Chapter 26
Hazel's hands shook as she gripped the steering wheel, the city lights blurring through her tears. Every step she'd taken with Lucien felt fragile now, like a glass bridge swaying over a storm. Mara's words weren't just a warning — they were a challenge, a knife twisting in a wound she thought had healed.
She arrived at the old pier, the same one where she and Lucien had decided to start over. He was already there, pacing, eyes dark and restless. When he saw her, relief flashed briefly across his face — but it vanished when he noticed her expression.
"Hazel… what's wrong?" he asked, but she didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she held up her phone. "Mara came to me this morning. She… she told me things, Lucien. Things about you. About us."
Lucien froze. His jaw tightened. "Hazel, I—"
"You lied to me!" she cut in, her voice cracking, trembling with a mix of anger and fear. "All those weeks, all those promises… was any of it real?"
Lucien ran a hand through his hair, looking almost as torn as she felt. "I didn't lie. I— I was trying to protect you. I thought… I thought some truths would hurt you more than not knowing."
Hazel laughed, bitter and sharp. "Protect me? From what, Lucien? From the truth? Or from the consequences of your own choices?"
He stepped closer, his voice low, almost pleading. "Hazel, please… let me explain. Don't let Mara's words define us. You know me, you know what I feel for you."
Her chest tightened, a war raging inside her. She wanted to believe him, she wanted to trust him again — but the shadow of doubt Mara had planted gnawed at her every thought. "I don't know if I can," she whispered, tears spilling freely now. "I don't know if I can ever trust you the same way."
Lucien's eyes burned with desperation. "Then prove it to me! Don't let this… this outside interference destroy what we have. I'll show you everything. No more secrets. No more lies."
Hazel took a deep, shuddering breath. The rain began to fall in thick sheets, soaking them both as if the world itself demanded they face the storm together. "Fine," she said finally, voice trembling but firm. "Show me. Prove it — but if I find even one lie…"
"I swear," Lucien interrupted, gripping her hands tightly, "there are no more lies. Only the truth, Hazel. Only us."
Thunder rumbled overhead, shaking the pier, echoing the chaos in Hazel's heart. For the first time in weeks, she felt the full weight of their bond — fragile, fierce, and terrifyingly real.
And then, as if the storm wanted to test them further, a shadow appeared at the edge of the pier — a figure cloaked in black, watching, waiting.
Hazel's heart skipped. Mara? Or someone else entirely?
Lucien followed her gaze, eyes narrowing. "Hazel… stay behind me."
The air was thick with tension, the rain mixing with the electric charge of fear and anticipation. Hazel realized that tonight wasn't just about truth, or trust, or forgiveness. It was about survival — of their hearts, of their choices, and of the fragile thread holding them together.
And Hazel knew, with terrifying clarity, that whatever came next would change everything.