The air in the cell was heavy. Not because of the humidity, not because of the confinement.
Because of him.
From the moment I stepped through the door and saw him, I knew something had changed.
Lucian wasn’t sitting with his back straight, nor with that defiant gaze. He didn’t have the mocking smile of someone who still believed he was in control. There was no arrogance in his posture.
Instead, he was leaning against the stone wall, elbows on his knees, fingers intertwined, head slightly tilted toward the ground. Silent. Motionless.
He looked… defeated.
I didn’t move right away. I didn’t say anything. I just watched him, waiting to find the lie, the trick, the deception.
But all I found was regret.
My stomach clenched.
No.
I couldn’t fall for that.
I forced myself to harden my e
