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|| TRUTH || CHAPTER 29
THE COUNTRYSIDE WAS QUIET save for the gentle rustling of leaves in the warm breeze and the occasional chirp of birds flitting between the trees.
Their home, small but elegant, sat nestled among the rolling green hills, bathed in golden light as the late afternoon sun stretched lazily across the sky. It was the kind of place no one would ever expect to find him.
Tom Riddle, the ever-calculating, ever-controlled man that he was, had never been one for idyllic retreats. And yet, here he was.
He sat on the porch, sleeves rolled up, a book resting open in his lap. His fingers absently traced over the edge of the page, but his eyes weren't reading. He was watching her.
Nyx stood barefoot on the grass, her long dress swaying slightly as she moved. She had taken to tending the garden lately, though she insisted it was only because she had nothing else to do. He knew better. There was something about the way her fingers brushed over the petals of the lavender, the way she hummed softly under her breath as she worked, that told him she found peace in it.
And he found peace in watching her.
She turned slightly, catching his gaze, a small smirk playing at her lips. "You're staring."
He didn't deny it. "You're glowing."
Nyx raised an eyebrow, amused. "Flattery, Riddle? What's your angle?"
Tom closed his book, standing and stretching before making his way over to her. "Must I have one?"
She snorted. "You always have an angle."
He stopped just in front of her, tilting her chin up with two fingers. "Maybe I simply admire beautiful things."
Nyx rolled her eyes but leaned into his touch. "Smooth."
A breeze swept between them, carrying the warm scent of summer, the sky painted in shades of honey and soft lavender. It was one of those rare moments where time felt slower, where the rest of the world faded away.
And yet, Nyx's heart was pounding.
She had waited long enough.
"Tom?", she murmured.
He immediately caught the shift in her tone. His thumb traced her jaw absently, his expression shifting into something more focused. "Yes?"
Nyx exhaled, reaching into the pocket of her dress. "I have something for you."
Tom raised a single brow, ever the skeptic. "Do you?"
Without answering, she pulled out a small, wrapped box. It was nothing extravagant—just a deep blue ribbon tied neatly around the lid.
