LOGINLyra’s POV Thankfully, my mom finally came and took me inside—to our part of the house, to the newly decorated room.The moment the door opened, my breath caught.The whole room glowed softly under candles placed around the walls.Rose petals spread across the large bed like someone had painted the sheets with flowers.My mother guided me to the bed and helped me sit.“Rest. I’ll leave you,” she whispered gently.Then she left.The silence that followed tightened my chest.That was when reality hit me properly—what was coming next.What this night meant.What being alone with him… meant.A strange heat crawled under my skin.I was shy—terrified, actually.The idea of being intimate with someone younger than me made my stomach twist.And after the way Lucian had been acting outside…the way he looked at me as if trying to calm a fire inside him…I knew there was no escaping tonight.I stared down at my hands.“Is my body… shaking?” I whispered to myself.The door suddenly swung open a
Lyra's POV The house changed after the kiss.It changed overnight.Lucian didn’t leave my side.Not even for a minute.My mother suddenly became soft-spoken around me, overly gentle, overly careful—as if one wrong word would break the fragile peace forming between us.Shintla walked around the house glowing, smiling at nothing, humming songs she had probably forgotten she even knew.Lilian…Lilian practically floated.“Mom, I told you love is real,” she whispered to me at breakfast, cheeks swollen from grinning.“And now you and Lucian will have a wedding. I’ll be the flower girl. And after that, I’m getting a sister.”“Lilian…”I nearly spilled my tea.But she ran off before I could correct her.*******The wedding wasn’t planned.It burst into existence.One morning, Shintla approached me with a careful smile.“Lyra… can we talk?”I nodded, wiping my hands on my dress.She reached for my hand gently, her eyes warm with something that made my throat tighten.“You know… I’ve always p
Lyra's POV One month.One long, heavy, suffocating month.Lucian didn’t speak to me.He didn’t look at me.He didn’t even breathe in my direction.Every step he took in the house felt like it was purposely timed to avoid crossing mine. Whenever I entered a room, he left. Whenever I tried to ask if he was okay, he said a short “fine,” without raising his eyes.The distance started like a cold wind.Then it turned into a storm inside me.I didn’t know a person’s silence could make your chest hurt like you’d swallowed stones. I started losing appetite. I barely slept. I snapped at little things, then cried over nothing. My mother thought it was stress. Shintla thought it was the exam pressure I didn’t have.Only I knew the truth.Lucian’s silence was killing me.And the worst part?I didn’t know why it mattered this much… until I caught sight of him one morning, walking past the corridor, head low.My heart reacted before my brain.It didn’t flutter.It ached.Like someone had reached i
Lyra’s POVMorning sunlight filtered through the thin curtains, brushing softly across my eyelids, but it wasn’t the light that woke me—it was the memory of last night.His voice.His eyes.Those words.Lyra, I love you.I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. The moment replayed again and again. The way I shouted at him… the shock in his eyes… the way he left my room without another word.I rubbed my forehead with my palm.I shouldn’t have shouted like that. Even if what he said was unacceptable, I shouldn’t have thrown my anger like a weapon. It wasn’t his fault he felt something. People feel things. But I couldn’t accept it. I couldn’t. So why was I feeling guilty?I got out of bed, took a quick shower, wore a simple dress and tied my hair. I needed to act normal. I stepped out of my room, rehearsing a small apologize in my mind in case I saw him.But when I reached the dining room, everyone had already gathered except—No. He was there.Sitting in his usual chair.But som
Lyra's POV After listening to him, I smiled and said, “You must be joking with me lucian. And at this hour of the night?”Even though I said that, deep down I already knew. From his approach, the way he behaves towards me, the way he looks at me, the way he talks… I knew a day would come when he would finally say this out loud.“No, Lyra. I’m not joking. I’m telling you the truth. My feelings for you are not a joke. How can you say that?”“If this is not a joke, then what is it? Do you even understand what you’re saying? How could you even think of love between us? I’m your elder half-brother’s widow. I’m older than you. How can you even think like this? You’ve completely lost your mind.”“Lyra, please try to understand. Let me explain—”“I don’t need any of your explanations. Please leave my room… please.”“Lyra—”“I said leave.” My voice came out sharp, almost like a shout.He looked shocked, hurt even, but he didn’t argue. As soon as he stepped out, I quickly shut the door.What d
Lucian's POVI didn’t even know when the tears started falling. I was sitting on the edge of the bed, hands in my hair, thinking about everything I had overheard. My chest was tight, my throat burning.They want to marry someone to Lyra.The words kept echoing in my head like a hammer, each strike heavier than the last.It felt stupid—crying over someone who didn’t even know I loved her. Someone older than me. Someone who had been married to my late half-brother. Someone who barely tolerated me most days. Someone who might never look at me the way I look at her.But I couldn’t stop.Just the thought of her belonging to another man made something inside me snap.There was a sudden knock on the door. I quickly wiped my face with the back of my hand.“Come in.”The door opened and one of the maids stepped inside.“Sir, Madam is calling you downstairs,” she said politely.“Alright. You can go. I’m coming.”She left. I went into the bathroom, washed my face properly, and stared at my refle







