"Lilith." Rayan finally spoke, his voice deep and smooth, the kind of voice that once made her pause... but not anymore. He took a step forward, eyes sharp with pride, wearing that sa confident smirk.
"Don’t pretend," he said slowly, hands casually tucked in his pockets like he was being polite. "I know you haven’t lost any mory."
Lilith didn’t move. Her eyes remained fixed on her drink, her expression as calm and unreadable as always. But that only pushed Rayan further. "If this is your new trick to get back..." he added, leaning slightly toward her, his voice lowering like he was doing her a favor, "...I’m telling you—it’s not working."
Nina looked up, sensing the tension. But Lilith finally looked up. Slowly, her gaze rose to et Rayan’s eyes. Her expression didn’t flare with anger. There was no shock. No pain. Just a soft, collected look like soone watching a child throw a tantrum in public. She placed her cup down gently, the soft click louder than his voice.
"Get you back?" she repeated in a tone so mild it felt insulting. Her head tilted slightly, lips curving into a calm, amused smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "I thought I ordered iced coffee," she said, her voice almost a whisper. "Not... cody."
Rayan’s face froze.
Lia blinked, her hand tightening on his arm like she didn’t know whether to act hurt or surprised.
Lilith didn’t spare either of them another glance. She rose from her seat with quiet grace, fixing the strap of her bag on her shoulder, every movent effortless. "Let’s go, Nina," she said, her voice light but firm—final. Nina stood imdiately, suppressing a grin as she gathered her things, clearly proud.
And just as they turned to leave, Lilith’s voice drifted back cool and clear. "If I wanted to recycle," she murmured, not even bothering to turn around, "I’d start with plastic."
She walked away with the sa calm expression she entered with.
Rayan didn’t move.
He watched her disappear out the café doors with silent disbelief tightening in his chest, the weight of her absence finally louder than his ego.
And for the first ti, he wondered—What if I really lost sothing I’ll never get back?
"Ahh—" Lia suddenly cried out, clutching her belly as her face twisted in fake pain. Her voice echoed loud enough to turn a few heads in the café. Rayan, still staring at the glass door where Lilith had just walked out, blinked and turned instantly toward her.
"What’s wrong?" he asked, confused, stepping closer. His brows furrowed as he gently touched her arm. "Is it the baby? Are you okay?"
"I— I feel pain!" Lia said breathlessly, lowering herself onto the chair, one hand pressed over her stomach and the other clutching his sleeve like she would collapse if he didn’t hold her. "It hurts, Rayan... Take to the hospital, please... sothing’s not right..."
Her voice trembled just enough, her eyes shimred with just enough water to make it believable. But behind those tears, she was watching him, his reaction, his hesitation, his every move. And what she saw didn’t comfort her. Because even as she cried out in supposed pain, he still glanced at the door Lilith had disappeared through. Just for a second. But Lia saw it.
He was still thinking about her.
Jealousy burned through her like wildfire. Just minutes ago, she felt smug and secure. She had the ring, the child, and the title. But all it took was one glance at Lilith’s glowing face, that expression that didn’t even bother to hate them, and everything inside Lia cracked.
Rayan held her hand, trying to calm her. "Okay, okay—co on, let’s go. I’ll take you," he said, helping her stand. His voice was concerned, but sothing about it still lacked warmth. It was like he was doing his duty like a man who knew what he was supposed to do, not what he wanted to do.
And Lia knew it too.
As he helped her into the car, she leaned her head against the window, biting her inner cheek. She couldn’t let this happen. She couldn’t let Lilith rise while she faded into the background.
When Lia was finally admitted to the hospital, the doctors checked her thoroughly. After a few tests and monitoring, they confird that everything was normal—no danger to her or the baby. It was just minor cramping, possibly due to stress, they said. Rayan sat beside the bed, his arms folded, shoulders tense. But when he heard the words "she’s fine" from the nurse’s mouth, he let out a long breath, a soft sigh of relief slipping past his lips. For a mont, his eyes closed. A part of him felt thankful—because no matter what, the child was innocent.
He turned to look at Lia.
She was lying on the hospital bed, her face pale, one hand resting lightly over her stomach, eyes closed like she was sleeping. But he knew she wasn’t. She had been awake the whole ti, quietly waiting for his reaction. Watching if he panicked. Waiting to hear how he would speak. Wondering if his tone still held love... or if it had changed.
And it had changed.
Rayan sat back in the hospital chair and looked up at the ceiling. His mind wasn’t calm. Even though Lia was fine, even though the situation had been handled... sothing inside him didn’t feel right. His thoughts kept going back to that café. To her.
To Lilith’s eyes—so indifferent.
To her voice—so collected.
To the way she stood and walked away, not like a woman defeated, but like soone who had already moved past his existence.
And that made his chest ache in a way Lia’s cries no longer did.
He opened his eyes again, turning toward the hospital bed.
Lia was still pretending to sleep, but a tiny tear rolled down the side of her cheek.
Rayan left after the doctor called, saying he needed to speak with him.
"Hump! Lilith..." Lia muttered under her breath, biting her lower lip so hard it almost bled. She turned her face away on the hospital bed, eyes wide open now, filled with silent rage. "Rayan was still thinking about you... even while I was crying... even while I said I was in pain," she whispered to herself, her voice shaking. "He never looked at the way he used to... never touched like he cared, he only care about baby. But when you walked into that café... he froze. He stared like he’d seen the moon fall down."
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