"Aren't we going to see the movie?" Layla's voice broke through the silence, pulling Lucius out of his thoughts.
Startled, he lowered the photograph and looked at her, blinking as though trying to focus. "What? Oh, yes. But I thought you were busy in the garden," he said, his tone soft but distant.
"I was," Layla replied with a small smile, stepping further into the room. "But I'm free now. I want us to go out and watch a movie. In a theater. What do you think?"
She kept her voice light and inviting, hoping to draw him out of the dark cloud he seemed lost in. Beneath her cheerful demeanor, her heart ached for the man before her—the man who had once been so broken he had tried to end his life.
Lucius studied her for a moment, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at his lips. He could see the warmth in her eyes, the unspoken determination to lift his spirits.
"All right," he said at last, his voice carrying a trace of gratitude. "Let's go."
