Too late for a second chance (Lila and Dorian)

Lila sensed the subtle shift in Kieran's mood. She blinked in surprise before smiling gently. "Why would you ask me that, Kieran?"

In her last relationship, she had given her all and had always been the one chasing and sacrificing. But with Kieran, the roles had reversed—she was the one being taken care of.

Looking back, nearly a year had passed, and so much had happened. But

through it all, Kieran had treated her well. Maybe that was why she had recovered so quickly.

Lila tightened her grip on his hand, walking with a light step down the mountain. "You're a really great guy, Kieran. And I'm really happy with you."

Without saying a word, he looked at her profile. His grip on her hand tightened slightly, but he didn't ask the question lingering in his mind. "How much longer do I have to wait for our wedding?"

By the time they reached the base of the mountain, the group split up and went their separate ways.

The following days, Lila didn't have much to do. She spent her time at the Morgan residence, keeping Nicole company, but she still returned to Vermilion Estate to sleep at night.

Kieran, on the other hand, was swamped with work. For several nights in a row, by the time he got home, Lila was already fast asleep. In her sleep, she would vaguely feel his arms around her, but by morning, he was already gone.

Something felt... off. Ever since they had returned from the hike, things hadn't felt right. And it was starting to mess with her head.

text message. "Hey, is there some weird legend

Amelia: "Like what?"

don't know... something

there's no such

later, she followed up with another message. "Why? Did you and Uncle Kieran have

nothing like that. It's just... ever since we got back, he's been acting kind of

just feeling his age. Post-hike fatigue, you know? Maybe he's worried he won't have the energy to satisfy

struggling to come up with a reply, she gave up and pretended

Unfortunately, Amelia wasn't done.

"Why aren't you

don't pretend you didn't see it. I know you

care of him so he can still

continue with her nonsense, Lila hastily replied, "I'll talk to

bring Kieran food and figure out what was going on. When she arrived, the receptionist seemed surprised to see her there. "What brings you here,

Kieran not in?" Lila

Morgan left on a business trip

did not know that. But instead of showing her surprise, she played it off smoothly. "Oh, right... think he mentioned it a few days ago must ve slipped my mind Thanks for letting me know. With that, she