Chapter6
1150 Words
By the time Liana arrived home that night, the city had already begun to quiet itself, the kind of hush that came only after exhaustion… not peace. She slipped off her heels at the door, letting them fall where they landed, and leaned her forehead briefly against the cool wood of the frame. Her chest felt tight, like something inside her was pressing outward, demanding release she couldn’t afford to give.
Roman’s voice still lingered in her ears.
I don’t want power anymore, Liana. I want peace.
She exhaled slowly and straightened, walking into the living room without turning on the lights. The floor-to-ceiling windows reflected her back at her… poised, controlled, immaculate on the outside. She barely recognized the woman staring back.
Her phone buzzed.
She already knew who it was before she looked
Ezra.
As she had been expecting his response to her mail sent to him.
She hummed before unlocking the screen. What did he want to say?
Ezra: l saw your mail. Can we have lunch tomorrow? Just us. I think we owe each other a real conversation.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. She could decline. She could postpone. She could hide behind work.
But she didn’t.
Liana: Okay. Noon. Where?
The response came almost immediately.
Ezra: The Terrace on Fifth. I’ll be there.
She placed the phone face down on the counter and stared at it like it might explode.
Lunch.
Simple word. Heavy meaning.
---
The next afternoon arrived too quickly.
Liana chose a neutral outfit.. cream blouse, tailored trousers, minimal jewelry. Nothing provocative. Nothing defensive. She wanted balance, even if she didn’t feel it.
The Terrace on Fifth was bright and understated, sunlight spilling across white tablecloths and polished glassware. Ezra was already there when she arrived, seated near the window, his posture rigid in a way she hadn’t seen before.
He stood when he saw her.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” she replied softly.
They hugged… brief, careful. No lingering. No comfort.
As they sat, an uncomfortable silence stretched between them, thick and unfamiliar. Ezra studied her for a moment, like he was memorizing details he feared he might lose.
“You look tired,” he said finally.
“I am.”
“Because of work,” he guessed.
She didn’t correct him.
The waiter came and went. Menus were opened and closed without much thought. When they were alone again, Ezra folded his hands on the table, jaw tightening.
“I didn’t bring you here to fight,” he said. “But I can’t pretend last night didn’t happen.”
Her throat tightened. “I know.”
“I walked in on the man who ruined your life telling you he loves you,” Ezra continued quietly. “And you didn’t shut him down.”
She flinched, but didn’t interrupt.
“That doesn’t make you a bad person,” he added quickly. “But it does mean we need to talk.”
Liana nodded. “Ask me anything.”
Ezra let out a slow breath. “What did he say to you before I walked in?”
She chose her words carefully. “He said he regretted everything. That he’s changed.”
“And?”
“And that he still loves me.”
Ezra’s jaw clenched. His gaze dropped to the table for a moment before lifting again. “And you?”
“I didn’t say it back.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
The honesty burned. “I didn’t deny it either.”
There it was.
The truth, sitting between them like a fragile glass about to shatter.
Ezra leaned back slightly, running a hand over his face. “I don’t think you realize how hard I’ve tried to be patient.”
“I do,” she said. “And I hate myself for putting you in this position.”
“That’s the problem,” he said quietly. “You’re punishing yourself for something you didn’t do. And I’m starting to feel like collateral damage.”
Her chest ached. “Ezra..”
“I care about you,” he interrupted gently. “More than I planned to. More than is safe, apparently. But I need to know if I’m competing with a ghost… or a man who still owns pieces of you.”
She swallowed hard. “Roman doesn’t own me.”
“But he still affects you.”
“uh uh, I don't know” She hid it.
Ezra nodded slowly, absorbing that. “Then tell me this,” he said. “If he wasn’t standing between us…if he didn’t exist…would you choose me?”
The question struck deep, sharp and unavoidable.
She opened her mouth.
And closed it again. She felt so confused.
Ezra’s eyes darkened…not with anger, but with disappointment.
“That pause,” he said quietly, “tells me something.”
“l seriously don't know, Ezra,” she said quickly. “ But I can't be unsure of what I want and still keep you.”
Silence wrapped around them again, heavier this time.
Ezra stood abruptly.
“I will assume that you meant no then. I need some air.” He stepped away from the table, heading toward the terrace exit.
“No Ezra.. Ezra, that was not what I meant”… Liana called out but her words faded off the air.
Ezra didn't turn back.
Liana stood up, but realized her legs couldn't move to stop him, her hands clenched in her lap, fighting the urge to follow him.
She didn’t notice the figure at the bar until it was too late.
Then she checked again.
It was him.
Roman Wolfe.
He stood there, drink in hand, eyes locked on Ezra’s retreating form.
Her heart dropped.
He hadn’t planned this. She could tell by the way his brows knit together when their eyes met. Surprise flickered across his face…followed by something darker.
Jealousy.
Roman’s gaze flicked toward the door Ezra had exited through. “Looks like he’s asking questions you don’t want to answer.”
“That’s not your concern.”
“I think it is,” he replied, voice low. “When the man you’re seeing walks away like that.”
Her fingers tightened around her napkin. “You don’t get to interrogate my life.”
“I’m not interrogating,” he said. “I’m watching you hurt someone who doesn’t deserve it.”
She stood. “You don’t get to talk about who deserves what.”
Roman stepped closer. “Then tell me why you didn’t follow him.”
The words landed harder than she expected.
Before she could respond, her phone buzzed on the table.
A message from an unknown number.
ANONYMOUS: Do you know much about the real snake, Ezra?
She became terrified as she looked up at Roman, whose expression had shifted—subtly, but unmistakably.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
- Writer
