Lea’s voice trembled as she confessed her exhaustion to Lucian, "I-I’m tired, Lucian. Can we just book a hotel room here?"

She met his gaze, a storm of emotions swirling in his eyes, fear dominating the rest. The anxiety in his posture was palpable, a silent plea that mirrored the turmoil in her own heart.

"If that’s what you want. There’s a hotel room here. Would you be alright staying here for a while?"

Lea squeezed her eyes shut, battling the conflicting emotions within. It was a battle she knew she couldn't win. She yearned to know the truth, to be free from the shadows of doubt that plagued her. But fear, a formidable foe, whispered its warnings, urging her to remain in the comforting darkness.

"Let’s book a room then," she finally agreed, the words tasting like ash in her mouth.

As she started to walk, Lucian’s arms engulfed her in a tight embrace, his trembling hands clutching her as if afraid she might vanish into thin air. 

The tenderness in his touch was a stark contrast to the fear that laced his voice, "Why do I feel like if I let you go… I’ll never hold you again?"

Lea felt her own heart splinter into a thousand pieces.

"You know that my love for you doesn’t easily break," he murmured, tightening his grip.

"You’re not sure about that," she whispered, her voice a thread of agony.

"If I’m hurting you because of my mistakes… what do you want me to do to fix it?" His voice, a fragile whisper, held a raw vulnerability that mirrored her own pain.

Lea’s heart shattered. "Let’s end this," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. It was a decision born of love, a desperate act to protect him, even if it meant tearing her own world apart.

Lucian's arms relinquished their hold, his body slumping with a finality that tore through Lea’s soul. Each beat of her heart echoed the pain they both felt, a pain fueled by a love she couldn't fight for.

Their love was a forbidden fruit, a tangled web woven from lies and deceit. Trust, once a fragile thread, had been shattered, replaced by doubt and unspoken fears.

Lea met his gaze, a mirror reflecting the agony in his eyes. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and slowly turned away, his back a silhouette against the fading light. She knew the tears he held back, the silent sobs choked down for her sake. He was letting her go, knowing that holding on would only prolong the inevitable.

He had begged, pleaded, and knelt, but he knew when to stop. Lea, trapped in the grip of fear and doubt, was a battle he couldn’t win.

"I love you," she said, her voice choked with tears. The words hung in the air, a final testament to a love that had been a bittersweet symphony of pain and joy.

Lea, at sixteen, had fallen in love for the first time, only to see it crumble into a million pieces. They were parallel lines, destined to remain separate, forever yearning for a connection they could never truly have.