Consumed by you : Whispers of devotion

Chapter 22: Conflicting Desire

**Elara's Perspective**

The chill in the autumn air matched the cold feeling that had settled in Elara's chest. She had been avoiding Lucas for days now, ever since that moment outside the bakery when she saw him standing with Sophie, their heads bent close in conversation. It was the final straw in a series of painful realizations, each one cutting deeper than the last.

Lucas had pushed her away, told her she was too much, and now he seemed perfectly content with Sophie. It was more than she could take. But as much as it hurt, something inside her refused to give up on him entirely. Every time she tried to pull back, to let go, the obsession clawed at her again, reminding her of everything they had shared.

The moments she had stolen for herself, locking him away, had felt like a twisted dream—her greatest desire manifested in the darkest way. She had wanted Lucas to herself, to keep him close forever. But he had shattered that illusion, demanding his freedom, pushing her aside as if she meant nothing.

Now, even as Sophie tried to close the distance between them, Elara's thoughts were never far from him. And it frustrated her to no end that no matter how hard she tried to ignore it, her heart still beat for Lucas.

But tonight, she would push those feelings down. She would pretend that Sophie's growing affection didn't make her feel hollow, that Lucas wasn't haunting her every thought. It was time to let it go.

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**Lucas's Perspective**

Lucas couldn't shake the discomfort gnawing at him. He sat in his small apartment, staring at the wall, Sophie's voice still ringing in his ears from their last conversation. She had been trying to convince him to spend more time together—dinners, outings, anything to keep his mind off Elara.

But it wasn't working.

No matter how much time he spent with Sophie, his thoughts kept drifting back to Elara. He hated it. He hated the pull she still had on him, even after everything that had happened. But more than anything, he hated the guilt that came with it. Because, deep down, he knew that Elara had been more than just a friend to him. She had been his constant, the one person who had always been there when he needed her most.

Even when she had gone too far—even when she had taken him against his will, locked him away in her desperate need to keep him close—some part of him had understood. And some part of him had been drawn to her, to the intensity of her feelings.

Now, though, he wasn't sure where he stood. Sophie was kind, patient, everything he thought he wanted in a partner. But every time he looked at her, it was Elara's face that flashed in his mind. Every time Sophie tried to get closer, he found himself pulling back, unwilling to let anyone fill the space Elara had once occupied.

"What's wrong with me?" he muttered under his breath, running a hand through his hair. He didn't want to feel this way. He didn't want to be stuck in the limbo of his emotions, constantly torn between anger, frustration, and something he didn't even want to name.

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**Sophie's Perspective**

Sophie had noticed the distance between Lucas and Elara long before anyone else did. She had watched as Elara's obsession with him grew, and though she had never fully understood it, she had always been there to comfort her. But now, things were different.

Now, Sophie wanted more than just to be Elara's friend. She wanted to be the one who pulled her out of the shadows, away from the chaos Lucas had left behind. But no matter how hard she tried, there was a wall around Elara's heart that wouldn't break.

And it wasn't just Elara. Lucas, too, seemed distant, unreachable, even when he smiled and pretended to be okay. Sophie had thought that getting close to Lucas might help her understand Elara better, might help her figure out what was so special about him that Elara couldn't let go.

But all it did was make Sophie more determined to pull Elara out of this mess.

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**Lucas's Perspective**

The next time Lucas saw Elara, it was by chance. He had been leaving his bakery late, cleaning up after the final customers had left, when he spotted her across the street. She was walking quickly, her head down, her posture stiff. She didn't look at him, didn't even seem to notice he was there.

A strange feeling twisted in Lucas's chest. Seeing her like this—so distant, so unreachable—stirred something in him that he hadn't felt before. It wasn't just the guilt or the frustration. It was something deeper, something more primal.

He thought back to all the times she had been there for him, all the moments she had held him up when everything else in his life was falling apart. The nights when she had stayed late at the bakery to help him clean up, the days when she had listened to him vent about the struggles of running a small business.

Had he been so blind to how much she meant to him?

Even now, after everything, he couldn't deny the pull she still had on him.

But then he saw Sophie coming down the street, her eyes lighting up as she spotted him. She waved, and for a moment, Lucas hesitated. The thought of seeing Sophie with Elara again twisted something inside him. He didn't want that—didn't want to see them together, didn't want to feel this strange jealousy that had no reason to exist.

And yet, as Sophie approached, he forced a smile. He couldn't let her see how conflicted he really was. He couldn't let anyone know.

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**Elara's Perspective**

Elara had seen them before they saw her—Lucas and Sophie, standing together outside the bakery, laughing, talking. The sight of them sent a wave of nausea through her, a sharp reminder of everything she had tried so hard to forget.

Lucas had moved on. He didn't need her anymore, didn't want her in his life. And yet, every time she saw them together, her heart ached in ways she couldn't control.

She wanted to run, to disappear, to escape the pain that seemed to follow her everywhere. But as she turned to leave, a single thought stopped her.

What if she could never let go?

What if she was destined to be trapped in this cycle, constantly chasing after someone who would never be hers?

And what if she didn't care?

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**Lucas's Perspective**

As Sophie stood beside him, Lucas's eyes flickered toward where Elara had been, just for a second. But she was gone now, disappearing into the shadows as if she had never been there at all.

And for the first time, Lucas wondered if he had made a mistake.

A mistake he wasn't sure he could fix.