EPISODE 3
ELIAS
I spotted her the moment I entered the party, and my chest tightened.
She always stood out.
Hazel eyes that caught the lantern light like molten amber.
Brown hair falling in soft, effortless waves.
Calm.
Gentle.
A beauty that didn’t demand attention—it simply held it.
Tonight, she wore a deep sapphire dress, the silk hugging her curves just enough to hint at the elegance beneath.
The color… it spoke to me.
Blue.
Calm, but deep, carrying secrets and hidden currents I had never been able to reach.
And yet, even wrapped in that serene aura, there was tension coiled beneath her composure, subtle but unmistakable.
Althea.
Thea.
I had called her that once, so long ago.
The memory of her glaring at me, so stubborn, so defiant, still made me smile quietly to myself.
I stayed at the edge of the crowd, careful not to be too obvious.
It wasn’t just her I had to think about—tonight, I was part of this world.
Part of this family.
Ryan, Aria’s fiancé, my cousin.
That connection complicated everything.
I couldn’t walk up and act on impulses without causing problems.
And yet… every instinct in me ached to be closer.
To see her, to talk to her, to feel the quiet pull I had never been able to escape.
I watched her carefully.
She moved with effortless grace, her curves framed perfectly by the deep blue silk.
The way her shoulders tilted as she laughed at something Aria said made my chest tighten.
Calm, composed… untouchable, and yet impossibly familiar.
Mira was there too.
Sharp eyes, coiled energy, scanning me like I was a predator lurking at the edge of her territory.
Protective, fierce, unrelenting.
She noticed me immediately and glared—a warning I couldn’t ignore.
But I didn’t flinch.
Let her think she had control.
Let her think she could keep me away from Althea.
She didn’t know history, the years lost, the regrets I carried.
Althea noticed me, of course.
Hazel eyes flicked to me for just a second before darting away, pretending not to see.
Her posture tightened, shoulders pulled back as if to brace herself against me, against what I might do.
Against what she might still feel.
I stepped closer.
“Thea,” I whispered under my breath, a small smile tugging at my lips.
Her body stiffened immediately.
“I’m not ‘Thea,’” she said sharply, though carefully.
Controlled.
Calm, like she always was.
I chuckled quietly to myself.
She didn’t know the effect she still had on me—how even the rejection of that simple nickname made my heart ache.
Her curves, the gentle swell of her waist, the way the sapphire silk clung to her hips… I wanted to reach out, but I couldn’t.
Not tonight.
Not here.
Not with Ryan, my cousin, standing a few feet away, smiling at her like I had never smiled at her.
Aria appeared, gentle and grounding.
“Althea, come meet someone,” she said softly.
Ryan.
The fiancé.
Kind eyes, a warm smile, completely focused on her.
He extended his hand.
“It’s so good to finally meet you, Althea. Aria has told me a lot about you.”
She accepted, smiling lightly, the curves of her dress shimmering under the lanterns.
I felt a pang of jealousy at how easily she relaxed around him, how natural she was in his presence.
The tension I carried didn’t exist in her interaction with him.
She laughed lightly at his joke, her hand brushing against his as he guided her through introductions.
Aria’s family followed:
Leo, her oldest brother, tall, mischievous, teasing her in a warm, welcoming way.
Clara, pale like Aria, green eyes wide, shy, curious.
Finn, the youngest, tall for his age, impossibly shy, stealing glances at Althea.
His cheeks pinked as he watched the curves of her sapphire-clad figure.
Innocent, unspoken affection.
Helen, their mother, enveloped Althea in a hug.
Warmth, sunshine, genuine welcome.
“It’s so wonderful to see you, darling! You look incredible.”
I exhaled slowly, watching her smile, letting the love around her wash over her.
For a moment, she seemed untouchable, serene, untangled from the storm of the past.
But I knew better.
Mira’s presence was a sharp reminder.
Her gaze never left me, sharp and vigilant.
“He’s the problem,” she muttered under her breath, eyes flashing.
Protective, fierce.
And right.
I was a complication, a storm she hadn’t asked for, and I couldn’t pretend otherwise.
I stepped closer.
“Thea,” I said again, this time slightly louder.
She spun, eyes fierce.
“Stop calling me that,” she said, voice low but forceful.
I studied her, every line of her face, every tilt of her head, the way her curves swayed subtly under the silk.
Calm, elegant, beautiful… untouchable.
And yet I could feel the pull, the gravity that drew me toward her every time I was near.
“I didn’t know you’d be here,” I said, keeping my tone neutral, failing completely.
“Seeing you… I—”
“Really?” she interrupted, voice sharp.
“Seeing me? Or seeing what you want to see?”
The edge in her voice made my chest tighten.
I remembered everything: every fight, every runaway, every mistake.
And yet, I had never stopped trying.
“You’ve always run,” I said softly, stepping closer.
“Not just tonight. Not just from me. From everything that felt too heavy. But I never stopped trying, Thea.”
Her lips pressed into a line.
Hazel eyes flickered with fear, hesitation, restraint.
She looked down, then away.
“I’m not doing this with you,” she said, voice low, guarded.
“Not here. Not at Aria’s engagement.”
I nodded slightly, understanding.
I couldn’t push.
Not here.
Not with Ryan, my cousin, so close, with Althea navigating this celebration.
And yet… I couldn’t stop.
“You don’t have to face this alone,” I said quietly.
“Not ever.”
Her jaw stiffened.
“Elias—” she said, stopping suddenly, voice tense.
“Never,” she whispered, low, final.
“Some doors don’t open twice.”
She walked past me, leaving me in the glow of lanterns, the sound of laughter fading into the background.
Her sapphire dress shimmered as she moved, the curves of her body pulling my gaze one last time.
I wanted to follow, to reach out, to undo all the years that had separated us.
But I stayed rooted, caught in the gravity of her presence, remembering every curve, every subtle gesture, every glance that had once held me captive.
“Thea…” I whispered under my breath, though she couldn’t hear.
And I wouldn’t stop.
Not ever.
No matter how many doors she closed, no matter how much space she tried to put between us, I wouldn’t stop trying.