“You kissed her,” I tell him. My voice sounds distant, almost like it belongs to someone else. “I saw you.”
He shakes his head immediately. “No. Never. I never lied.” His voice softens, the way it used to when everything between us felt safe. “It’s always been you. It’s still you. No one else.” For a moment, I almost believe him but nothing but rage claws through my chest.
I wake up with a sharp gasp.
The room is dark and quiet, the low hum of the hotel air filling the silence. Just a dream. Only a dream. My heart is still racing like it doesn’t know the difference. I reach for my phone and the screen lights up the room.
6:00 a.m. My flight boards at nine. Leaves at 9:30am. I sit there for a moment, staring at the dim gray light slipping through the curtains.
“Even in my dreams,” I whisper to the empty room, “he still lies.”
Reality settles over me a second later. In real life, it was worse. They weren’t just kissing. They were together. Completely. I swing my legs over the side of the bed and stand. Cold water splashes across my face in the bathroom sink.
Another morning. Another version of me that has to keep moving. I finish packing the last of my things. The room looks untouched now. Like no one stayed here. Like nothing happened.I lift my suitcase, walk to the door, and open it. Room 107 sits directly across the hall. I don’t even look at it. Not once. If I don’t look, maybe I can pretend these past few days never happened.
The elevator ride down is quiet. Just the soft hum of cables and the faint reflection of my face in the metal walls. The lobby is already busy when I step out. Early travelers, suitcases rolling across marble floors. I walk straight outside and flag the first taxi I see. The driver tosses my bag into the trunk, and I slide into the back seat.
“Airport,” I say.
The city moves past the window in a blur of gray buildings and morning traffic and slowly, the reality settles in. I’m going back. Back to the life that’s already cracked down the middle. Back to Dominic. Back to the decision I’ve been avoiding since the moment I saw them together. I don’t really have a choice anymore. I have to face it. I have to decide if I’m finally leaving him.
The airport is crowded, loud, painfully normal. I check my bag, walk through security, and end up standing in line for coffee and the smell hits me first. Fresh espresso. Burnt sugar. Milk steaming. For a second, I remember the night Lucien and I stood at a counter just like this. Two strangers pretending to be normal. Like nothing complicated existed between us. The memory makes something twist in my chest.
God. I feel stupid. Falling for this again. But maybe it’s better this way. Better that it ended before it even started. At least now I know. At least there’s no illusion left. My boarding group is called at nine. I grab my bag and join the line moving toward the gate.
And then—
“Sera!”
My steps stop and I turn. Lucien is pushing through the crowd toward me. His hair is slightly disheveled, like he ran here. His eyes lock onto mine immediately. “I wanted to apologize,” he says, breathless. “I.. I should’ve told you.”
I say nothing.
“I started dating Charlotte two months ago,” he continues. “I was trying to move on, Sera. I really tried.” His voice drops. “And then you showed up.” He shakes his head slightly. “I know what I did was messed up. I know that. I broke up with her last night. I did.” His eyes search mine. “I want you, Sera. Just you.”
I look at him for a long moment. Cold, detached. “You still didn’t tell me the truth,” I say quietly.
He flinches.
“You were still with her while you were holding my hand,” I continue. “While you were looking at me like this was something… real.” My voice chokes up. “You were still with her while you were—” my eyes burn. The silence between us stretches. Then I shake my head. “But I’m not any better.”
His brow furrows.
“We’re the same, Lucien,” I say. “After all.”
Lucien steps closer.
“Sera, please—”
But I’m already turning away.
I walk toward the plane without looking back.
And this time, I don’t stop.
CHAPTER 11
Game