(Lyra’s POV)

The ride back to my apartment was quiet, but my head wasn’t. My uncle’s voice wouldn’t stop echoing in my ears, heavier with every second.

When I finally pushed my door open, I dropped my bag and leaned against the wall, trying to catch my breath. The air inside felt stale, almost too still, like it could hear the pounding of my heart.

I walked into the small living room, sat on the couch, and stared at nothing. My hands twisted together in my lap, restless and cold.

Uncle Cal’s words replayed over and over, the way he said them with so much warmth, so much hope.”My only wish this year is to see you with someone by your side.”

Those words cut deeper than I wanted to admit.

I unlocked the door and stepped into the quiet apartment. Normally, I found comfort in this silence. It was my escape from the world, my little island where no one could touch me. Tonight, though, it felt suffocating. Empty in a way that pressed on my heart.

I dropped my bag by the door, toed off my shoes, and walked to the couch like someone moving through water. My body was heavy, my chest tight. I sat, pulling a cushion into my arms and hugging it close.

Uncle Cal meant well. He always did. He had raised me when I had no one else, given me strength when I wanted to collapse. But tonight, his wish had left me undone. He wanted something I didn’t know how to give.

A partner.

Someone by my side.

It sounded so simple when he said it. But for me, it wasn’t. Love, trust, letting someone close—it all felt like a door I had bolted shut . And the one man who kept slipping past those bolts was someone I had no business even thinking about.

Cassian Veyra.

I buried my face in the cushion, groaning softly. “Why does everything have to be so complicated?”

My phone buzzed in my lap, startling me. I pulled it up and stared at the screen. No new messages. No calls. Just the glowing reflection of my tired eyes.

That’s when I realized what I needed.

Someone who wouldn’t judge me for how messy I felt. Someone who had always been my anchor when the ground under me cracked.

I scrolled through my contacts and hit the name I knew by heart.

“Zyra ,” I whispered into the phone as it rang.

She picked up on the second ring, her voice quick and warm, like she’d been waiting for me. “Lyra? Where have you been? I’ve been calling!”

“I know. I’m sorry.” My voice wavered, so I swallowed hard, trying to keep it steady. “I… I just had a long day.”

“A long day? Honey, you sound like you’ve been through hell. What happened?”

My throat tightened. “Uncle Cal called.”

Maris went quiet for a second, like she already sensed the storm brewing under my words. “What did he say?”

I pressed the cushion tighter against my chest. “His birthday’s coming up. He wants me there.”

“That’s not new,he loves having you around “

“It’s not just that.” I bit down on my lip, my voice breaking. “This time, he asked me to bring someone. A partner. He said his only wish this year is to see me with someone by my side.”

For a moment, all I could hear was my own breathing, shaky and uneven. Then Maris sighed softly, her voice gentler now. “Oh, Lyra…”

“I don’t know what to do.” My words tumbled out, fragile and raw. “I can’t give him that. I can’t. But he sounded so hopeful, and I can’t stand the thought of disappointing him.”

“You’re not disappointing him,” she said firmly. “He just wants you happy. He doesn’t understand how complicated it is for you.”

“I wish it was simple,” I whispered. “I wish I could just… find someone and let them in. But every time I try, I—” My throat closed, the memories rushing too close. The breakup. The way I had thought love meant forever, only to have it ripped away. “I can’t do it, Zyra. I don’t even know where to start.”

Zyra was quiet again, but this time, it wasn’t because she didn’t know what to say. I could almost feel the gears turning in her mind through the silence.

Then her voice came, low but certain. “Okay. Then we’re not going to let you figure it out alone.”

I frowned, wiping at my damp eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I have a plan,” she said simply.

Something about the way she said it made my stomach flip. “A plan?”

“Yes.” I could hear the hint of excitement sneaking into her voice now, like she had already been waiting for a chance like this. “You need someone by your side for that birthday. You don’t have to marry them, you don’t even have to fall in love—just someone who can stand next to you, make Uncle Cal happy, and take some of that weight off your shoulders.”

I blinked, my heart racing. “Maris—”

“Don’t ‘Maris’ me,” she cut in quickly. “You’ve been living in your head too long, Lyra. You’re carrying grief and guilt and expectations like you’re supposed to be some kind of machine. But you’re human. You’re allowed to lean on someone. Even if it’s temporary.”

Her words hit me like a mirror I didn’t want to look into. She wasn’t wrong. I was carrying too much. I always had. But the thought of letting someone close, even for show, made my pulse quicken in panic.

“Maris, I can’t just drag some stranger into this.”

“Who said anything about a stranger?” she asked, her voice sharper now. “I know people, Lyra. I know someone who could help. Trust me.”

“Trust you?” I laughed, but it was weak, hollow. “That’s easy for you to say. You weren’t just asked to rewrite your whole life in one phone call.”

“I’m not asking you to rewrite your life. I’m asking you to take one step. One. For your uncle. For yourself.”

I pressed my forehead into the cushion, my chest aching. She made it sound so simple. But nothing in my life ever stayed simple.

“What if it backfires?” I whispered.

“What if it doesn’t?” she countered.

I closed my eyes, silent. Because the truth was, I didn’t have an answer.

Zyra’s voice softened again, no longer sharp, but warm and steady, like a hand reaching out for mine. “You don’t have to decide right this second. Just know that I’m here. And I have a plan that might actually work. Let me handle it, okay?”

I lifted my head slowly, staring at the dim glow of the lamp across the room. My heart still felt like a storm, but beneath it, there was a flicker of something else.

Hope. Or maybe fear disguised as hope.

“Zyra…” My voice was thin, trembling. “What are you planning?”

“You’ll see,” she said simply, a smile clear in her voice. “Just trust me. Please.”

The line went quiet, but her words stayed, wrapping around me like threads I wasn’t sure I wanted but couldn’t push away.

For the first time all night, I didn’t feel completely alone.

But I wasn’t sure yet if that was comforting… or terrifying.