Chapter 59

Lucian's POV In the hush of the early morning hours, I woke up. When my gaze landed on Anna, I stilled, unable to tear my eyes away from her. I lay unmoving, my arms tightly wrapped around Anna's sleeping form. Her breath was soft and warm against my chest, her face serene. She looked so innocent, and I felt I didn't deserve her. My fingers gently brushed through her hair. She is mine. That thought echoed in my mind. But a darker current ran through me—my possessiveness tainted by fear. The fear of losing her, of my past swallowing the only light I had ever truly known. I clenched my jaw as my thoughts rushed toward Grandpa. A storm gathered in my heart as his cold commands, the crushing pressure of legacy, and the expectations that had suffocated me since childhood, rushed back into my mind. My grandfather hadn't raised me with love. He had raised me like a weapon. My temples began to throb. I had run for years and fought for freedom. I built my own empire from blood and rebellion. Bu