continuation of the confession scene 3

“Happy birthday, little one,” he said, his voice low and smooth, wrapping around her like a warm blanket.

She reached the bottom step, tilting her head back to look up at him. Even now, when she had grown tall and slender over the last few years, he still towered over her—broad, solid, powerful, the kind of man who made everyone else feel small and insignificant.

“Thank you, Uncle Elias,” she whispered, the familiar title tasting like a lie on her tongue. She hated calling him that. Hated the way it labeled them, locked them into a box she was desperate to break out of. But it was all she had—for now.

He stepped closer, and she could feel the heat radiating off his body, smell that familiar scent that was entirely him. He reached out, brushing a strand of hair gently behind her ear, his fingers lingering just a little too long against the soft skin of her cheek. Lila had to fight every instinct in her body not to lean into his touch, not to grab his hand and press it harder against her skin, not to beg him to never pull away.

“Eighteen,” he murmured, his dark eyes searching hers, something dark and unreadable flickering deep inside them—longing, fear, desire—gone so fast she almost thought she imagined it. “All grown up now. I suppose I can’t keep calling you my little girl anymore, can I?”

Lila’s breath caught. You were never just my uncle, she wanted to scream. You were never just anything to me. Instead, she just shook her head, a soft, shy smile tugging at her lips—the mask she had perfected over years. “I guess not.”

He smiled back—that rare, crooked smile that made his whole face light up, and made her stomach twist into knots. “Good. Come sit. I have something for you.”

On the dining table, between the two place settings, sat a small velvet box, deep blue, tied with silver ribbon. When she opened it, she gasped softly.

A necklace. Delicate, beautiful, a single dark sapphire hanging from a thin silver chain. It glowed like a drop of midnight sky, catching the light and shining brightly.

“Elias… this is too much,” she breathed, reaching out to touch it gently. She knew how expensive it was. She knew he could afford it—he could buy her a hundred times this and never even notice—but it wasn’t the cost. It was the meaning. The way he always gave her things that suited her perfectly, like he knew exactly what she wanted even before she did.

“Nothing is too much for you, Lila,” he said simply. “You know that. Here—let me put it on you.”

She turned around immediately, lifting her hair off the back of her neck, exposing the soft, pale skin there. She felt him step closer, his chest almost touching her back, close enough that if she just leaned back an inch, she would be pressed right against him completely. His fingers brushed against her skin as he fastened the clasp—slow, deliberate, sending shivers racing down her spine. Her heart hammered so hard she was terrified he would feel it through her back.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***