Lucian's POV...
How stupid can I be?
The question claws at me like a dog digging through the garbage of my conscience. I hate that I'm even asking it. Hate that I'm feeling guilty for something as simple as existing in her life. But here I am, sitting in the dim glow of my study, the weight of my own mortality pressing harder than the pain in my chest.
Camilla's life wouldn't be like this if I hadn't seen her.
If I hadn't been such a selfish fool, I could've stayed in the shadows, where I belonged. I could've offered her an easy job, paid her an obscene salary, and vanished into the background like some benevolent ghost. She'd have money, stability, and distance from the wreckage of a man like me. Instead, I let myself get close. And now, everything she wants is sex.
