Chapter 313: Never stop searching
Lucius gently ran his fingers through Layla’s hair as she rested her head on his shoulder. His touch was slow, almost absentminded, as if lost in thought.
"Aren’t you hungry?" he finally asked, his voice quiet.
Layla shifted slightly, her fingers tracing soft circles on the back of his hand. "No. You?"
"I don’t have an appetite either," he admitted.
She lifted her head slightly, glancing up at him. "You sound... off," she observed. Then, in a gentle and concerned tone, she said, "Tell me what’s on your mind."
Lucius hesitated, his gaze fixed on a distant point, as if searching for the right words. After a long pause, he murmured, "When did I become such a coward? I wasn’t like this. Why didn’t I trust my guts to put my faith in you and share everything with you? Why did I feel lost?"
"Maybe because you were trapped by the memories of the past, which never let you healed. And you already explained to me that you didn’t wish to lose me. I tried to put myself at your place with my calm mind. I would have taken the similar decision," Layla opined.
They heard a knock on the door just as Layla was speaking. She paused, turning toward the entrance. "I’ll check," she said, stepping out of the room.
Lucius remained seated on the edge of the bed, lost in thought. His mind was a storm of questions, regrets, and emotions he had no desire to acknowledge. But the moment Layla returned, her voice pulled him back to reality.