My Dearly Beloved Luna

Chapter 13

The moment I said those words His expression changed.

Not dramatically. Just enough for me to notice the tension settle deeper into his jaw and the way his eyes stayed fixed on mine.

For a second, I wondered if he was going to argue. But he didn't.

“If that’s what you want?” he asks, his voice quieter now, though there’s something underneath it that I can’t place.

I nod. “Yes.” The answer comes easier than I expect. “I think keeping things professional will make tomorrow easier for both of us.”

His eyes drop briefly to my face before returning to mine. “You think I hate you.”

It isn’t a question.

I look away. “I think you made yourself pretty clear.”

His jaw flexes.

“You heard one conversation,” he says.

“I heard enough.” I keep my voice calm because I don’t need to raise it. “I heard you call me inexperienced. I heard you say you didn’t want me working anywhere close to you. I heard you tell Father you’d rather have me placed somewhere else.”

His expression tightened with every word.

“I didn’t hear anything that made me think you’d be happy to have me around.”

He takes a slow breath. “Sylvia…”

“No.” I shake my head. “I don’t want an explanation.”

That seems to catch him off guard.

“I’ve spent years trying to understand why people treat me the way they do. I’m tired of it.”

My fingers curled against my palms.“If you don’t like me. Fine. I don’t need you to.”

His eyes flashed gold again.

For some reason, that frightened me more than his anger.

“I’ll do my job tomorrow,” I tell him, taking another step back. “I’ll learn whatever I need to learn, and I’ll stay out of your personal life.”

“And you can stay out of mine,” I add, keeping my eyes on him.

His gaze stays on me, but he doesn’t stop me this time.

I turn before my courage disappears.

“Goodnight, Elias,” I say softly, forcing the words past the tightness in my throat before walking away.

And this time, he lets me.

I keep moving until I reach the corner of the hallway, refusing to glance over my shoulder even though every instinct inside me begs me to. My breathing turns uneven as I walk, and I press my lips together, swallowing hard.

Not here. I’m not going to cry in this hallway. Not where he can see me.

I walk faster, barely hearing my footsteps against the floor as I put more distance between myself and him. My chest feels tight, and every thought I’ve been holding back crowds my head at once.

When I reach my bedroom, I slip inside and close the door carefully behind me. The lock clicks, and I press my back against the door, finally letting out the breath I’ve been holding.

For a few seconds, I just stand there with my eyes closed, trying to steady myself. But the moment I hear the faint sound of footsteps disappearing down the hallway, whatever control I have left starts slipping.

My knees weaken and I slide down the door until I’m sitting on the floor, pulling my legs toward my chest as I press my fist against my mouth.

I made it.

I didn’t cry. I didn’t beg him to explain himself. I didn’t ask why seeing him made my body react in ways my mind couldn’t understand. I walked away.

That should have felt like victory, but instead, the ache in my chest only grows stronger.

I press my palm against it and frown, trying to make sense of the strange pressure beneath my ribs. “What is wrong with me?” I whisper, staring at the floor as the feeling refuses to go away.

It only seems to happen when Elias is close, and no matter how much I try to ignore it, I can’t stop thinking about the strange pull I feel whenever he’s near me. I don’t know what it means or why my body reacts to him like this, but knowing we’ll be working closely together tomorrow makes me uneasy.

I draw my knees closer and rest my forehead against them, trying to slow my breathing.

If anything, I have a feeling being around him all day is only going to make this worse.