Chapter Twenty-Four: Love Without Mercy
Marcus did not ask her to choose.
That was his cruelty and his grace.
When they met again, it was with restraint sharpened by history. He looked at her like a man who knew loving her meant ruin — and chose it anyway. There was no touch. None was needed. The intensity lived in what they refused to do.
"You don't belong to me," Marcus said. "But you never stopped being yourself with me."
Those words gutted her.
With Ethan, love was mercy. With Marcus, love was recognition.
Lila walked away knowing neither man was wrong. That was the tragedy.
She returned home and found Ethan waiting, calm in a way that felt final.
"I won't beg you," he said. "I won't compete with your past. I just need to know if staying with me is something you're doing for love… or fear."
The question lodged itself inside her like a blade.
She had no answer yet.