Silence.
It stretched between them.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Unbearable.
Aria's heart pounded in her chest.
Waiting.
Hoping.
Fearing.
"Lucien…"
Her voice was softer now.
Not angry.
Not sharp.
Just… tired.
"What really happened to my father?"
Lucien didn't answer.
He turned away.
That alone—
Said too much.
Aria's chest tightened.
"Why won't you just tell me the truth?" she asked, stepping closer.
Still no response.
Frustration rose again.
"You said you don't lie," she continued. "So why are you avoiding this?"
His jaw tightened.
"I'm not avoiding it."
"Then say it," she pushed. "Say what happened."
Silence.
Then—
"He came to me."
Aria froze.
Her breath caught.
"What…?"
Lucien turned back to face her.
His expression unreadable.
"Your father came to me," he repeated.
"Not the other way around."
Her heart skipped.
"That doesn't change anything," she said quickly. "You still—"
"He asked for more time."
The words cut through her.
She stopped.
Because that—
That was new.
Her voice dropped.
"...and?"
Lucien's gaze held hers.
"I said no."
Her chest tightened painfully.
"Of course you did," she whispered bitterly.
But he didn't respond.
Didn't defend himself.
Didn't even react.
And that silence—
It felt different this time.
Aria frowned slightly.
"Why does it feel like you're not telling me everything?" she asked.
His eyes darkened just a little.
"Because I'm not."
Her breath caught.
"Then tell me the rest," she said immediately.
A pause.
Lucien looked at her.
Really looked at her.
Like he was deciding something.
Then—
"I gave him a choice."
Aria's heart skipped again.
"What kind of choice?"
Silence.
Then—
"One that didn't involve losing everything."
Her brows furrowed.
"What does that mean?"
Lucien's jaw tightened.
"It means," he said slowly,
"he didn't have to end up the way he did."
The words hit hard.
Her chest tightened.
"You're saying it was his fault?" she asked, her voice shaking.
"I'm saying," Lucien replied, his voice low,
"he refused my terms."
Her heart pounded.
"What terms?"
Silence.
Too much silence.
"Lucien—"
"I told him to walk away."
She froze.
Her mind struggled to catch up.
"Walk… away?"
"Yes."
"That doesn't make sense," she said. "Walk away from what?"
"Everything."
Her breath hitched.
"The business. The debt. The pressure," Lucien continued.
"I would have cleared it."
Her eyes widened.
"What…?"
But his next words came colder.
"He refused."
The room felt like it spun slightly.
"No… that's not true," she whispered. "My father wouldn't just—"
"He chose pride."
The words landed heavily.
"He chose to keep fighting a battle he had already lost."
Aria's chest tightened painfully.
Tears filled her eyes.
"No…" she whispered. "You're twisting it…"
Lucien stepped closer.
"No," he said quietly. "You're just hearing it for the first time."
Her breathing became uneven.
Because part of her—
A small, painful part—
Was starting to believe him.
And she hated that.
"You're lying," she said again, but weaker this time.
"I'm not."
Silence.
Then—
"Why didn't you tell me this before?" she asked.
Lucien didn't answer immediately.
Then finally—
"Because it doesn't change anything."
Her brows furrowed.
"It changes everything!" she snapped.
His gaze held hers.
"No," he said quietly.
Her heart pounded.
"It doesn't change the fact that I watched him fall."
That—
That was the truth.
And he didn't hide it.
Didn't soften it.
Didn't apologize for it.
Aria stepped back slowly.
Because now—
She didn't just see him as cruel.
She saw him as something worse.
Honest.
And that kind of honesty?
It hurt more than lies.
Her voice came out broken.
"You could have saved him…"
Lucien's expression didn't change.
"I could have," he said.
A pause.
"But I didn't."
Her heart shattered a little more.
Silence filled the room again.
But this time—
It wasn't just heavy.
It was final.
Aria turned slowly.
She couldn't look at him anymore.
Not after that.
Not after everything.
She took a step toward the door—
Then stopped.
Something wasn't right.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
"Wait…"
Lucien didn't move.
"You said he refused your terms," she said slowly.
Silence.
Then she turned back to him.
Her eyes sharp now.
Focused.
"What exactly did you ask from him?"
Lucien didn't answer.
And that—
That hesitation?
It changed everything.
Her heart started pounding again.
"Lucien…"
Her voice dropped.
"What did you want in return?"
The room went completely still.
And this time—
His silence felt different.
Not cold.
Not controlled.
But dangerous.