SCARRED HEARTS

CHAPTER 15: THE EDGE OF TEMPTATION

Lila paced the small space of her office, her footsteps echoing softly against the hardwood floor. She kept glancing at the clock on the wall, feeling the minutes stretch into eternity. Thirty minutes—that's what Sebastian had said. And now, with each second that passed, her anxiety grew, a tight knot in her stomach she couldn't shake. She wasn't ready for this. She wasn't ready for him to come back, to face the magnetism that pulled her toward him despite everything in her telling her to run the other way.

Her phone buzzed again, a message notification from Sebastian.

I'm downstairs. Let me in.

Lila bit her lip and closed her eyes. She had a choice. She could ignore him, tell him to leave, but she knew deep down that wouldn't work. Sebastian wasn't the kind of man who took no for an answer. And if there was one thing she'd learned about him in the short time she'd known him, it was that he was persistent, almost to the point of obsession.

With a deep breath, Lila moved to the door and unlocked it. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing how rattled she was, not when she was so close to losing control.

As soon as the door swung open, Sebastian stepped inside, his presence filling the small room like a storm cloud. He was dressed in a dark jacket, his hair slightly tousled as if he had rushed to get here. His eyes, as always, locked onto hers, and for a moment, Lila couldn't breathe. He was so close, and yet, the distance between them felt miles apart. He looked at her like he could see everything—the parts she kept hidden, the things she kept buried.

"I thought I'd find you here," he said, his voice low, yet oddly comforting, like the sound of waves breaking on a quiet shore. "You've been avoiding me."

Lila stepped back, not wanting him too close but not sure where to go. "I haven't been avoiding you," she said quickly, the words tumbling out before she could stop them. "I've just been busy."

He didn't buy it. "Busy avoiding me," he said, his lips curling into a slight smirk. "I told you, Lila. You can't keep pushing me away."

She narrowed her eyes, the protective wall inside her strengthening. "I don't need you to be here," she said, more firmly than she felt. "I don't need anything from you."

Sebastian's gaze softened, his smirk fading. He took a step closer, but this time, he didn't push. He just watched her. "You don't need me. But maybe you want me. Don't pretend you don't feel it."

Lila stiffened, every nerve in her body firing as if she could feel the weight of his words pressing down on her. She didn't respond immediately, not trusting herself. She couldn't let him in. Not like this. She'd been burned before, and the last thing she wanted was to fall into another dangerous trap.

"Why are you really here, Sebastian?" she finally asked, her voice steady but betraying a trace of the vulnerability she was trying so hard to mask.

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he moved toward the desk, his eyes sweeping across the room, scanning the clutter of papers and half-finished projects. It was like he was waiting for her to speak, to give him a reason to stay.

"I'm here because I want you to stop running," he said finally, his tone serious now. He took a step toward her, closing the gap between them. "You're scared, Lila. I get it. You've been hurt before. But I'm not here to hurt you."

Lila's heart skipped a beat at his words. She couldn't decide if he was being genuine or if he was simply playing the part of the concerned, charming man who could say whatever he wanted to get what he desired.

"Maybe I don't want to be saved," she said, her voice quieter this time, her defenses slipping just a little. "Maybe I don't want your help."

Sebastian stopped just a few feet away from her, his eyes never leaving hers. There was an intensity in his gaze that she could no longer ignore, an intensity that made her chest tighten.

"You're not broken, Lila. You don't need fixing. But if you let me, I could make things a little easier," he said, his voice like silk—smooth, dark, and tempting.

Lila took a step back, her breath shallow, her body almost buzzing from the weight of his presence. No. This is wrong. I can't fall for this. She clenched her hands into fists at her sides.

"Don't," she said, her voice steady, though she could feel the storm brewing inside her. "Don't make promises you can't keep. Don't pretend like you know me."

He tilted his head, as if considering her words carefully. His gaze flickered down to her hands and then back up to her face. "I know enough," he said quietly. "I know that you're scared of letting anyone close. But I'm not like everyone else."

For a moment, the silence between them was suffocating. Lila fought the urge to look away, to break eye contact, but she couldn't. His presence was magnetic, pulling her in, making it hard to think clearly.

And then, almost as if the air between them was charged, he reached out, his hand moving slowly toward her. She held her breath, too caught up in the moment to move.

Sebastian paused just before touching her, his fingers hovering near her cheek. "I won't hurt you, Lila," he whispered, his voice low and intimate.

The words, his touch—everything about this moment felt too real, too much. It was like a part of her wanted to lean into him, to let go of all the fear, to finally allow herself to feel something.

But then, as his fingers brushed the side of her face, his eyes widened slightly. "What's this?" he murmured, his gaze dropping to her neck, then tracing the line of her jaw. He reached out and gently tilted her head to the side.

Lila froze, her stomach dropping. She hadn't expected him to notice.

His fingers lightly traced the faint scar running along the side of her neck and down her shoulder, one she'd worked so hard to hide from the world. It was a scar she never talked about, one that represented pain, loss, and something she'd buried deep inside her. Something no one knew.

Lila's breath caught in her throat. She pulled away quickly, her hand instinctively reaching for the part of her shirt that covered the scar.

"Lila," Sebastian said softly, his voice different now, more tentative, more concerned. "What happened?"

She turned away, her back to him, her chest tightening as the memories flooded in. She couldn't let him in. Not like this. Not after all the walls she'd built.

"It's nothing," she said quickly, her voice sharp. "I don't want to talk about it."

Sebastian didn't push. He didn't speak at all, but she could feel his eyes on her, watching, waiting.

"Lila," he said after a long pause, his voice softer now, "I won't pressure you. But I'm not leaving. Not until you're ready to talk."

Her heart pounded in her chest as she stood there, her hand pressed against her scar. She didn't know what to do with the feelings that were bubbling inside her, or what to make of the man standing behind her.

I can't do this, she thought, even as she felt her resolve start to crack.

But for the first time in years, the temptation to let someone in felt dangerously close to something she couldn't escape.