~ Lucian’s POV

I could still see the way Bella looked at me, her eyes full of disgust and fury. She wanted to kill me, and if I had let her, I think she might have. The thought alone made my chest tighten. The pain was unbearable. How did things get this far? How did I let it all spiral out of control?

The damage I had done wasn’t just physical—it was deep, rooted in every lie I had told her, in every moment I had pushed her away when all she wanted was the truth. How could I have been so ...