Chapter 52 - XXIV

Lucifer's voice was heartbreakingly soft, a whispered confession cloaked in years of longing and pain. "I have remembered you for longer than I have known you, Darcey." The name, once spoken with tenderness and adoration, slipped from his lips like a forgotten melody that had somehow remained with him through all the centuries. The way he said it, so effortlessly, made it seem as though no time had passed at all—as if Darcey had been at his side every day, every hour, through every storm and heartache. But the truth was far more cruel. It had been lifetimes since she had last heard him speak her name, yet the sound of it, coming from his mouth, felt like both a blessing and a curse.Davina heart stumbled, caught in the tangle of memories that came rushing back with that one simple word. Darcey. It felt like a ghost from her past, a fragment of a love long buried beneath the weight of betrayal and bloodshed. Hearing it now, after everything, brought an ache that she couldn't quite explain. It sounded just as it had when he first uttered it to her, centuries ago when the world seemed cruel but kinder to them, and their love was still pure. For a moment, it was as though all those years between them had collapsed, and they were back in that long-forgotten moment, just Darcey and Theo—before everything shattered."Darcey?" she echoed softly, her voice barely a whisper as she mumbled her own name, almost like she was hearing it for the first time. The sound was foreign to her now, yet deeply familiar. The way he spoke it was no different than all those years ago. Her heart ached at the realization that he had kept it—kept her—alive in his heart for so long. But for what? What did it mean now?Lucifer chuckled softly, the sound hollow and tinged with a sorrow that went beyond words. His eyes shimmered with unshed tears, the weight of the past clinging to him like a shadow. "I wondered if whispering your name would still hurt after all this time," he confessed, his voice trembling with the burden of that thought. And it did hurt—more than he could have ever imagined. His confession was so raw, so open, that it made the air between them thrum with emotion. The tears that had long been held back finally slipped down his cheeks, each one a testament to the love and the pain that had endured through lifetimes.Davina's heart clenched at the sight of him—so strong, yet so utterly defeated by the weight of their shared past. "So does it hurt?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper, trembling as if afraid of the answer. She wasn't really asking about his pain alone—she was asking the question she had been too afraid to voice directly. Did he still love her? Did her name, her presence, still make his heart ache the way it made hers? The way it always had? The question hung between them, heavy with unspoken fears and hopes.Lucifer didn't answer, couldn't answer. To do so would mean unlocking everything he had buried so deeply—his love, his grief, his anger, all of it. He had built walls around his heart to keep it from breaking all over again, and to admit the truth now would destroy him. Instead, he looked away, a small, sad smile playing on his lips. It was all the answer she needed, yet it offered no comfort. And in that moment, they were both prisoners of their emotions, bound together by a love that could never truly die, yet was too fractured to ever fully live again.Lucifer and Davina stood beside one another for a long while the silence between them heavy, filled with everything unsaid. The air was thick with unspoken emotions—grief, regret, lingering love. Each was haunted by their shared past, yet neither dared to break the silence. Awkwardness hung in the air, but beneath it was something deeper: an ache of lost opportunities, of words never spoken when they could have been.Lucifer's eyes scanned the room, and he could almost hear the distant echoes of their wedding night. The laughter, the music, the warmth of unity—all of it now marred by the cries of his people. His chest tightened as he recalled that fateful night, the massacre that ended with Darcey—no, Davina—driving the dagger into his heart. He could still hear her calling out to him, her voice breaking, as everything they built crumbled. He destroyed what meant the most to her - her family and people and in return she had destroyed him, and yet they once again stand next to each other . Davina too was lost in the memory. She had loved Theo—truly, deeply—but that love had been stained with the blood of her father, the ghosts of her people . Now, as she stood beside Lucifer, she felt both relief and a crushing weight. He was alive, but that didn't erase her guilt, nor did it absolve her of what she had done. Yet deep down, she was glad—glad that he was still here, even if it didn't make her feel any less responsible for their tragedy. She remembered all the names and cries of pain she once saw and heard on the hallway walls when she arrived here for the first times . Those were the names of his people that died here in their battle of vengence . He carved them as a rememberance of his failure to protect them and at that moment she could feel the monster she once had become. was she any different now ?The sky outside was a swirl of colors—yellow , reds and oranges—painting the horizon as the sun began to rise . It was beautiful, a sharp contrast to the storm raging inside their hearts. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, Lucifer spoke, his voice quiet but heavy with meaning."Would you have chosen the same path again, given another chance?" His words pierced the silence, each one weighted with the pain of the past.Davina opened her mouth, but before she could answer, Lucifer stopped her. His voice grew colder, more detached, as if trying to protect himself from her response. "Never mind," he said softly. "Time doesn't go backward. Since you remember everything... you're free to go once the kid wakes up."He emphasized those final words, his meaning clear. "And don't worry," he added, his tone laced with finality, "once you leave, we won't see each other again. I won't interfere in your or Alex's life."Those last words hit Davina like a physical blow. She felt her heart break into a million pieces. His decision to step out of her life completely was the worst punishment he could have given her, worse than any dagger, worse than any battle. She could barely breathe as the reality of his words sank in. Lucifer—no, Theo—had meant everything to her once, and now he was telling her that he had set her free . Her legs trembled, but she dared not take a step away from him, terrified that if she walked away now, she would lose him forever.