Luna's POV
The days following the accident passed in a haze of recovery. Nurses came and went, monitoring my progress, and Ava was a constant presence by my side, always ready with a comforting word or a much-needed distraction.
But Alexander…
He was there, too, though in a quieter, more restrained way. He didn't hover or fuss like Ava did, but I could feel his presence even when he wasn't in the room. He would sit in the chair by my bed, reading reports or typing furiously on his laptop, his brows furrowed in concentration. Sometimes, I'd catch him watching me, a flicker of something unspoken in his gaze before he quickly looked away.
And yet, he barely spoke. Not about the accident, not about us, not about anything beyond the practical.
It was maddening.
I had hoped—foolishly, perhaps—that the accident might serve as a turning point, that it might make him open up or at least acknowledge the shift I felt between us. But Alexander Cole remained an enigma, locked behind the walls he had spent years building.
One evening, as Ava stepped out to grab us coffee, I finally decided I couldn't take the silence any longer.
"Alexander," I said, my voice breaking the stillness of the room.
He looked up from his laptop, his expression carefully neutral. "Yes?"
"Why are you still here?" I asked, my heart pounding.
His brows furrowed. "You were in an accident, Luna. Where else would I be?"
"That's not what I mean," I said, frustration bubbling up inside me. "You've barely spoken to me since I woke up. You're here, but it feels like you're a million miles away. Why?"
His jaw tightened, and he set his laptop aside, leaning back in his chair. For a moment, he didn't answer, his eyes locked on mine with an intensity that made my breath catch.
"I didn't know if you wanted me here," he said finally, his voice low.
I blinked, caught off guard by the vulnerability in his tone. "What?"
"You said you were done," he continued, his gaze unwavering. "You told me you wanted out of this arrangement, and after everything I've put you through, I wouldn't blame you if you hated me."
"I don't hate you," I said softly, the words spilling out before I could stop them.
His eyes darkened, and he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Then why do you pull away every time I try to get close?"
"Because you make it impossible," I shot back, my voice rising. "One moment, you act like I'm nothing to you, just a… a toy. And then the next, you're here, staying by my side like I mean something. Which is it, Alexander? What am I to you?"
The words hung in the air, heavy and unrelenting. For a moment, I thought he wouldn't answer. But then he stood, crossing the room to stand by the window, his back to me.
"You're not just a toy," he said quietly.
The admission made my heart ache, but it wasn't enough. "Then what am I?"
He turned to face me, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and desperation. "You're everything, Luna. And that terrifies me."
I froze, his words slamming into me with the force of a tidal wave.
"You think I wanted this?" he continued, his voice shaking. "You think I wanted to care about you, to feel this… this pull I can't explain? I've spent my entire life keeping people at a distance because letting them in only leads to pain. And then you came along, and suddenly all my walls, all my rules, didn't matter anymore."
"Alexander…"
"I don't know how to do this," he admitted, his voice breaking. "I don't know how to let myself need someone. But I need you, Luna. More than I ever thought I could need anyone."
Tears blurred my vision, and I struggled to process the torrent of emotions his confession unleashed. "Then stop pushing me away," I whispered.
He closed the distance between us in two strides, his hands gently cupping my face as he stared down at me, his gaze raw and unguarded. "I'll try," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "But I need you to promise me something, too."
"What?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"Promise me you'll stay," he said, his thumb brushing away a tear that slipped down my cheek. "Promise me you won't give up on me."
I hesitated, the weight of his words sinking into my chest. But as I looked into his eyes, I saw the man behind the mask—the man who was willing to fight for me, even if he didn't know how.
"I promise," I said, my voice steady.
And in that moment, something between us shifted, a fragile but unbreakable connection taking root.
For the first time, I dared to hope that maybe, just maybe, we could find our way through the darkness together.