Chapter 13: The Final Goodbye

The manor smelled of ash and blood. Lucien lay in bed, his chest rising and falling in slow, steady breaths. His face was pale, shadows lingering under his eyes, but the darkness — the black veins and unnatural glow — was gone. The curse had finally broken. Serena sat beside him, her fingers intertwined with his. She hadn’t slept. She hadn’t eaten. She just stayed there, watching him, afraid that if she looked away, he might slip back into the void. Lucien stirred, his brow furrowing. His fingers twitched against hers. Serena straightened, her heart pounding. “Lucien?” she whispered, her voice fragile. “Can you hear me?” Lucien’s eyes fluttered open. They were clear, blue, and so heartbreakingly familiar. “Serena,” he rasped, his voice weak and broken. Serena burst into tears. She leaned over him, pressing her forehead to his, sobbing quietly as she clutched his hand to her chest. “You’re okay,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “You’re alive.” Lucien lifted a trembling hand,