54

~Lucienne~

When Killian hung up, he looked over at me with an apologetic expression. I saw a mix of frustration and determination in his eyes, and I knew that whatever he was about to say would carry the weight of the tension between him and his mother.

“I’ll relay the information to my mother,” he said firmly, snapping his phone shut. He took a deep breath and then turned to me, his shoulders relaxing slightly as he looked into my eyes. "I'm sorry you had to hear that," he murmured into my hair. "But I won't let her come between us."

I pulled back slightly to look up at him, my heart aching at the tension he felt. “Why don’t you want to go back home for your birthday?” I asked, genuinely curious and a little concerned. His birthday seemed like an important event, especially considering the way his mother spoke about it.

Killian’s face softened, a small, sincere smile playing at the corners of his lips. “Because I want to spend it with you, Lucienne. Just you.”

My heart fluttered at h