Sleep didn't come easy that night.
For either of them.
Luna turned in her bed, staring at the ceiling.
Her mind refused to quiet down.
Convenient.
That word still echoed in her head.
She didn't believe it.
Not after the way he looked at her.
Not after the way he held her.
"There's something else…" she whispered.
And she was going to find out.
Meanwhile—
Across the hall, Ethan hadn't moved from his spot near the window.
The city lights reflected in his eyes.
But he wasn't looking at them.
He was looking at the past.
A memory.
A girl.
Rain.
Fear.
And a name—
Luna.
His fingers tightened slightly.
"Of all people…" he muttered.
Morning came with tension still hanging in the air.
Luna stepped out of her room—
And froze.
Ethan was already there.
Waiting.
Like he knew she'd come out at that exact moment.
"Good morning," he said.
Too calm.
Too normal.
Luna narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Do you always stand outside people's rooms in the morning?"
"No," he replied. "Just yours."
That wasn't reassuring.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"Breakfast."
"I can eat alone."
"You won't."
Again—
Not a request.
She exhaled. "Fine."
The dining table was too big.
Too quiet.
Too formal.
Luna sat across from him, watching him carefully.
He noticed.
Of course.
"You're staring again," he said.
"You're hiding again."
A pause.
Then—
Ethan placed his cup down slowly.
"What do you want to know?"
Direct.
Finally.
Luna didn't hesitate.
"Have we met before?"
Silence.
Real silence this time.
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
Didn't look away either.
"Why would you think that?" he asked.
"Because you don't act like someone who just picked me randomly," she said.
"And last night…"
She leaned slightly forward.
"You looked like you already knew me."
There it was.
The truth—
Standing right between them.
Ethan's gaze darkened slightly.
Then—
He spoke.
"Ten years ago," he said quietly,
"there was an accident."
Luna's breath caught.
"I was there," he continued.
"And so were you."
Her heart skipped.
"What…?"
"You probably don't remember," he said.
"You were just a kid."
Fragments.
Small, broken pieces started forming in her mind.
Rain.
A road.
Fear.
"You were crying," Ethan said.
"Standing in the middle of the street."
Her fingers tightened on the table.
"And I—"
He stopped.
For a moment.
Like even saying it mattered.
"I pulled you out before the car hit."
Silence.
Heavy.
Unreal.
Luna's mind spun.
"That… that doesn't make sense…"
"It does," Ethan said calmly.
"Then why didn't you say anything before?"
Another pause.
"Because it doesn't change anything," he replied.
But that was a lie.
And they both knew it.
Luna leaned back slowly.
Trying to process everything.
"So you knew me," she whispered.
"And still called me 'convenient'?"
Ethan didn't respond.
That hurt more than an answer.
"Why me, Ethan?" she asked again, softer this time.
This time—
He didn't avoid it.
"Because I trust you."
Her eyes lifted instantly.
"What?"
"I don't trust easily," he said.
"But you…"
A pause.
"You're the only person I know who doesn't want anything from me."
Luna let out a quiet, almost disbelieving breath.
"You literally offered me money," she said.
"And you hesitated," he replied immediately.
That—
Shut her up.
Ethan stood up.
Slowly.
"That's why you," he said.
"Not because you're convenient."
Then he added—
Almost too quietly—
"But because you're safe."
And just like that—
He walked away.
Leaving Luna alone again.
But this time—
Everything felt different.
This wasn't random.
This wasn't just business.
This wasn't just a contract.
She wasn't just locked in a marriage.
She was locked in his past.
And maybe—
He was locked in hers too.