Red Roses

Lucas’ POV Every detail of her life, I knew it. I knew her plans, her schedule, everything. I’d spent months meticulously gathering every piece of information, not out of obsession, but out of a desperate need to understand, to protect. I gave her space, those painful months of silence, to figure out what she truly wanted. I didn’t disturb her, and I made damn sure no one else did either—especially not Brandon. He was a ghost I wouldn't allow to haunt her peace. She didn't know it, but I was a silent guardian, watching her every move, a shadow in her periphery. Protecting her, not from grand dangers, but from the insidious creep of loneliness, from the potential for another heartbreak. I wanted to give her the peace she deserved, a tranquility she could find within herself, away from the chaos I'd brought into her life, and I believed she was finally getting it. After what felt like an eternity of watching from afar, a quiet observer to her healing, I decided it was time. The holidays.