Dinner ends later than it should.
Not because anyone wants to stay—
But because no one wants to be the first to leave.
The table is quieter now.
Dessert plates half-finished.
Wine glasses nearly empty.
Conversation thinner.
More careful.
Lina feels it in the way her shoulders are slightly tense… in the way she hasn't fully relaxed since Victor sat down.
Beside her, Daniel shifts slightly.
"Do you want to head out?" he asks quietly.
His voice is soft.
Considerate.
Easy.
Lina turns to him.
For a moment, she almost says yes.
Because leaving would be simple.
Safe.
But then…
"I'll step outside for a minute."
The words come out before she fully thinks them through.
Daniel pauses.
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah," she says quickly. "Just… air."
Chloe watches her carefully.
She knows that tone.
Knows Lina doesn't need air.
She needs distance.
From something.
Or someone.
Victor's gaze follows Lina as she stands.
He doesn't move immediately.
But Elena notices.
Of course she does.
And she smiles faintly.
"Go," she says softly, just loud enough for Victor.
Victor glances at her.
"You don't have to pretend," Elena adds.
A beat.
Then—
Victor stands.
"I'll be right back."
Daniel watches that.
Closely.
Because now it's no longer subtle.
Now it's obvious.
OutsideThe night air is cool.
Sharp against Lina's skin.
The city stretches endlessly around her lights glowing, cars passing, life continuing like nothing has shifted.
But something has.
She exhales slowly, wrapping her arms lightly around herself.
"You always did this."
Victor's voice behind her.
Low.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
Lina closes her eyes briefly.
Then turns.
"What?"
"Leave when things get complicated."
Her jaw tightens slightly.
"I didn't leave," she says. "I stepped outside."
Victor moves closer.
Not too close.
But enough.
"You walked away once."
There it is.
The real conversation.
Lina holds his gaze.
"Yes," she says calmly. "I did."
Silence stretches between them.
Heavy.
Charged.
Victor studies her face.
Like he's trying to memorize something he already knows.
"You look different," he says.
Lina lets out a soft breath.
"That's what happens when people move on."
The words land.
Harder than she intends.
Victor's expression shifts—just slightly.
"Have you?"
The question is quiet.
But it carries weight.
Lina hesitates.
Just for a second.
And that's all Victor needs to notice.
"That's what I thought," he murmurs.
Lina exhales sharply.
"Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"Act like you still understand me."
Victor steps closer now.
The space between them shrinking.
"I do understand you."
"No," Lina says, shaking her head slightly. "You understand control. You understand power. You don't understand what it means to choose someone without trying to own them."
The words hit.
Clean.
Precise.
Victor's jaw tightens.
"And Daniel does?"
There it is.
Lina goes still.
"This isn't about him."
"It is if you're sitting next to him like that."
Her eyes flash slightly.
"Like what?"
"Like you belong there."
The tension spikes.
Sharp.
Immediate.
"I do belong there," Lina says, her voice steady but firm.
Victor studies her.
Long.
Intense.
"And with me?"
The question is quieter now.
More dangerous.
Lina's breath catches.
Just slightly.
Because that question.
That one still has weight.
Still has history.
Still has truth tangled inside it.
But she steadies herself.
"That's not my place anymore."
Victor looks at her like he doesn't quite accept that.
Like he doesn't quite believe it.
"You've gotten better at pretending," he says.
Lina lets out a small, humorless laugh.
"And you've gotten better at showing up when it's too late."
Silence.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Victor's voice lowers.
"I didn't come back too late."
Lina meets his eyes.
"Yes, you did."
That one lands.
Because it's not anger.
It's honesty.
And somehow that hurts more.
A moment passes.
Then another.
Neither of them moves.
Neither of them looks away.
And for a brief second.
It feels exactly like it used to.
Too intense.
Too real.
Too close.
Inside the restaurant, Daniel watches through the glass.
He can't hear them.
But he can see enough.
The distance between them.
The way they stand.
The way nothing else seems to exist in that moment.
And something in his chest tightens.
Not jealousy.
Not fully.
But something close.
Something instinctive.
Because whatever that is.
It's not over.
Back outside, Lina takes a small step back.
Breaking the moment.
"We should go back in."
Victor doesn't stop her.
But his voice follows her anyway.
"You never answered me."
She pauses.
Hand on the door.
"What?"
"Have you moved on?"
Lina doesn't turn around immediately.
When she finally does.
Her expression is calm.
But her eyes…
Not entirely.
"I'm trying to," she says.
And then she walks inside.
Leaving Victor standing alone in the cool night air.
For the second time.
Watching her walk away.