𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐒 | 𝐋𝐍𝟒

𝐗𝐗𝐗𝐈

A/N: double update because i can't separate these two chapters

••••••

Lando's pulse raced as he sprinted down the corridor, the weight of his actions crashing into him with each hurried step. What the hell had he done?

He turned the corner sharply, nearly slamming into the wall as his eyes looy down the hallway, desperate for any sign of her. But it was silent, still. No trace of her..

His chest felt tight with panic. Where was she?

He couldn't stop now. He needed to fix this. He needed to make things right, no matter what it took.

Lando reached the stairwell, his feet heavy against the steps as he pounded down them, each flight a reminder of how far he'd pushed things.. He thought of the garden, the pool—it was the only place he could imagine her running to, the only place where he might find her, where she could finally breathe.

When he pushed through the glass doors into the cool night air, the garden was peaceful, almost serene, but it felt wrong.. He walked quickly, scanning the quiet space, his heart sinking when he didn't see her immediately.

Then, at the edge of the pool, he saw her.

She was standing still, looking down at the water, her posture small and fragile in the dim light. She didn't turn when she heard him approach.

Lando stopped a few feet behind her, his breath shaky as he steadied himself..

«Milaine...» His voice was quiet, unsure, as if saying her name would bring him closer to whatever was left between them.

Her body stiffened slightly, but she didn't turn around. She just stared at the water.

«I... I don't know what the hell I was thinking» Lando continued, the words tumbling out faster now, the guilt weighing too heavily on his chest. «I'm such a fucking idiot.»

He took a step forward, closer to her, but not close enough to touch. «I didn't mean a single thing I said. I was angry and hurt, and I said things I shouldn't have.»

Lando's hand trembled slightly as he reached out, placing it gently on her shoulder. She was still facing the water, her body rigid under his touch. Slowly, carefully, he urged her to turn around.

When she did, the sight shattered him.

Tears streamed silently down Milaine's face, her cheeks flushed and eyes red, she wasn't sobbing or gasping for air—no, this was the kind of sadness that lived deep, that was haunting you out from the inside.

Lando's breath caught in his throat. He couldn't bear it.

Without thinking, he stepped closer, until there was no space left between them. His hands lifted, cradling her face with a tenderness that shook him to his core. His thumbs brushed over the tears staining her skin, his forehead nearly resting against hers as he whispered, brokenly:

«I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... Mila, I didn't mean it, not a single word—»

He kept whispering apologies like he could erase the damage with enough desperate words, like he could fix the cracks he had put in her heart.

But after a moment, Milaine pulled herself together. She sniffled quietly, blinking away a fresh wave of tears, and gently grabbed his wrists, pulling his hands away from her face — though she didn't let go of them. She kept holding his hands tightly, almost clinging to them, grounding herself.

She looked him dead in the eyes, those red, puffy eyes full of so much pain it made his chest ache.

And in a quiet, shaky voice, she said «Don't apologize... You were right. About everything. Every word. I needed to hear it.»