Before my rebirth, Lewis was known for being distant. His words were sharp. His presence cold. He stood apart from everyone, like soone who never needed warmth.
After my rebirth, he felt like a different man.
Sotis I wondered if the one sitting in front of now was truly the sa Lewis. Or if fate had reshaped him the sa way it reshaped .
The room was warm. Maybe too warm. Or maybe the heat was coming from him.
He sat across from , silent, his gaze steady and deep. He didn’t reach out. Didn’t rush . He waited.
That alone told everything.
He wasn’t forcing anything. He was letting choose.
The unfinished mont from earlier crept back into my mind. I could feel it hovering between us, tense and alive. He was waiting for to cross that invisible line.
Nicholas’s words echoed softly in my thoughts.
Life is short. Don’t live with regrets.
In my past life, regret followed to the end. I carried it like a scar I could never hide. This ti, I refused to repeat the sa mistake.
I am not Elena from before.
And he is not my uncle.
We are bound now. Chosen. Standing on equal ground.
My feelings for him hadn’t yet grown into love, but one thing was clear I didn’t pull away when he was close. My body didn’t resist him. It leaned in, as if it already knew where it belonged.
Yes, the world was full of people like Ashley and Luke. n who hurt and walked away without looking back.
But then there were n like Nicholas. n who reminded that not everyone was cruel. That safety still existed.
I wouldn’t let one terrible man make shut my heart forever.
That wouldn’t be fair to .
And it wouldn’t be fair to Lewis.
I gathered my courage, pushed the blanket aside, and climbed onto his lap.
The mont I did, the air shifted.
His breath slowed. His hands stayed where they were, resting lightly at my waist, giving space even now. Our eyes t, close enough that I could see every flicker of emotion he tried to hide.
It felt unreal. Like a dream that might vanish if I blinked.
The man who once stood untouchable in my mind now sat beneath , bound to by choice and vow.
His face was calm, almost noble. Long lashes frad eyes that were darker now, deeper, holding sothing dangerous and patient. His beauty wasn’t soft it was restrained. Controlled.
And sothing about that control made my chest tighten.
I placed one hand against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm beneath my palm. The other slid up to his neck, my fingers curling there as if they belonged.
He lowered his head willingly.
I leaned in and brushed my lips against his.
Soft. Brief. Barely there.
I pulled back almost at once, my face burning. "I I kissed you."
He chuckled, low and warm, the sound vibrating beneath my hand. "Darling," he said gently, "that barely counts."
Then his voice dropped. "Let show you."
Before I could answer, he leaned in again.
This ti, he didn’t hesitate.
His lips claid mine with a heat that stole my breath, firm and unyielding, like he ant to mark the mont into . My strength lted away. I sank against him, my head resting on his shoulder as his arms closed around my waist.
I felt held. Anchored.
When he finally pulled back, his voice was soft. "It ans a lot to that you were the one who took the first step."
I swallowed. " Lewis... when did you start feeling this way about ?"
He went quiet for a mont.
"I don’t know exactly," he admitted. "Maybe it was the first ti I pulled you out of danger. That mont stayed with longer than I expected. Or maybe it was when you were ten and fell into my arms, laughing, saying you’d marry one day."
I frowned slightly. "You saved when I was eight?"
He laughed, tapping my nose. "Who else did you think it was? Luke? When you ca to thank , you grabbed his hand instead. Do you know how that felt?"
"I only knew it was soone from the Hales," I murmured. "So I assud it was him. Why didn’t anyone correct ?"
His smile turned faint. "Luke cared too much about how he looked. And your family treated him well. He wasn’t about to ruin that."
"And you?" I asked quietly. "Why didn’t you speak up?"
Lewis exhaled slowly. "Because my place back then wasn’t secure."
I understood instantly.
Back then, he wasn’t the man he is now. He had no one standing firmly behind him. No one shielding him. He lived on the edges, unseen, unclaid.
Even then, he protected .
And sohow... I found my way back to him anyway.
He had always been treated like an outsider at the Hales. Soone who stood at the edge, never fully claid. How could a man like that ever stand up to Luke?
Now it made sense.
Back then, when I asked Luke about Uncle Lewis, he only said Lewis was a solitary man with a bad temper. He warned not to provoke him, like Lewis was sothing dangerous that should be avoided.
The truth was simpler and crueler.
Lewis had been pushed aside.
He wasn’t protected. He wasn’t chosen.
"At the Hales," Lewis said quietly, "only Esther truly cared about ."
His voice stayed steady, but I felt the weight beneath it.
"She pitied for growing up without a mother. She treated like her own child. And in the end... she gave her life for . A car accident. I owe her everything."
My chest tightened.
"Then why did you bring her roses?" I asked, hating how foolish my voice sounded.
"Because she loved them," he replied. "Adam never gave her any. She lived a lonely life. So every year, when I visit her, I bring what she never received."
I looked away. "You’re... more sentintal than I thought."
He smiled faintly. "Are you jealous?"
I shook my head at once. It wasn’t jealousy. It was sha. I felt foolish for doubting him, for letting my thoughts run wild.
I couldn’t et his eyes.
Now that I knew the truth that he was the one who saved sothing inside softened, then ached.
"Why didn’t you tell earlier?" I whispered. "You made ..."
In my past life, whenever I felt like I couldn’t go on, I clung to the mory of Luke saving . That mory had kept breathing through the darkest nights.
And yet... it wasn’t even real.
The man I thanked, trusted, loved it wasn’t him at all.
"I’m sorry," Lewis said slowly. "I thought you loved him deeply. And out of respect for Esther, I didn’t interfere. You were so broken back then."
His jaw tightened.
"I should have taken you away. Even if it ant forcing you to leave. Maybe then... you wouldn’t have suffered so much, Elena."
My heart twisted painfully.
He had no obligation to . No bond. No promise.
And yet, he carried all that guilt alone.
"I lit a vigil lamp for you on Mount Spiritus," he continued softly. "I prayed every night. I searched the city for you, street by street. I couldn’t find you. I was terrified."
The image returned to him sitting alone in a wheelchair, shoulders slumped, eyes hollow.
I wrapped my arms around him before I even realized I was moving.
" Lewis," I whispered into his shoulder, "are you a fool?"
His hand ca up, slow and gentle, resting on my back. "Don’t cry," he murmured. "Fate gave us another chance. That’s enough for ."
He pulled back just enough to look at .
"All I ask," he said quietly, "is that you don’t push away. I can wait. No matter how long it takes."
That was when everything broke.
I leaned in and kissed him first.
In that mont, I finally understood the love Lena once described the kind that waits without demanding, that protects without claiming.
Maybe it was gratitude. Maybe it was timing.
Or maybe my heart simply had no room left for reason.
I kissed him deeply, tasting the faint, clean warmth that lingered between his lips. Sothing familiar. Sothing grounding.
"I’m sorry," I whispered against him.
In that instant, I understood how many years he had waited.
How many tis he had stayed behind while I walked away.
How often he carried feelings he never spoke, watching leave again and again.
And I never noticed.
I wanted to make it up to him. In any way I could.
Our breaths tangled, uneven and close. His shirt was wrinkled beneath my hands. My fingers brushed the edge of his belt as my courage wavered.
" Lewis, I "
My voice faded, swallowed by the space between us, heavy with promise and restraint.
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