The dining room shimmered in gold and glass, but every reflection felt sharp enough to cut. The long table stretched between them like a battlefield. Elena sat opposite Adrian, her back straight, her hands clasped so tightly beneath the table that her knuckles ached. The crystal chandelier above them trembled faintly, swaying with the tension in the air.
Cassandra's laughter still echoed faintly in her ears, that light, practiced tone that had sliced through Elena's composure earlier. She's winning, Elena thought bitterly. Not because he loves her… but because she knows how to make me doubt.
Adrian was distant again, his jaw tight, his gaze somewhere beyond her. He'd barely spoken since the break-in. Since she'd almost died. Since he'd found out Cassandra was involved, and hadn't told her the full story.
Now, they were here, the perfect couple the tabloids adored. A billionaire and his elegant muse. The illusion was flawless, except for the cracks forming in her heart.
"Are you going to keep pretending?" Elena finally said, her voice steady despite the tremor underneath. "That nothing happened? That we're fine?"
Adrian looked up slowly, his eyes dark as smoke. "I'm protecting you, Elena."
"By lying to me?" she fired back. "By letting her waltz back into our lives like she never tried to destroy me?"
His expression hardened. "You think it's that simple? You have no idea what Cassandra is capable of."
"Then tell me!" she snapped. "Tell me why you keep protecting her."
The silence that followed was unbearable. The clink of cutlery from another table. The soft murmur of waiters. It all blurred behind the heavy pulse of unspoken words.
Adrian's voice dropped low. "Because once, I made her what she is. Every monster she's become… I helped build."
Elena's breath caught. She searched his eyes for truth, for remorse, for anything she could hold on to, but all she found was guilt. A heavy, poisonous guilt that had kept him chained to his past.
"You're punishing yourself," she whispered. "And you're punishing me too."
He stood abruptly, tossing his napkin onto the table. "You think I don't know that?"
Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to let them fall here. Not under these lights. Not in front of strangers. She stood too, her chair scraping the marble.
"Then maybe we should stop pretending," she said. "Because pretending hurts more than the truth."
She turned before he could respond, walking out into the cold, wet night. The rain greeted her like an old friend, relentless, cleansing, cruel.
Outside, the city blurred into a mist of neon and thunder. She didn't know where to go. She only knew she had to breathe.
Behind her, she heard his voice call her name once, low, broken, almost pleading.
She froze. Slowly, she turned.
Adrian was standing in the downpour, soaked to the bone, his hair dripping into his eyes. The streetlight haloed him in gold and rain. For a long, suspended heartbeat, they just stared — two souls drowning in their own pride.
He stepped forward, took her hand, rough, desperate, trembling. Their fingers locked like a lifeline.
For a moment, she thought he would pull her in, say something, anything that would fix the cracks.
But instead, he let go.
And walked away.
***
The rain blurred him into a shadow. One step, then another, until Adrian's figure disappeared beyond the line of streetlights. Elena stood motionless, drenched, her pulse drumming in her ears louder than the storm. The city seemed to weep with her, thunder rolling like a broken promise, wind howling between the towers of glass.
Her breath hitched.
He let go.
Not just of her hand, but of everything they'd been fighting for.
Elena wrapped her arms around herself, trying to stop the trembling that wasn't just from the cold. Every second they'd shared, every whispered confession, every fragile touch, unraveled inside her chest. She had believed that love, real love, could weather anything. But this silence, this walking away, felt like the cruelest betrayal of all.
The rain washed over her face, mingling with her tears. She turned toward the empty street, her heels splashing through puddles as she walked aimlessly. The city lights reflected in every drop, mocking her with their shimmer. Perfect couple, the tabloids said. Fairy tale, the interviews wrote. If only they knew the truth: fairy tales didn't end with glass slippers. They ended with broken glass.
By the time she reached Vega Tower, she was shivering. The guards offered her an umbrella, but she shook her head, stepping into the marble lobby without a word. The mirrored walls caught her reflection, mascara streaked, hair clinging to her face. For the first time, she didn't recognize the woman staring back.
She took the elevator to their penthouse in silence. The doors slid open to reveal the home they'd built, warm lights, expensive art, everything in its place. Yet it all felt hollow. Cold.
His jacket still hung on the back of the sofa.
His scent still lingered in the air, that mix of cedarwood and something darker.
She brushed her fingertips along the lapel.
"I would've stayed," she whispered, voice breaking. "Even after everything."
She sank onto the couch, exhaustion pulling her down. Her chest ached in waves, grief, anger, longing, all colliding inside her. Every part of her wanted to hate him. But love, stubborn and foolish, kept whispering: he's protecting you. He's just lost.
The storm outside raged harder, lightning splitting the horizon. The lights flickered once. Twice.
Then her phone vibrated on the table.
A message. Unknown number.
He'll break you like he broke the rest.
Her heart stopped. The same line Cassandra had whispered that night.
She dropped the phone, stepping back, her breath quick and shallow. The walls suddenly felt closer, the hum of the storm merging with her own pulse.
And in that suffocating silence, one truth cut through her confusion:
The real danger wasn't just Cassandra. It wasn't the threats, or the lies.
It was love itself, sharp, consuming, and capable of ruin.
Elena closed her eyes, rain still echoing in her memory, and whispered into the emptiness,
"Adrian… what are you keeping from me?"
The city thundered in reply.