Chapter 2 Episode 2

but her body betrayed her. She couldn't deny the pull she felt-the magnetic attraction that had always existed between them. It was wrong. It was dangerous. But the air between them crackled with tension, with the weight of years of unresolved emotions.

"I came because of the deal," she whispered, though the words felt hollow even as she said them. She took a small step back, creating a sliver of distance, but Adam moved forward, closing the gap again, his eyes never leaving hers.

"And what about us?" Adam's voice was low, intimate, as if they were the only two people in the world. "What about what's still between us?"

Lily swallowed hard, her throat tight. She had promised herself she would never be put in this position, never allow her feelings for him to resurface. But Adam was standing right in front of her, close enough to touch, and the air was thick with the unspoken desire between them. It had always been there, simmering beneath the surface, even when he had chosen Alana. Even when he had walked away.

"There's nothing between us," she lied, her voice shaky. She could barely convince herself of the words. The heat of his body, the intensity in his eyes-it was all too much. "You're married. To my sister."

Adam's jaw tightened, his expression darkening. "My marriage to Alana... it's complicated."

Lily's laugh was short, humorless. "Complicated? You're married, Adam. That's not complicated. That's final."

His hand shot out, gently grabbing her wrist, holding her in place. His touch was electric, sending shockwaves through her body. "It's not final. You don't know the half of it, Lily. There's so much you don't understand."

She shook her head, trying to pull away, but his grip remained firm, though not painful. "This is wrong. Whatever you and Alana are going through, it doesn't involve me. I won't be a part of this."

Adam's grip loosened, but he didn't let her go. His voice was softer now, filled with a rawness she hadn't expected. "Do you really believe that, Lily? That it doesn't involve you?"

Her chest tightened. The way he was looking at her-like she was the only thing that mattered-made it impossible to think clearly. For years, she had buried her feelings, told herself that Adam was part of the past, that she had moved on. But standing here, so close to him, she felt everything coming back to the surface. All the emotions she had suppressed-the anger, the longing, the regret-they were threatening to overwhelm her.

"Why are you doing this?" she whispered, her voice breaking. "Why now?"

Adam's eyes darkened, his expression torn. "Because I made the wrong choice. And I can't stop thinking about what could have been."

Lily's breath hitched, the words hitting her like a punch to the gut. She had waited so long to hear him say that, but now that he had, it didn't feel the way she thought it would. It felt too late, too tainted by betrayal and lies. He had chosen Alana, and that choice had destroyed whatever future they might have had.

"You don't get to say that," she said, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and pain. "You don't get to tell me that now, after everything. You chose her. You married her."

"I know," Adam whispered, his eyes filled with regret. "But I never stopped wanting you."

The admission hung in the air between them, heavy and suffocating. Lily's heart pounded in her chest, her emotions swirling in a chaotic storm. She had dreamed of hearing those words for years, but now that they were real, all she felt was confusion and pain.

"I wanted you, too," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I've always wanted you, Adam. But you made your choice. You chose Alana."

Adam's face twisted in agony. "I didn't choose her because I loved her. I chose her because I thought it was the right thing to do. I thought... I thought it would protect you."

Lily frowned, confused. "Protect me? From what?"

Adam looked away for a moment, his jaw clenched, as if he was struggling with something deep inside. "From the truth," he said finally, his voice heavy with emotion. "There are things you don't know, Lily. Things about Alana, about our marriage, about me."

Lily's stomach twisted with dread. "What are you talking about?"

He took a deep breath, his gaze locking onto hers with an intensity that made her heart race. "Alana and I... it's all a lie. Our marriage, the way it looks to the outside world-it's not real. It never has been."

Lily stared at him, shock coursing through her veins. "What do you mean? You're married. You live together. You-"

"We're married in name only," Adam interrupted, his voice rough. "Alana and I... we don't love each other. We never did. It's all been a facade. A business arrangement."

Lily's mind raced, trying to make sense of his words. A business arrangement? She had known things between Adam and Alana weren't perfect, but this? This was something else entirely.

"Why?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Why would you do that? Why would you marry her if you didn't love her?"

Adam ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident in every line of his body. "Because she gave me no choice. Alana has... leverage over me. She's been using it to keep me in line, to keep our marriage intact, at least on the surface. But it's not real, Lily. It never was."

Lily's head spun. Leverage? Blackmail? None of this made sense. Alana had always been manipulative, but this... this was on a whole other level.

"What kind of leverage?" Lily demanded, her voice sharper than she intended. "What could she possibly have over you?"

Adam hesitated, his eyes flickering with something dark, something painful. "It's complicated."

"Stop saying that!" Lily snapped, her frustration boiling over. "Just tell me the truth, Adam. What does she have on you?"

For a long moment, Adam said nothing. The tension in the room was thick, suffocating, as if the weight of all their secrets was pressing down on them. Finally, Adam sighed, his shoulders sagging in defeat.

"She knows things about my family," he said quietly. "Things that could ruin me, ruin everything I've built. She's been holding it over my head for years."

Lily felt a chill run down her spine. "What kind of things?"

Adam's jaw tightened, and he looked away, his voice barely a whisper. "Things that happened in the past. Things I've tried to bury. Alana found out, and she's been using it against me ever since."

Lily stared at him, her mind reeling. The man she thought she knew, the man she had loved, was hiding secrets-dark, dangerous secrets. And Alana had been pulling the strings all along.

"How could you let her do that?" Lily asked, her voice filled with a mix of anger and sadness. "How could you let her control you like that?"

Adam's eyes darkened with regret. "Because I didn't have a choice. I didn't want you or anyone else to get hurt. I thought I could handle it, but now... now I can't do it anymore."

Lily's chest tightened, her emotions a whirlwind inside her. She wanted to hate him, to be furious at him for not telling her the truth sooner. But more than anything, she felt a deep, aching sadness. Adam had been trapped in a marriage built on lies, forced to play a role he didn't want.

And all this time, she had been on the outside, believing he had chosen her sister over her.

"I never stopped loving you, Lily," Adam said softly, stepping closer. His hand reached up to cup her cheek, his touch warm and gentle. "Not for a second."

Lily closed her eyes, her breath hitching. The words she had longed to hear were finally out in the open, but the circumstances were all wrong. Nothing about this was simple. Nothing about this was right.

"We can't," she whispered, her voice breaking. "We can't do this, Adam. It's too late."

"No," Adam said, his voice firm. "It's not too late. We can still have what we were meant to have. We can still make this right."

Lily opened her eyes, meeting his intense gaze. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that they could find a way through this mess, that they could finally be together. But the reality of the situation hung over them like a dark cloud.

Alana would never let them be. And even if Adam broke free from her grasp, there would always be consequences. There would always be fallout.

"I don't know if we can," she said quietly. "Too much has happened."

Adam's thumb brushed her cheek, his touch sending a shiver through her. "I'll fix it. I'll find a way. But I can't do it without you."

Lily's heart ached. She wanted to believe him. But she had been burned too many times, hurt too deeply by his choices, by the years of pretending that everything was fine.