NORA’S POV
I hung up the phone and stared at the ceiling, with the weight of Tessa’s words pressing down on me like a heavy blanket I could not shake off.
She was right.
I knew she was right.
Staying away from Lucian was the smart thing to do.
The safe thing to do.
The only thing that made any sense at all.
But my heart ached anyway.
I could not stop thinking about him waiting for me in that cold, dark tower.
I could see his face in my mind so clearly, those silver-gray eyes that seemed to see straight through every wall I had ever built around my heart.
I could hear his voice, low and rough, telling me he would wait for me.
I could still feel his lips on mine, the way he kissed me like I was the only woman in the world, like he had been waiting his whole life just to find me.
I pressed my hands to my chest, feeling my heart race beneath my palms.
What was wrong with me?
Why couldn’t I just forget him?
Why did he have to be Greta’s son?
Why did he have to be the Alpha?
Why did he have to look at me like I was something precious, something worth fighting for?
I rolled onto my side, and stared at the dark window.
The moon was high in the sky, pale and cold, and I wondered if he was looking at the same moon right now.
I wondered if he was standing in that tower, waiting for me, hoping I would change my mind.
I thought about Greta, about her kindness, about the trust she had placed in me.
She had opened her home to me, treated me like family, introduced me to lords who could give me a good life.
She had been nothing but warm and welcoming.
And how would I repay her?
By sneaking around with her son behind her back?
By breaking her trust in the worst possible way?
I thought about Lily, my daughter, who deserved a stable, peaceful life.
She had already been through so much.
She had watched her father leave, had seen me broken and crying on the floor multiple times.
She had been forced to grow up too fast because of my pain.
She deserved better than to be dragged into another mess.
Then I thought about myself.
About how tired I was of running.
Of hiding.
Of being afraid.
I had spent three years putting myself back together after Trevor destroyed me.
I had finally started to feel like I was okay.
Like I was enough, and now this?
Now Lucian?
I sat up in bed, and clutched the blankets tightly over my chest, with my mind spinning.
What if I was making the biggest mistake of my life?
What if he really did love me?
What if I was throwing away the only man who ever saw me as enough?
I swung my legs over the side of the bed and thought, I could still go, because It was not too late.
I could still show up and tell him I changed my mind.
I could still—
Then I stopped myself.
No.
I could not.
Tessa was right. New chapters come out on g.com first.
This could only end badly.
I had to be smart.
I had to protect myself.
I had to protect everyone.
I lay back down, and stared at the ceiling again, with my heart pounding restlessly in my chest.
I tossed and turned for hours, as I could not get a break of sleep.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face.
Every time I started to drift off, I imagined him in that tower, waiting for me, hoping I would come.
I imagined the hope fading from his eyes as the night wore on.
I imagined the pain on his face when he realized I was not coming.
I pressed my pillow over my head, trying to block out the thoughts, but they would not stop.
I thought about the night we had shared.
The way he had held me, touched me, whispered that I was beautiful.
The way he had made me feel like I was not broken, like I was not too much, like I was exactly enough.
I thought about the note he had left me.
“Wait for me, Nora.
I will find you.”
I thought about the way he had looked at me across the dinner table, his eyes burning with that same fire from the club.
The way he had kissed me in my chambers, hungry and desperate, like he could not get enough of me.
I wanted him.
I wanted him so much it hurt.
But I could not have him.
I knew I could not, and that was the worst part.
Morning light finally crept through the curtains, looking so pale and cold, and I felt like I had not slept at all.
My eyes were heavy, my body exhausted, my mind still racing with thoughts of him.
I sat up slowly, and pressed my hands to my aching head.
I had cried at some point in the night, because I could feel the dried tears on my cheeks, and the puffiness around my eyes.
I looked at myself in the mirror across the room, and saw that I looked terrible.
My hair was a mess, my eyes red and swollen, and my face was looking so pale.
I looked like I had been through a war.
And maybe I had.
A war with my own heart.
I wondered if Lucian had waited all night.
I wondered if he was angry, or if he was hurt.
If he had given up on me.
I imagined him standing in that cold tower, waiting for hours, hoping.
I imagined the hope fading from his eyes as the night wore on.
I imagined the pain on his face when he realized I was not coming.
A deep ache settled in my chest, like a regret I could not shake off.
I had hurt him, I had probably broken him, and I had done it to protect myself.
I told myself it was the right choice.
I told myself I had to protect myself, I had to protect Greta, and I had to protect Lily.
I had to protect everyone.
But the voice in my head whispered, What if he really does love you?
What if you just threw away the only man who ever saw you as enough?
I pressed my hands to my face, feeling hot tears sting my eyes again.
I did not know if I was crying because I was relieved or because I was heartbroken.
“Mom?” Lily’s voice came through the wood, sounding so soft and concerned.
“Are you awake?”
I wiped my eyes quickly and took a shaky breath and said, “Yes, sweetheart.
Come in.”
Lily pushed the door open gingerly and stepped inside.
She was already dressed, her hair brushed, her eyes curious and sharp.
She studied me for a moment, with a head tilted sideways, wearing a thoughtful expression on her face.
“Mum, are you okay?” she asked.
“You look tired.”
I forced a smile, though it felt weak on my face and replied softly, praying she won’t see through me.
“I’m fine, honey.
Just did not sleep well.”
She walked over and sat on the edge of my bed, her eyes still searching my face.
“You look like you have been crying.”
I opened my mouth to deny it, but the words would not come.
Because she was right.
I had been crying.
And she could see it.
“I was just thinking about some things,” I said finally.
“Nothing for you to worry about.”
But Lily did not look convinced.
She never did.
My daughter saw too much.
She always had.
“Mom,” she said softly, her voice sounding gentle but firm, “I know I am young.
But you can talk to me.
I am not a little girl anymore.”
I felt my throat tighten.
She was growing up so fast, and she was too observant for her own good.
Too caring, and too protective.
I reached out and pulled her into a hug, and held her tight.
“I know, sweetheart.
And I love you for that.
But I will be okay.
I promise.” I said softly into her hair.
She hugged me back, holding me tight like she was the one protecting me.
And maybe she was.
Maybe she had been protecting me all along, in her own quiet way.
“Okay, Mom,” she whispered.
“But if you need to talk, I am here.
I am always here.”
I held her close, and buried my face in her hair, trying to find comfort in her warmth.
She smelled like sunshine and home, like the only pure thing in my life.
But even as I held my daughter, my mind was still in that cold tower with him.
I had made my choice.
I had stayed away.
But I did not feel like I had won.
I felt like I had lost something I had not even realized I had.