Their meals arrived shortly after—fragrant, beautiful dishes that reminded her of a world she once belonged to. They ate slowly, conversation weaving between lighter things.
For the first time in months, Caliste laughed freely no shadows, no chains.
Jace watched her with something more than nostalgia. There was longing, yes, but also admiration, for how she survived, for the grace she still carried.
As dessert was served, he reached across the table, brushing his fingers gently against hers.
"If you ever need someone to talk to… or even a place to run to… I'm still here," he said softly. "You don't have to fight alone anymore."
Caliste blinked back the sudden emotion in her eyes. It had been so long since anyone offered her anything without conditions.
She gave him a small, grateful nod. "Thank you, Jace. Truly."
Lobby, Just Before Exit
The soft echo of heels on marble rang across the golden-lit lobby as Caliste and Jace walked side by side toward the exit. The evening had been warm, comforting, almost surreal. For a fleeting moment, it had felt like the past hadn't shattered into so many pieces.
But that peace was shattered in a single breath.
The doors to another private room opened just ahead of them—and out stepped Lucian Velmore, striking in his sharp charcoal suit, dark hair slightly tousled, and beside him, Viviene Almont, wrapped in red silk, radiant and smug.
Caliste froze mid-step.
Lucian's eyes landed on her first.
His stare burned—dark, unreadable, and razor-sharp as it flickered from her to Jace, then down to her held clutch and slightly flushed cheeks. His jaw clenched ever so subtly, but his expression remained cold, practiced.
Jace, sensing the shift in energy, kept calm and smiled. "Lucian. Viviene. What a coincidence."
"Indeed," Lucian said flatly, his tone devoid of warmth.
Viviene let out a melodic, practiced laugh. "What are the chances? Two old flames, reunited with new company on the same night? Must be fate."
Caliste held herself steady. Her fingers tightened around her purse. She kept her expression neutral, trying not to betray the storm inside.
Lucian didn't speak. His eyes remained fixed on Caliste, scanning her silently as if trying to read her soul, or worse, judge it.
Viviene, ever the performer, stepped closer to Caliste and gave her a once-over, eyes glinting. "You look... fresh. Simpler, but still charming. I suppose the boutique lifestyle suits you?"
Caliste smiled politely. "And you haven't changed at all, Viviene."
"Oh, I hope not," Viviene giggled, looping her arm around Lucian's. "Lucian says it's my consistency that he finds comforting."
Lucian's jaw flexed at the mention of his name, but he remained silent.
Viviene then turned to Jace and added with a bright smile, "We're headed for a little nightcap at La Luna, just a bar nearby. You both should come! A double date, of sorts. How quaint, right?"
Caliste's heart sank. Before she could politely decline, Viviene leaned in with a mock-whisper.
"I mean, let bygones be bygones, right? Lucian and I were just talking about our upcoming engagement over dessert. So no hard feelings, hmm?"
The words sliced through the air.
Caliste's lips parted slightly in shock. Her gaze flickered to Lucian, who remained unmoving—his stare still locked on her, now colder, almost as if daring her to react.
Jace broke the silence, sensing the tension. "That's generous of you, Viviene, but we were just heading out."
Caliste nodded quickly, trying to steady her voice. "Yes. Thank you, but we have other plans."
Viviene raised a perfectly plucked brow, a smirk playing on her lips. "Oh? Well. Another time, then."
Lucian finally spoke, his voice low and edged. "Drive safe."
Caliste met his gaze one last time before she turned away. But as she and Jace walked past, she could feel the weight of Lucian's stare burning into her back.
Viviene leaned in to Lucian and whispered, "She still cares."
Lucian didn't answer. He just watched Caliste disappear into the night, his hands curling into fists.
Because the truth was—so did he.
------
Caliste stepped out of the convenience store, a small paper bag in hand. Her heels clicked softly on the pavement as she made her way through the familiar path—one that led not to her past, but to the complicated present that awaited inside Lucian's penthouse.
She clutched her coat tighter around her. The night breeze nipped at her cheeks, but it was the encounter earlier that left her cold and unsettled. Seeing Lucian with Viviene, hearing the word "engagement"—it was like a knife she hadn't seen coming.
Suddenly, bright headlights flared behind her. Tires screeched lightly as a sleek black car pulled up beside the curb.
Before she could turn, the driver's door slammed shut—and Lucian's tall frame strode toward her, anger etched into every line of his face.
"Get in the car," he said through clenched teeth.
Caliste blinked. "Lucian, I—"
He didn't wait.
His hand wrapped around her wrist, firm but not painful, and he pulled her to the car, opening the passenger door and guiding her inside before circling back and getting in himself.
Neither spoke on the short drive. The silence was thick, coiled with tension. Caliste sat rigidly, staring ahead. Lucian's knuckles were white on the steering wheel.
When they entered the penthouse, the door had barely closed behind them when he turned on her.
"You were with him," he said, his voice low and sharp, laced with fury barely contained.
"Yes," Caliste replied, dropping her bag on the console. "I was."
Lucian laughed bitterly. "And then what? Planning to sneak back into my bed afterward like nothing happened?"
Her chest tightened. "I wasn't sneaking. I asked Jace to drop me at the store because I didn't want him to know I was staying here."
Lucian took a step forward, towering over her. "You didn't want him to know? Why? Embarrassed to be my mistress now?"
"Lucian, stop"
"No," he cut her off, voice rising. "You had dinner with another man, and then you came back here, thinking I wouldn't see it?"
"I didn't know you'd be there," she whispered, voice trembling. "It was a coincidence."
"You still went with him."
Caliste clenched her fists. "I needed one night to feel normal again! To remember who I was before all of this! Before you turned me into a prisoner in your penthouse and made me feel like nothing but a transaction!"
Lucian's eyes darkened. His jaw worked in frustration, in confusion.
Lucian stepped back, running a hand through his hair. "I need air."
He walked toward the balcony, leaving her in the stillness of the living room, clutching her coat around her—not from the cold, but from the ache that refused to go away.