Meanwhile, in another room, a few corridors away from where Zayd and Lilith were, sat a young woman dressed in nothing but a robe. It was Ava.
She sat on the bed, waiting for a particular someone, though her heart was heavy with sorrow. If only she could make him love her, perhaps their nights of cold, loveless intimacy would finally end. She had known, the moment she agreed to be his bed warmer, that there would be no turning back and that she had forfeited the right to ask for anything. But still, she wished time could be undone.
Snapping her out of her thoughts, the door creaked open to reveal Elijah stepping inside, his eyes not even grazing her form. Not that she expected them to, but she still ached for the day he might look her way, even if just for a fleeting moment.
"Get on the bed," came his command as he stripped, his fingers swiftly undoing layers of fabric. As the last piece fell to the floor, he approached the bed and frowned when he saw her still seated.
"Have you gone deaf?" He asked, prompting her to rise at once. She lifted her head to meet his gaze and stood still for several seconds, torn between speaking her heart or once again surrendering to silence.
"I will get on the bed now," she said, abandoning her foolish dreams. Turning away from him, she let the robe slip from her body and climbed onto the bed, moving on all fours, her legs dangling off the edge.
Without a word, Elijah stepped forward and placed a hand on her back, then without the slightest warning, he thrust into her with a single, hard move. She gasped, startled by the sensation of him inside her after so many years. The last time they had shared anything was five years ago, before his second imprisonment. And though she had been overjoyed when he was released, not once had he shown any sign of happiness at seeing her again. They hadn't exchanged a word in private since. It was as if he couldn't even see her, though she was right beside him. She should have ended it the moment she began falling for him, but her foolish heart had clung to hope, dreaming there might be more.
Grunting, Elijah picked up his pace, his thrusts becoming more aggressive as he gripped her waist tightly. He refused to look at her, his eyes fixed blankly on the ceiling, like he was trying to escape the moment altogether.
Minutes later, he pulled out, choosing once again to spill himself outside her, prompting her to scoff bitterly. Of course. He always finished quickly, never releasing inside her no matter how heated the moment.
"Can you… release them inside me next time?" She asked, her voice quiet but edged with something raw. She knew better than to ask, but a part of her, long-buried, clawed its way to the surface, aching to be heard.
"Do I have to remind you of our deal?" He asked, stepping away from her and heading toward the closet to retrieve his robe.
"I know what our deal entails Elijah, I just…am I only good enough to be your sex toy? Have you ever, even once, considered me a partner? Someone you could actually have a future with?" The words tumbled out before she could stop them. She rose from the bed and turned to face him, uncaring that she was bare, her voice sharp with hurt.
"It was clearly stated in the deal, it ends the moment you start demanding or nurturing delusions." He pulled on his robe and walked back to her, stopping just a few paces away. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Ava saw his eyes, really saw them. If she had known confronting him would earn even this small acknowledgment, she might have done it long ago.
"You have never once looked at me. Not until now. Not until I forced you to," she said with a bitter smile curling on her lips.
"There was nothing to look at. I don't glance at maids. Why should you be any different?" He replied, completely unmoved. The words sank deep, and Ava had to fight back tears. All these years, and to him, she had never been anything more than a maid.
"Then why not fuck the other maids? Why me?" She asked, her voice trembling.
"Because of this," he said, gesturing between them. "They get entitled after a while. Besides, it's a hassle sleeping with different women. I don't have the time to waste like my brother." His words didn't sting with cruelty, but with something worse, indifference. And her heart fell, not out of rage, but the kind of disappointment that leaves a lasting bruise. She had degraded herself in ways she could never undo, and for what? To him, she was nothing but just a replaceable body, never a person.
"I should have known better," she said quietly. "And I might hate myself for saying this, but I will say it anyway since…this will be our last night together." She stepped forward, two small steps, and he didn't flinch. He just stood there, unmoved. "I… I fell for you five years ago. I don't know when it started, but a month into us sleeping together, I knew. I am not saying this for pity or attention. I just needed to get it out of my chest. And I hope you never summon me again. I will volunteer to work in the lower quarters. It will help me forget, and you won't have to deal with me anymore."
She let out a hollow, tired laugh. "Not that you have ever cared." Turning around, she reached for her robe, slipped it on, and began walking toward the door.
As she walked away, a small part of her still wished, desperately that he would call her back. That he would stop her, tell her not to leave, say something kind, maybe even apologize. But she knew better. She had always known better. Her long-standing, one-sided love was ending tonight, and maybe that was for the best. After all, he wasn't her mate. She was old enough to marry, and once she rid herself of these burdensome feelings, she would find a man worthy of her and live a quiet, respectable life. Until then, she would throw herself into her duties and swear never to let a man hold power over her emotions again.
She had been a fool to fall for a man like Elijah, an even greater fool to offer herself to him like some plaything.