The family event was supposed to be a simple gathering, a chance to ease the tension and show Mia that we were on solid ground. Instead, it felt like a slow descent into chaos. I could see the strain in Mia’s eyes as she struggled with Margaret’s probing questions and subtle jabs. It was clear she felt out of place, and her discomfort was eating away at me.
Margaret’s questions had been relentless, each one digging deeper into Mia’s intentions. She had a way of framing her queries that made it impossible to respond without feeling attacked. It was as if she was determined to expose any cracks in our arrangement.
I could see Mia’s frustration growing. She tried to maintain her composure, but the tension was too much. Finally, I saw her retreating to the garden, her face a mask of pain and anger. My heart raced as I followed her outside, feeling a mix of concern and mounting dread.
“Mia!” I called out as I caught up with her. She was standing near the garden’s edge, looking out over the neatly trimmed hedges. Her shoulders were slumped, and her breathing was uneven.
She turned to face me, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “I need to leave. I can’t do this anymore.”
I felt a pang of guilt. “Mia, please don’t go. Let’s talk about this.”
She shook her head, her voice trembling. “I’m tired of the constant scrutiny, Lucas. I’m tired of feeling like a pawn in your father’s will and your business.”
Her words hit me hard, but I couldn’t let her go without trying to make things right. “It’s not about the will or the business. It’s about us.”
Mia’s eyes narrowed, her frustration boiling over. “How can I believe that when everything around us is a constant reminder of how fake this arrangement is?”
My heart raced. This was not how I wanted things to turn out. I took a step closer, my voice low and desperate. “Mia, this isn’t fake. I’m trying to show you that what we have is real.”
She looked away, her voice cracking. “But how can I trust that when you’re always so guarded? When all of this—” she gestured to the house, the garden, everything around us “—feels like a performance?”
My chest tightened. “I know I’ve been distant, but it’s not because I don’t care. It’s because I’m afraid. I’m afraid of how I feel about you.”
Mia’s head snapped up, her eyes locking onto mine with a mix of confusion and curiosity. “Afraid of how you feel? What are you talking about?”
I could feel the weight of my emotions pushing against the walls I’d built around them. In a moment of raw honesty, I blurted out, “I’m in love with you, Mia.”
The words hung in the air, heavy and charged. Mia’s eyes widened in shock, her mouth opening slightly as if she were trying to process what I’d just said. “You’re... what?”
I took a deep breath, feeling a mixture of relief and fear. “I’ve fallen in love with you. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but it has. I care about you more than I ever expected.”
Mia’s face was a mixture of disbelief and vulnerability. She opened her mouth to respond but seemed at a loss for words. “Lucas, I... I don’t know what to say.”
Her reaction stung, but I could understand why she was so stunned. I stepped closer, wanting to bridge the gap that had grown between us. “Please, Mia. Don’t walk away from this. Don’t walk away from us.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks as she shook her head. “I need time to think. I need to process this.”
Her words were a knife to my heart, but I knew I had to respect her need for space. I reached out, gently brushing a tear from her cheek. “I understand. Just... don’t shut me out.”
Mia nodded, her eyes filled with a mix of sadness and uncertainty. “I won’t. I just need some time.”
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving me standing alone in the garden. The weight of my confession and the pain of her departure settled heavily on my shoulders. I watched her leave, my heart aching with the realization of how much I had risked by admitting my feelings.
As the evening wore on, I found myself replaying the moment over and over in my mind. I had taken a leap, hoping that my confession would bring us closer together. Instead, it seemed to have pushed her further away. The tension between us had shifted from emotional to almost unbearable.
I returned to the house, my mind clouded with thoughts of Mia. The gathering had ended, and the house was quieter now, with guests slowly filtering out. I wandered through the empty rooms, my heart heavy with the weight of what I had revealed and what lay ahead.
I didn’t know what the future held, but one thing was certain: I couldn’t just sit back and wait for things to get better. I had to fight for Mia, for what we had. The road ahead was uncertain, but I was determined to prove to her that my feelings were real, no matter how difficult it might be.
As I stared out into the darkening garden, I felt a renewed sense of resolve. My confession had been a risk, but it was a risk I was willing to take. Now, all I could do was hope that Mia would see the depth of my feelings and find it in her heart to give us a chance.