The Silence That Follows Him

 Lilith’s POV After Lucian walked out of the boutique without a backward glance, I stood there for a moment, trying to understand what had just happened. The staff waited quietly, unsure if they were supposed to approach me or pretend they did not see anything. I forced a polite smile and waved them off. “We will handle proper introductions once the boutique officially opens,” I said. They nodded quickly and began gathering their things. Bags, notebooks, sample fabrics. One by one they stepped out, murmuring goodnight. When the last door clicked shut, the boutique felt too bright, too empty. The kind of empty that still felt watched. I turned off the front lights and stepped outside, hugging my arms. The street was quiet. The sign above the boutique glowed softly. The cold air made my breath come out thin. I stared in the direction Lucian had driven, feeling the unease climb slowly up my spine. Why had he left like that? What message had shaken him. Did he go to one of his mistr