Selene’s POV

Gathering my courage, I finally addressed the elephant in the room.

"Lucian, are you avoiding me?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly.

He paused, turning to face me with a look that was hard to read. "Selene, I'm really busy right now," he replied quickly, too quickly.

"But we need to talk. It’s important," I insisted, trying to catch his gaze, which he kept diverting away from mine.

"There’s nothing to talk about. I have things to ...