Chapter 196

Olivia POV

It was quiet.

Lucian had lit a small fire in the corner pit just outside the cabin we were staying in for the weekend. Flames crackled softly, licking at dry wood, casting long shadows that moved across the wooden porch like they were alive. I sat on the old wicker loveseat with a blanket wrapped loosely around my shoulders, staring up at the stars as if they might answer questions I hadn’t even managed to ask out loud yet.

He sat beside me.

Close enough that if I shifted even slightly, his knuckles would brush mine.

Neither of us spoke for a long time. The silence didn’t feel empty—it felt like something fragile we were both careful not to break. I wasn’t sure who was supposed to speak first. Maybe neither of us wanted to be the one to change the moment, because once word