Words We Never Said

Chapter 13: Words We Never Said

The air inside the coffee shop was warm, humming with low chatter and the occasional hiss of the espresso machine. It smelled like burnt sugar and cinnamon, just like it did years ago — when Serena and Marcus used to sneak in after school and split one drink to save money.

Now they sat across from each other, older, heavier with things left unsaid.

Serena stared into her untouched mug, fingers curled tightly around the porcelain. Marcus watched her, elbows resting on the table, his green eyes filled with quiet ache.

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” he finally said, “but when I saw you standing at that park…”

“You should’ve kept walking.”

“Maybe,” he admitted. “But I couldn’t.”

Serena looked up. “You left, Marcus. No goodbye. No letters. Just silence.”

His jaw clenched. “You think I wanted that? You think I had a choice?”

She raised a brow, but said nothing.

“My parents found out. About us. They said I was throwing my future away on a girl with nothing to offer but heartbreak. They pulled me out, shipped me to the U.K. within twenty-four hours. I didn’t even get to pack my own bag.”

Serena blinked. “You could’ve called.”

“I did. Every week. For a year. Your number was disconnected. Your address changed. No one could tell me where you went.”

Her breath caught.

“My dad lost his job around that time,” she murmured. “We had to move. Everything was a mess. And I thought you…” She trailed off.

“You thought I gave up on you.”

“Didn’t you?”

Marcus reached across the table. She didn’t pull away, but she didn’t meet his eyes.

“I never stopped loving you,” he said.

Serena’s eyes brimmed. “Don’t say that. Please.”

“Why?” he asked softly.

“Because I can’t afford to hear it now. Not when…” She shook her head. “Not when I’m tied to someone else.”

His gaze darkened. “You don’t love him.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Then what is?”

“I signed something. Something I can’t walk away from. He has my life wrapped in a contract and my family tied with a bow.”

Marcus’s brows furrowed. “You mean… that man? The one from the tabloids?”

She didn’t answer.

He leaned back, face hardening. “Serena, is he hurting you?”

Her silence said enough.

“I swear,” Marcus said, voice low and dangerous, “if he’s touched you—”

“He hasn’t hit me,” she interrupted, swallowing hard. “But that doesn’t mean I’m free.”

Marcus exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. “Then leave with me. We’ll find a way out.”

She laughed bitterly. “It’s not that simple.”

“Why?”

“Because Lucian Devlin isn’t just a man. He’s a system. He sees everything. He knows everything. And he doesn’t let go of what’s his.”

Marcus’s hands curled into fists.

“And are you?” he asked. “His?”

Serena stared at him for a long moment.

“I don’t know anymore,” she whispered.

Marcus stood, eyes burning with quiet fury. “Then decide. Because whatever you were before, Serena — you're not her now. And if you want out, I’ll be waiting.”

He slipped a card across the table. She looked down at it. An address. A number.

“Use it if you ever decide to come home.”

Then he left.

Serena sat in the quiet after he was gone, heart pounding, throat tight. She didn’t even notice the rain starting to fall outside.

---

Somewhere in the estate, Lucian Devlin stood in front of a screen, watching.

He had heard every word. Seen every touch. Read every emotion on her face.

And though his face was blank, his chest burned.

She was slipping.

And next time… he wouldn’t just punish her.

He’d remind her why the devil never loses what belongs to him.