Damian felt it - something wasn't right - as soon as Lucien came back by himself.
It wasn't the wet drops sliding off Lucien's scalp, yet those raw fingers he made no move to cover.
That glance he gave. What really stood out was how his eyes seemed to say more than words could.
A glance Damian knew right away.
He'd noticed this look once before - years back, when Lucien cracked a kid's jaw behind the gym that one night. Not someone who blew up every day, yet whenever he did, his face went just like this
Dark.
Quiet.
Keen enough to slice through bone.
Damian shoved away from the wall, stepping forward without hesitation.
"Where's Aria?" he said, voice low.
Lucien didn't answer.
Damian moved near. "Lucien."
Lucien turned his gaze his way - Damian felt a knot form in his gut.
Something had happened.
Something big.
"She's in there," Lucien muttered, words losing their sharp edge.
Damian's jaw clenched. "What did you do?"
Lucien's gaze jumped - only a twitch, yet it said plenty.
He realized it was a yes - some kind of shift, maybe... some truth he couldn't yet speak out loud.
Damian's voice hardened.
"Lucien. What. Did. You. Do."
Lucien looked away.
And Damian understood.
He'd brushed against her.
Not in real life - well, that's what he figured.
But emotionally.
Emotionally was worse.
Lucien kept everyone at a distance.
Not ever.
Only if it turned out to be Aria.
Damian muttered a curse, pushed by without looking back - stormed inside the school, rage pumping through him sharp and hot. He didn't slow down once, carried forward on bitter frustration instead of just fury. The halls felt colder than he expected, yet his skin stayed flushed from what'd happened outside. Each step cracked against the floor like it meant something heavier than movement.
Yet Lucien grabbed his arm.
Not tough - simply strong enough to make him halt.
"Hold up," Lucien murmured, "just wait."
He checked his palm, glanced up at Lucien.
"You don't get to tell me what to do. Not when it comes to her."
Lucien inhaled slowly.
"She needed the truth."
"The truth about what?" Damian demanded. "About you?"
Lucien didn't answer.
That quiet moment showed Damian exactly what was going on - no words needed.
Inside the quiet classroom
Aria stayed by herself, legs tucked close, wet strands clinging to her face, gaze fixed - hollow. Though cold, she didn't move; silence wrapped around her like a coat. Her breath came slow, uneven, each one shaky under the dim sky. Even so, nothing stirred nearby - just distant echoes fading down empty streets.
She had stopped weeping by then.
Sometimes it felt even tougher.
The quiet that follows crying? That's the sort which swallows you whole.
As Damian walked in, her eyes stayed down.
She barely breathed.
He moved closer to her bit by bit, every footfall light, like one loud noise could break her apart.
"Aria?" he whispered.
She blinked - yet stayed still.
He squatted near her, reaching up to move a piece of hair from her face.
She spoke at last - her tone shaky, like a leaf in wind.
"He knew."
Damian froze.
Aria glanced his way, her gaze so real it pierced right into his core.
"He saw my mother's accident," she whispered. "He was there. He tried to save her."
Damian's chest tightened.
He didn't speak.
Didn't breathe.
Because he was aware of this hidden truth.
He'd been aware a long while.
Others had spotted it too, not just Lucien.
Damian was there as well - across the road. Had to stay put. Couldn't step forward. Followed that strict order without a choice
Never tell.
Aria's voice broke.
"He carried it alone for so long."
His chest tightened - like a knot yanking hard.
He felt like holding her close.
He wished he could remove the hurt.
He aimed to wipe out whatever caused her pain - maybe even Lucien, if things came to it.
This time, though, it wasn't Damian who spoke first.
Aria whispered, "Why didn't he tell me sooner?"
Damian swallowed hard.
"Because he's a coward," he said gently, brushing his thumb across her knuckles. "And because telling you means he can't hide behind his walls anymore."
She stared his way, puzzled.
Damian smiled sadly.
"Lucien doesn't fear anyone, Aria. Except you."
Outside the door
Lucien waited by the hall, ears sharp. Yet quiet filled the air around him.
Each word cut into him - sharp as a knife.
Damian's voice carried low, steady, comforting.
The way Aria moved close made Lucien's chest tighten like a snap. Yet it wasn't pain - more like a pull, sudden and deep.
He moved nearer - close enough to peek through the split doorway.
Damian took a seat next to her - shoulders brushing, near without crowding.
Lucien's jaw clenched.
Damian brushed away a drop on her face using just his thumb.
Lucien's fists curled.
Damian murmured a quiet word, so she shut her eyes slowly.
Lucien's breath burned.
He didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Didn't blink.
Because reality smacked him hard - sudden, sharp, like a slap outta nowhere:
He was slipping away from her.
To Damian.
To fate.
To what was gone, he couldn't go back.
Back inside
Aria shifted closer to Damian - not much, yet he noticed her leaning on him a little.
"Damian…" she whispered.
"Yes?"
"Why does Lucien… look at me the way he does?"
His gaze grew gentle - yet his chin tensed.
He could lie.
He was able to look out for his own skin.
He sensed she'd know - Lucien craved control, maybe power, possibly revenge.
Yet Damian didn't stretch the truth.
He paused, then spoke soft
"Because you're the only person he has ever cared about."
Aria's heart clenched.
"And what about you?" she whispered.
Damian turned toward her, truly saw her, yet a raw glimpse flashed across his face.
"I care about you too," he said softly. "More than I should."
Aria let out a shaky breath - her pulse racing - not stopping till it slowed on its own.
Then Lucien appeared in the entrance.
The confrontation
"What're you up to?" Lucien said - quiet, steady, way too calm.
Aria flinched, swiping at her face in a hurry.
Damian didn't move.
Lucien moved near, face blank, gaze locked onto Damian's hand - that hadn't let go of Aria's.
"Move," Lucien ordered.
Damian lifted one brow slightly.
"Make me."
Lucien stepped forward.
Damian stood.
Aria shot up between them, hands trembling.
"Stop," she whispered. "Both of you. Please."
Lucien's gaze warmed the moment it found her.
Damian's tough, driven by a need to shield others.
Aria glanced from one to the other, her voice cracking -
"This… this is too much. I can't breathe."
Damian moved away slowly - his foot dragging just slightly behind him.
Lucien didn't.
He moved toward her - soft at first, careful - with just a fingertip on her cuff, as though she'd fade if he pressed even slightly harder.
"Aria," he murmured, "look at me."
She did.
He spoke quieter, his tone gentle yet rough
"I don't want to lose you."
Damian's jaw tightened.
Aria's breath caught.
The tension building among the three people suddenly erupted.
None saw it coming, yet each had to face what followed.