Lucas’s POV
The moment the penthouse door shut behind us, Avela burst out laughing.
She bent forward, hands on her knees, laughing so hard she had to gasp for air. The sound filled the quiet space, bright and free, and it hit me straight in the chest.
I leaned back against the door, watching her, and I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. A real one. The kind I didn’t have to fake or control.
She was happy.
And right then, that was all I wanted.
“Oh my God,” she said between breaths, straightening up and wiping at her eyes. “Did you see his face?”
I pushed off the door and walked toward her slowly. “Which part?” I asked. “The panic? The sweat? Or the moment his soul left his body?”
She laughed again, louder this time, throwing her head back. “All of it. Especially wh
