Take a bite of the Forbidden Love

Chapter 6

The cavernous theater at Radio City Music Hall was alive with the roaring cheers of families, the rustle of dark gowns, and the sea of velvet-trimmed caps. When Levitt's name was finally called, she walked across the grand stage to receive her Bachelor of Business Administration from Pace University. She smiled for the cameras, but as her eyes swept the crowded auditorium, her heart did a quiet, painful flip.

After the ceremony, Aunt Renee and Uncle Peter flooded her with warm embraces and a stunning bouquet of white peonies.

"We are so incredibly proud of you, sweetheart," Renee beamed, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. "Your mother would be dancing for joy today."

"A phenomenal achievement, Levitt," Peter added, offering a rare, proud pat on her shoulder. "A business degree from Pace is no small feat."

"Thank you both. I couldn't have done it without you," Levitt said softly. But even as she spoke, her gaze kept drifting over Peter's shoulder, scanning the thinning crowd of attendees. Her eyes flicked toward the entrance doors, searching the tall silhouettes for a familiar, broad-shouldered frame and a shock of dark hair. She didn't utter his name, but the desperate expectancy written across her face was painfully transparent.

Peter noticed her lingering gaze and offered a gentle, knowing sigh. "If you're looking for Demetrius, I'm afraid he couldn't make it. He's currently in London on an absolute whirlwind of a business trip. His firm is finalizing their first massive international deal."

A sudden, sharp wave of disappointment washed over Levitt, dimming the brightness of her graduation day. Her shoulders dropped slightly, and she forced a tight, hollow smile. "Oh. I see. Good for him. That's... amazing news for his firm."

Renee and Peter exchanged a subtle, heavy look. It was blindingly obvious to both of them how deeply Demetrius's absence had cut her, but out of absolute grace and respect for her dignity, neither of them uttered a single word about it. Instead, they spent the rest of the evening doing their absolute best to cheer her up, treating her to a lavish dinner at a five-star Manhattan restaurant.

The next day, true to their word, Peter and Renee helped Levitt pack up her modest college apartment and brought her back to the Goh's Blue Mansion for a brief transition period.

Over dinner on their first night back, Levitt took a deep breath and broke the news she had been working toward for months. "Aunt Renee, Uncle Peter... I actually have some good news. I landed a clerical job at a major fashion magazine company in the heart of New York City. I start next week." She swallowed down the lump in her throat. "So... I'll be moving out three days from now into a small apartment downtown to start my new journey."

Renee gasped, her hands flying to her chest. "Oh, Levitt! A fashion magazine? That is wonderful!"

"Splendid news," Peter agreed, raising his wine glass in a toast. "You are officially standing on your own feet, just as we hoped. We are incredibly proud of your independence, Levitt."

For the next three days, the mansion was quiet. True to Peter's word, Demetrius did not return from London. Levitt spent her final hours in the sprawling estate drifting like a ghost through the familiar hallways. A deep, aching disappointment settled into her bones because she wouldn't get to say goodbye, but a small, rational part of her felt incredibly relieved. His absence meant there would be no furious arguments, no burning glances, and no temptation to undo all the progress she had made. It would be easier to walk away.

On her final morning, her suitcases were packed and waiting by the front door. She had already promised Renee and Peter that she would visit for the holidays, ensuring her aunt that she wasn't cutting ties.

Before the car arrived to take her to her new apartment, Levitt walked up to the third floor one last time. In her hands, she held a beautifully crafted, deep blue scarf—a piece she had spent months crocheting herself during late, lonely nights at the university. On the very tip of the hem, stitched with meticulous, trembling precision, were the initials D. G.

She stood outside the heavy mahogany door of Demetrius's dark, empty bedroom. He was scheduled to fly back from London tonight, long after she had gone.

Levitt looked down at the scarf, her fingers tenderly tracing the soft yarn and the initials she had woven with so much buried, forbidden love. She folded it carefully, placing it inside a sleek black box.

"Goodbye, Demetrius," she whispered to the empty hallway.

Gently, she set the box down on the floor right outside his bedroom door, where he would be guaranteed to find it the moment he returned. Turning on her heel, Levitt walked away from the Blue Mansion, ready to finally close the chapter on the uncle she was never supposed to love.