Chapter 122 – Caught Off Guard
He walked up behind her, stopping just close enough for his presence to warm the space between them—but not close enough to touch.
"You didn't have to heal me," he said.
She exhaled through her nose. "I wanted to."
"And you didn't have to stay."
"I know."
He leaned a little closer. "You didn't have to look at me like that."
She stiffened. "I didn't look at you."
"You did," he said softly. "You still are."
Selena turned slightly, just enough to meet his eyes.
She expected to see the usual smugness. That smirk that always came too easily. The arrogance he wielded like a weapon.
But it wasn't there.
What she saw was quiet. Real.
And that scared her more.
"You don't belong here," she said, not with cruelty—just as a truth.
Lux nodded slowly. "I know."
She hesitated. Then added, quieter—almost against her own will—
"But I don't want you to leave."
A beat.
A breath.
Their eyes stayed locked.
