. “Thea, of course I won’t. You know that. But what the hell are you talking about? Vampires?”

I nod, slow and broken.

“My boss… Ezra…” My chest constricts just saying his name. “He’s not human.”

There. I said it out loud.

And it feels like betrayal, like treason, like peeling off my skin and handing it over. But Lyra’s face doesn’t shift to judgment or disbelief— maybe not yet. She’s listening. Really listening. And that’s the only reason I keep going.

“I… I just got my heart broken by a vampire.” I whisper.

Silence. Just for a second.

Then—

Her lips part, but no sound comes out. Then, she sits up. “Wh… what the hell? Are you… sure?”

“No,” I admit. “But… yes. I mean—” I blow out a shaky breath, trying to form a full sentence. “He sent me out of his office and said he's going to accept my resignation letter and he pushed me away and told me to go away even though I told him I loved him but he still disappeared and left me crying alone in his office even though he used to hold me tight anytime I cry before and maybe, just maybe, that was why it was before.” I rant endlessly,  tears streaming down my face.

“Wait babe. Wait. Breathe…”

I do. Slowly. Painfully.

“Yes. Like that. Again. Yes. Now, tell me how it happened. Right from the start.”

I rub my eyes in frustration. “God. I sound insane.”

Her lips part but I beat her to it,

“Do you believe me, Lyra?”

“Of course I do. Now,you just need to spill the whole tea so I can know how to be there for you okay?

I nod slowly.

“During the court proceedings… you remember when I was trying to win back full custody of Finn?”

Lyra nods slowly, eyes never leaving mine.

I suck in a shaky breath. “That was the first time he told me.”

“Told you what exactly?” she asks gently, like she’s guiding me through a minefield. No judgment. No rush. Just enough calm to keep me from cracking again.

I bite my bottom lip. “He said he’s a vampire. Just like that. Like he was telling me the time of the freaking day!”

Her expression doesn’t shift, but I know her. I’ve known her for months. There’s something flickering behind her eyes now—maybe pity. Maybe amusement. Maybe she thinks I'm crazy now and was just trying to keep it under wraps.

But I don’t stop.

I can’t stop.

“I know, I know—you’re definitely trying not to freak out right now, even though you’re pretending like you’re not scared. And maybe you’re not. But I was. God, Lyra. I was terrified when I first heard it.”

She swallows. “I’m not scared. I’m just… trying to understand.”

Her voice is careful and measured.

I nod. “Right. Because what’s there to understand, right? My boss, the man I was falling for, casually drops I’m a vampire in the middle of a custody hearing like it’s his damn birthstone. And I just—” I stop myself, my throat closing.

She leans in. “What did you do?”

I look at her.

And for a second, I hate myself.

Because I should’ve run.

I should’ve been smart.

I should’ve screamed or backed away or called someone—

But I stayed.

“I stayed,” I whisper.

Her brows lift just slightly, but her mouth stays still. No gasp. No disgust.

Just those wide, curious eyes watching me like I’m a puzzle she’s scared to force apart.

“I asked questions. I wanted to know more. About what he was. How long he’s lived. I was curious. I still am. And it's like being in a hole and he keeps passing me the shovel to dig deeper.”

“And what did he say?”

I shake my head. “Not much.”

My voice hitches but I say nothing 

Ezra Harrington was everything I've ever wanted in a man.

“I think I believed him. Or maybe I just wanted to. Because by then… I was already in too deep.”

Her face softens. “You loved him.”

I nod. “I still do.”

Lyra exhales, low and slow. “What else, Thea? Did he ever… do anything? I mean—besides disappear?”

God, that question hits me in the stomach.

I close my eyes, and images flash behind my lids. 

He did things besides disappearing.

He took my heart.

Or maybe I gave it to him.

And that's the thing about giving a man like Ezra your heart.

You may never get it back.

I open my eyes again. 

“Lyra.” I call helplessly, sniffing.

Lyra doesn’t answer.

She just nods slowly, eyes narrowing the way they do when she’s taking notes in her head.

“You think I’m stupid, don’t you?” I say, voice cracking again.

“No,” she replies quickly. “Not for a second.”

I want to believe her. I do. But the shame is there, sitting right between my ribs.

“I broke the NDA by telling you,” I mumble.

“Then I’m honored to be the one you trusted,” she says gently. Then, after a moment, “Is he the reason you landed in the hospital?”

That question stills me.

Because it’s not straightforward.

Not really.

But still, I nod. 

“He… I… we are mates.”

“Huh?”

I gulp and shut my eyes tightly. “Doesn't matter. But he's… one of the reasons I landed in the hospital.”

I look down at my lap. “I let him have my blood and when I woke up, he was not there. But maybe I was just overwhelmed. Tired. Hurt. Heartbroken. He kept pushing me away, and I kept going back like a fool. I'm just so tired! I need a hug!” 

She’s quiet again.

I sniff some more for a few minutes before glancing up. 

And for a second, she looks almost sad. Her eyes dip low, like she’s carrying something she wants to say but won’t.

I shake my head. “You don't have to pity me because I know that I'll still seek him out. I just needed someone to know. To believe me. To hear it out loud and not look at me like I’ve lost my mind.”

“I don’t think you’ve lost your mind,” she says softly. “I think you’ve just… loved someone who wasn’t meant to be loved that way.”

And those words?

God, they hit deep.

Because that’s exactly what it felt like.

Like I gave love to something that wasn’t built to receive it.

And now I don’t know how to take it back.

“I don't know what to do anymore Lyra.” 

“Do you want me to come?” She asks so suddenly that it knocks the breath out of my lungs.