Chapter 8.

The rain fell relentlessly that night, pelting the villa's large windows like thousands of tiny needles racing to touch the ground. The gray sky felt so close, as if pressing down on the roof, bringing damp, cold air that seeped into the walls.

Lydia stood in Damien's study, her eyes fixed on him with an expression that was difficult to describe. There was something behind that gaze a mixture of anger, disappointment, and fear that could not be hidden.

"I'm not stupid, Damien," she said softly, but her voice trembled. "I know you're hiding something from me."

Damien, standing behind the desk, looked stiff. His fingers gripped the edge of the desk as if trying to stop himself from approaching her. Behind his cold gaze, something was boiling. A secret he wasn't ready to reveal.

"Lydia," he said finally, his voice low. "You don't need to know everything right now."

Lydia laughed softly, but without a trace of happiness. "That's the answer you always give, isn't it? Every time I try to understand who you really are."

She stepped forward, her body tense, her eyes flashing under the light of the table lamp. "I just want to know why you always avoid me. What are you really hiding? About the Blackwell family? About your past?"

There was a moment of silence. Only the sound of rain broke the silence, echoing outside the window. Damien looked at her, and behind his gaze, Lydia saw something that resembled pain.

"Don't ask about that," Damien said softly.

"Why not?" Lydia stared at him sharply. "You don't know how hard it is for me to live in this house. Everyone looks at me as if I don't belong here. I don't even know who to trust."

Her voice rose, the emotions she had been holding back for days now spilling out uncontrollably. “I just want to know the truth, Damien. Just one thing. But you can’t even give me that.”

Damien closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, then opened them again with a slightly softer gaze.

"Trust me," he said gently. "I'm doing this to protect you."

Those words made Lydia fall silent. There was something in his tone. Gentle yet painful. She wanted to believe him, but how could she, when every time she got close, Damien built a higher wall between them?

Without answering, Lydia turned and left the room. Damien called out to her, but she didn't look back. She walked down the long, cold corridor, accompanied only by shadows and the sound of the rain, which was growing heavier. She needed fresh air. She needed a place to think.

Her steps led her to the greenhouse behind the villa, a place that always made her feel calm. Inside, hundreds of dew-covered plants reflected the light from small lamps, creating soft shadows between the wet glass panes. Lydia sat on a wooden chair, hugging her knees, and stared at the rain outside that showed no sign of stopping.

But that night, the rain came with a storm. Lightning flashed in the distance, and the wind blew hard against the leaves. She tried to open the door to get back inside, but the wind held her back. The door was locked from the outside. Perhaps it was the pressure, or perhaps the latch had come loose.

Lydia knocked on the glass. "Damien?"

There was no answer.

She tried again, but the sound of the rain drowned out her voice.

Within minutes, the air inside the greenhouse began to cool. Her breath formed a thin mist in the air. She hugged herself, trying to calm her racing heart. Fear began to creep in, replacing the anger that had previously dominated her.

Meanwhile, Damien realized that Lydia had not returned.

He looked into her empty room. There was nothing in the kitchen. Until one of the servants said, "Sir, Miss Lydia was seen walking towards the greenhouse."

Without thinking twice, Damien immediately ran outside, braving the heavy rain that was pouring down on the backyard. The cold wind hit his face, and his clothes were soon soaked through. In the midst of the heavy rain, he saw a faint shadow behind Lydia's glass, sitting trembling inside the greenhouse, staring outside with a panicked expression.

"Lydia!" he shouted as he tried to open the door. The door was stuck. He cursed softly, then kicked the bottom hinge. Once, twice, until the door opened with a loud creak. He went inside, pulling Lydia into his arms without thinking. Her body was cold as snow, wet with dew and cold sweat.

"What are you doing here?" Damien's voice was hoarse, a mixture of anger and concern.

Lydia tried to break free. "I just wanted to be alone... but the door was locked."

Damien held her shoulders, making sure she was okay. "You could get sick from this." His eyes stared at Lydia long and deeply, as if trying to read something even he didn't understand.

The atmosphere between them changed. There was no sound except for the raindrops falling from the glass above their heads. Both of them slowly slowed their breathing, but the air felt heavier. Lydia looked down, but Damien kept staring at her, and something inside her slowly crumbled.

"I'm angry at you," Lydia said softly. "But when I thought I wouldn't see you again, I was afraid. I hate that feeling."

Her voice trembled, and without realizing it, tears began to fall one by one. "I don't even know why I care so deeply."

Damien raised his hand, gently touching her cheek. "You don't have to hold it in, Lydia."

He wiped her tears away, his thumb following the soft lines of her face.

Lydia looked at him, and in that gaze, all the words they had never spoken seemed to find their own form.

They stood so close that their breaths touched. The rain continued to fall, forming a soft patter above their heads. The world outside the greenhouse felt distant, as if nothing remained except the two of them.

Lydia tried to speak, but her voice was drowned out by her own heartbeat.

Damien looked deeply into her eyes, then whispered, "I tried to walk away... but every time you cry, I lose."

Without another thought, his lips touched Lydia's.

The kiss came like a storm. Hot, rushed, full of guilt and despair. Lydia stiffened for a moment, but then surrendered to the current pulling her in. Everything they had held back until now was destroyed without a trace. The rain, the cold air, and the fear all mixed together.

When they finally parted, Lydia was panting, staring at Damien with trembling eyes. "We shouldn't have done this."

Damien looked down, holding his still heavy breath. "I know."

But his eyes remained fixed on her, as if he could no longer pretend.

Calmness filled the room once more. Outside, the rain slowly subsided, leaving only the soft sound of raindrops on the glass roof. Lydia took a step back, trying to steady her breath, but her heart could no longer be deceived.

She knew that whatever happened after this night, nothing would ever be the same again.