Chapter 326: You want both of us?
Luke had known this was going to be awkward, but knowing it beforehand did little to ease the discomfort.
Seated quietly, he waited while Nadia went to fetch something to drink. Letting out a slow breath, his gaze wandered around the modest house.
He wasn’t here because Dart had asked him to come.
He had come because he wanted to.
He wanted to see Nadia with his own eyes and make sure she was doing well.
’Just act normal.’
He repeated the words to himself until Nadia returned, carrying a clay pitcher and a small cup.
She poured the drink before placing it in front of him.
"Taste it."
Luke blinked. It clearly wasn’t water. A gentle lavender fragrance drifted from the cup, and the liquid carried a faint pink hue.
"This... smells familiar."
He took a cautious sip.
"Hmm!"
His eyes widened slightly before a smile spread across his face.
"This is Dalia’s specialty. How did you learn to make it?"
Dalia had always kept the recipe to herself. She had never shared it with anyone, which made Luke’s surprise genuine.
"I... had it when I visited her," Nadia replied, lowering her gaze with an embarrassed smile. "I heard you really liked it, so I tried making it myself by guessing the ingredients."
Luke let out a quiet sigh, his shoulders relaxing.
"You know," he said with a helpless smile, "you shouldn’t treat a man like this unless you want him falling for you."
Nadia blinked in confusion, her face instantly flushing.
"Eh? What do you mean?"
Luke chuckled and shook his head.
"Nothing. Just... thank you. I’m really happy you went through all this effort for me."
He lifted the cup and took another sip.
A gentle smile bloomed across Nadia’s face.
"I’m glad."
Luke returned the smile before taking another drink, his gaze lingering on her.
Perhaps it was the pregnancy softening her features. Perhaps it was simply because he hadn’t seen her in so long.
Whatever the reason, she looked... breathtaking.
For a fleeting moment, an impulsive thought crossed his mind.
He wanted to pull her close and let her taste the drink from his own lips.
The image flashed vividly before he forced it away.
No.
What had happened between them had been born out of necessity. Nothing more.
That necessity no longer existed.
The least he could do was respect that and keep his distance.
"How was the trip?" Nadia asked, breaking the quiet that had settled between them. "I hope you didn’t run into any trouble."
There was genuine concern in her voice.
Somehow, Luke always seemed to attract dangerous incidents wherever he went.
Luke gave a wry smile.
"Well... there were a few ambushes along the way. Nothing worth worrying about."
Nadia froze.
"...You’re serious?"
Her eyes widened in alarm as she quickly set the pitcher aside.
"Were you hurt?"
"Not really." Luke shrugged with practiced ease.
Nadia narrowed her eyes.
"Then you were definitely injured."
Luke blinked.
"You only answer like that when you’re hiding something. Otherwise, you would’ve denied it immediately."
Before he could protest, she took the cup from his hand and set it aside.
"Let me see."
She stepped closer, her fingers reaching for the hem of his shirt.
With surprising determination, she lifted it, intent on inspecting every wound he had tried so casually to dismiss.
Luke let out a quiet sigh before rising to his feet. Without hesitation, he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it onto the chair.
"Go ahead," he said calmly. "See for yourself. There’s nothing to worry about."
Nadia stepped closer, her eyes carefully tracing the old scars that marked his body.
Then she paused.
"This one..."
Her fingertips gently rested against the scar running along the left side of his chest.
"You didn’t have this the last time we met."
Before she could examine it further, Luke caught her wrist.
The sudden contact made her lift her eyes to his.
A faint smile tugged at his lips, though there was little humor behind it.
"You’re mated to someone else," he said quietly. "Yet you know my body well enough to notice a single new scar."
His gaze searched hers.
"You know how that sounds, don’t you?"
Nadia lowered her eyes, her lashes trembling.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Then she looked back at him.
"So... you have been thinking about it after all."
A bittersweet smile appeared on her lips.
"The awkward silence. The way you’ve been keeping your distance."
She drew in a slow breath.
"It’s because you’re uncomfortable around me now that I’m carrying a child... isn’t it?"
Luke remained silent for a heartbeat before answering.
"Shouldn’t I be?"
His voice was calm, almost detached.
"What happened between us served its purpose. That Chapter is over."
He met her eyes without anger or resentment.
"So... there’s no reason for us to keep acting like we used to."
Nadia stared at him, her expression slowly crumbling.
"And can you really do that?"
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"Can you forget me?"
She took a small step closer until he could feel her breath on him.
"The days we spent together."
"The nights we shared the same bed... the same warmth."
"The quiet whispers we shared that had nothing to do with the baby?"
Her fingers tightened ever so slightly beneath his hand.
"Can you truly erase all of that?"
A painful silence stretched between them.
Then, with trembling lips, she answered the question herself.
"...Because I can’t. I never will."
Luke’s jaw tightened.
"Then what do you expect me to do?" His voice dropped into a frustrated growl. "Keep coming back to you while you keep betraying your mate?"
Nadia slowly shook her head.
"I don’t know what we’re supposed to do anymore, Luke."
Her words came out fragile, weighed down by helplessness.
"I can’t leave my mate. I love Dart more than anything in this world."
A gentle smile touched her lips, tinged with sorrow.
"He left his family behind for me. He stood against everyone just so we could be together."
Her eyes softened.
"And above everything else... he’s the reason I can still smile."
She lifted a trembling hand and gently cupped Luke’s cheek.
Their eyes met.
"But I can’t forget you either."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Not a single moment we shared has faded from my heart."
She caressed his cheek with her thumb.
"You made me feel alive. You awakened a part of me I never knew existed. A thrill... an excitement that no one else has ever given me."
Luke held her gaze for a long moment before his expression hardened.
"So you want both of us."
There was disappointment in his eyes.
"You’re becoming someone I don’t recognize anymore."
He gently removed her hand from his face, picked up his shirt, and walked toward the door.
His fingers had just reached the handle when her quiet voice stopped him.
"Can you really live without me, Luke?"
He froze.
Silence lingered between them.
Then she spoke again, her voice trembling with quiet resolve.
"Because I can’t."
She drew a shaky breath.
"And I’ll keep coming back to you."
"Again and again."
Until finally, she whispered the words that struck deeper than he would ever admit.
"Until one day... you forget all the restraints you’ve built around your heart and kiss me once more."
~~~~
A/N:- A Chapter to explore her inner thoughts, or at least half a Chapter? Yeah, that sounds about right.