Consumed by you : Whispers of devotion

Chapter 21: Unraveling Bonds

**Lucas's Perspective**

Lucas couldn't shake the unease. His eyes followed Sophie and Elara as they left the café together, chatting like they'd been close for years. He wiped his hands on his apron, staring at the door long after they disappeared from view.

What was happening between them? Why did it feel like Elara was slipping through his fingers in a way that made his chest tighten?

This wasn't supposed to bother him. He had wanted distance from her, hadn't he? He had pushed her away, told her she was suffocating him. But now, seeing her with Sophie—laughing and being open in a way she had never been with anyone else—was driving him mad.

He didn't know what this feeling was. It wasn't jealousy. He couldn't be jealous, not of Sophie, not when he barely even knew how he felt about Elara. And yet, it clawed at him, the image of Sophie's hand on Elara's arm, that intimate smile they shared.

The thought of Elara replacing him, of her finding comfort in someone else, gnawed at his insides.

He realized how much Elara had meant to him—not just as a neighbor, not just as a friend. She had been his constant, his support. He had relied on her without even knowing it. Now, the void she left in his life was unbearable, and worse, it was being filled by someone else.

And Sophie. Why did she have to get close to Elara? What was her endgame? Lucas couldn't shake the sense that something was off, that Sophie had a motive he couldn't quite understand.

"Why does it matter?" he muttered to himself, running a hand through his dark hair. "Why do I care?"

But deep down, he knew. He had always cared, even when he didn't want to admit it.

---

**Elara's Perspective**

Sophie had been around more often than not lately. At first, it was a welcome distraction—a way to keep her mind off Lucas and the overwhelming obsession that had nearly driven her insane. But now, something else was happening. Something she couldn't quite name.

Sophie's attention had shifted from Lucas to her, and while at first, it was subtle, now it was unmistakable. The glances, the soft touches, the compliments that felt too personal. Elara wasn't blind to it. She could see the growing interest in Sophie's eyes, but it left her conflicted.

For a moment, Elara had thought that distancing herself from Lucas was the right choice. It gave her time to breathe, to think clearly. But now, Lucas had been hovering in the back of her mind constantly. Whenever she was with Sophie, Elara felt Lucas's presence like a shadow. It was as if he was always there, watching, waiting.

But when she looked at him—when their eyes met across the bakery—he seemed different. Colder, more distant. She hated it. She hated that he was pulling away when all she wanted was to be close to him again. And yet, she knew she couldn't fall back into that obsessive spiral. Not again.

"I just don't get it," Sophie said suddenly, snapping Elara out of her thoughts. They were sitting on the couch in Elara's apartment, a bottle of wine between them. Sophie was looking at her with those wide, curious eyes that always seemed to dig deeper than Elara was comfortable with. "How could Lucas just push you away like that? After everything you've done for him?"

Elara's heart clenched. Sophie didn't know the half of it. Didn't know how far Elara had gone, the things she'd done in her desperate attempt to keep Lucas close. "It doesn't matter," Elara replied stiffly. "He made his choice."

Sophie reached out, brushing a strand of hair from Elara's face. "You deserve better than that. Someone who actually sees you for who you are."

Elara shifted uncomfortably, pulling away slightly. She wasn't ready for this, whatever it was that Sophie was offering. Her mind was too tangled in thoughts of Lucas, too consumed by the what-ifs and the regrets.

And yet, Lucas still lingered at the edges of her consciousness. She couldn't escape him, no matter how hard she tried. Even when she was with Sophie, Lucas's presence was like a ghost, haunting her, reminding her of everything she had lost.

---

**Lucas's Perspective**

The next day, Lucas found himself pacing in his small apartment, unable to shake the frustration gnawing at him. He had seen Elara and Sophie again earlier, their closeness now undeniable. And it infuriated him in ways he didn't fully understand.

Why did it feel like Elara was slipping away, and why did that thought unsettle him so deeply? It wasn't just about Sophie. It was about something else. Something that had been building inside him for months, maybe even longer.

He found himself thinking back to the countless times Elara had been there for him—during late nights at the bakery, when his business had struggled to stay afloat, when he had felt like giving up. Elara had been his rock, the person who had never wavered, who had always believed in him even when he didn't believe in himself.

Was it possible he had been obsessed with her all along, even before she had taken things too far? Was that why her distance now felt like a knife to the heart?

He didn't know. But what he did know was that seeing her with Sophie, seeing her laugh and smile in ways she hadn't with him lately, was driving him mad.

And worse, it made him realize just how much he still cared.

---

**Sophie's Perspective**

Sophie had always admired Elara from afar, watching the strength and determination that radiated from her. But now that they were closer, she found herself drawn to her in a way she hadn't expected. Elara's vulnerability—her quiet heartbreak over Lucas—made Sophie want to protect her, to pull her in and show her the love and care she so desperately deserved.

Lucas didn't appreciate what he had in Elara. Sophie could see that. She saw the way he pushed her away, how he ignored the depth of Elara's feelings. And it frustrated her.

Sophie was determined to change that. To be the one who showed Elara that she didn't need Lucas to be happy. That she could be free of the obsession that had held her captive for so long.

But as Sophie grew closer to Elara, she couldn't help but notice the tension in Lucas's gaze whenever he saw them together. He wasn't as indifferent as he pretended to be. And that, more than anything, made Sophie smile.

Because it meant she wasn't the only one who saw how special Elara truly was.

---

**Lucas's Perspective**

As Lucas watched Elara and Sophie again, his jaw clenched. He hated how easily Sophie seemed to slip into Elara's life, how she managed to pull her away without even trying.

But more than that, Lucas hated the sinking realization that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't ready to let Elara go.

Not yet.

And maybe... he never had been.