Chapter 193

Olivia POV

The drive across town was quiet. Not the tense, awkward kind, but the reflective silence you fall into when your thoughts are louder than your surroundings. Lucian didn’t say much, and I didn’t either. I watched the city blur past, wondering what he had planned when he asked, “Do you trust me?”

That question still echoed in my head, not because I didn’t know the answer, but because I did.

I did. I just wasn’t sure what that meant anymore.

We turned onto a street that pulled my memory like a half-forgotten song. The houses were older here, some rundown, some still hanging on with chipped paint and stubborn porches. It wasn’t until we pulled up in front of a two-story brick building that time stopped.

My breath caught. It was my old neighborhood.

“Lucian…” I said slowly, eyes narrowing as I took in the worn facade and the gutted windows lined with scaffolding. “Why are we here?”

He parked, killed the engine, and turned toward