Chapter 110

ELORA'S POV The day had finally arrived. Lucas was coming back to Manhattan. I don't know why, but I'd been smiling so hard all morning my cheeks actually hurt. It was embarrassing how giddy I felt, like a schoolgirl waiting for her crush. The thing was—it wasn't supposed to be this way. Lucas has been my friend for years, my senior, my steady place when the world spun too fast. But ever since that kiss… Goddess, that kiss.. I hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. The way his lips melted against mine, the way my chest burned and fluttered all at once. I kept replaying it in my head, worrying that I'd ruined what we had. What if he didn't see it that way? What if I'd mistaken a moment of comfort for something more? What if I was just lonely and confusing that with love? Or worse, what if he ended up being like Lucian? The name alone felt like a bitter taste on my tongue. Lucian, with all his empty promises and cold betrayals, taught me to second-guess myself. To build walls. To do