Chapter 3: Secrets Beneath the Surface
As their bond deepened, Reina discovered there was more to Aiden than his charming exterior. He carried a quiet sadness, a burden he seldom spoke of. One rainy evening, as they shared coffee in a quaint café, he finally opened up.
"I lost someone," he confessed, his voice tinged with pain. "She was everything to me. When she was gone, it felt like the world lost its color."
Reina reached out instinctively, her hand brushing his. "I'm sorry," she said softly.
Aiden looked at her, his gray eyes clouded. "You remind me of her. Not in how you look, but in how you see the world—with quiet wonder. It's both comforting and terrifying."
Their connection grew stronger, but Reina couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking on fragile ground. Aiden's past was a shadow that loomed over them, and she wasn't sure if she could compete with a memory.