Chapter Two:The Morning After

​The sunlight that poured through the glass walls the following morning felt like an interrogation lamp. Elena hadn't slept; every time she closed her eyes, she felt the phantom pressure of Lucas’s thumb against her lip. She had laid beside Julian for hours, listening to his rhythmic, cold breathing, feeling like a traitor in her own skin.

​She dressed with extra care that morning a high-collared silk blouse in charcoal gray and a pencil skirt. It was a suit of armor designed to remind her of who she was: the respectable Mrs. Vance. She needed to establish distance. Yesterday was an anomaly, a byproduct of the storm and the strange energy Lucas brought with him.

​When she entered the dining room, Julian was already there, buried behind a digital tablet and a cup of black coffee. The scent of expensive beans and toasted sourdough usually felt comforting, but today the air felt thin.

​"Lucas is late," Julian remarked without looking up. "I expect him to be at this table by eight. Discipline begins with the morning."

​"He had a long trip, Julian. Let him sleep," Elena said, her voice sounding steadier than she felt. She reached for the silver coffee pot, her hand trembling just enough to make the metal rattle against the china.

​"He’s had enough rest. He’s been 'resting' since he got kicked out of school," Julian snapped.

​At that moment, the heavy footsteps sounded on the stairs. Lucas entered the room, and the temperature seemed to rise ten degrees. He wasn't wearing the leather jacket today; he wore a simple black t-shirt that stretched across his chest and a pair of faded jeans. He looked raw, unpolished, and devastatingly out of place in the pristine white room.

​He didn't look at Julian. His eyes went straight to Elena. He held her gaze for a second too long a silent communication that made the blood rush to her face.

​"Morning," Lucas muttered, pulling out a chair directly opposite Elena.

​"You’re late," Julian said, finally putting down his tablet. "In this house, we respect time. Tomorrow, you’ll be down here at seven-thirty. And you’ll dress appropriately for breakfast."

​Lucas leaned back, a lazy, defiant smirk crossing his face. "I didn't realize I was joining the military, Dad. I thought I was just coming home."

​"This isn't a home; it's an estate. And as long as you’re under my roof, you follow my rules." Julian’s voice was like a whip. He turned to Elena. "I have a luncheon today. I want you to take Lucas to the club. Buy him some clothes that don't look like they were pulled from a dumpster. Use the black card."

​Elena’s heart skipped. "The club? Julian, maybe he’d prefer"

​"I don't care what he prefers," Julian interrupted, standing up. He checked his watch. "Make him presentable. I have a dinner party on Friday, and I won't have him looking like a vagrant."

​Julian walked around the table, leaning down to kiss Elena’s cheek. It was a calculated move ,a display of ownership in front of his son. As Julian’s lips touched her skin, Elena saw Lucas’s jaw tighten. His knuckles turned white as he gripped his fork.

​As soon as the front door clicked shut, the silence in the room changed. It was no longer the cold silence of Julian’s disapproval; it was the heavy, vibrating silence of two people who had shared a secret in the dark.

​"He kisses you like he’s checking a box on a to-do list," Lucas said, his voice dropping into that low, dangerous register.

​"Don't," Elena whispered, looking down at her coffee. "You shouldn't talk about your father that way."

​"Why not? It’s the truth." Lucas stood up and walked around the table. He didn't stop until he was standing directly behind her chair. He didn't touch her, but he leaned down so his chest was inches from her back. "You’re wearing a high collar today, Elena. Trying to hide?"

​"I'm not hiding anything," she lied, her breath hitching.

​"Your skin says otherwise. I can see your pulse jumping in your neck from here." He reached out, his hand hovering over her shoulder, just barely brushing the silk of her blouse. "He wants me to go to the club? Fine. Let’s go. Let’s see how well you can play the part of the dutiful stepmother while I’m standing right next to you, knowing what your lips taste like."

​Elena stood up abruptly, her chair screeching against the floor. "I’ll be in the car in ten minutes. Please be ready."

​She practically bolted from the room, but she could hear his soft, triumphant chuckle following her.

​The drive to the country club was an exercise in torture. The car was a small, enclosed space, and Lucas seemed to take up all the air in it. He didn't speak; he just watched her. He watched the way her hands gripped the steering wheel, the way she bit her lip when she was nervous.

​When they arrived at the exclusive club, the stares were immediate. Elena was a fixture there, the elegant wife of the powerful Julian Vance. Lucas, in his t-shirt and jeans, looked like a wolf in a sheepfold.

​As they walked through the luxury boutiques in the club’s gallery, Elena tried to focus on the task. She picked out cashmere sweaters, tailored trousers, and silk shirts everything that would turn Lucas into a younger version of his father.

​"Try this on," she said, handing him a deep navy blazer.

​He took it, but instead of going into the fitting room, he stayed where he was. "You pick it out. You’re the one who has to look at me."

​"Lucas, please. We're in public."

​"Exactly," he whispered, stepping closer so that they were partially hidden by a rack of expensive coats. "Nobody is looking, Elena. They’re all too busy looking at themselves in the mirrors."

​He reached out and took her hand, pulling her into the small, cramped space of the fitting room. He closed the door, the click of the lock sounding like a gunshot in the quiet boutique.

​"What are you doing?" she gasped, her back hitting the mirror.

​"I’m tired of the glass house," Lucas said, his eyes dark with a sudden, fierce intensity. "I’m tired of the rules. I want to know if you felt it too, or if I’m just going crazy."

​He didn't wait for an answer. He crashed his mouth against hers, a kiss that was far more aggressive and certain than the one in the storm. It was a claim. Elena’s hands went to his chest, intending to push him away, but her fingers betrayed her, clutching at his shirt, pulling him closer.

​In the small, mirrored room, she saw a dozen versions of herself the "good" woman, the wife, the socialite all of them shattering as she gave in to the heat of the boy her husband called a failure.

​The cliffhanger? A sharp knock on the fitting room door.

​"Mrs. Vance? Is everything alright in there? I have the other size you requested," the salesclerk’s voice called out.

​Elena froze, her heart stopping. Lucas didn't pull away. He stayed buried in her neck, a wicked smile against her skin, his hand sliding dangerously low. He whispered, his voice a ghost of a sound:

​"Shhh... don't let her know