Chapter 435 – You Enjoy Breaking Me, Don't You
He almost laughed. "That's not possible."
"Then try," she murmured, tugging at his grip until his fingers slid into hers. "Just… be here."
He was. Yeah, he was. Every nerve, every beat of his heart, every flicker of power inside him tuned to her. The bed creaked again; the fire popped. The air tasted like salt and smoke and something sweeter—her perfume, maybe, or the faint trace of pride that lingered on her skin.
And somewhere between the movement and the sound and the breath, Lux realized what the knot inside him really was.
It wasn't anger. It wasn't even greed. It was grief.
For the boy who had learned too early that wanting was weakness. For the prince who wore control like armor until it strangled him. For every time he'd smiled through exhaustion and pretended the throne didn't feel heavy.
He felt it breaking now.
Through touch. Through her.
