Ariel twirled the chain between her fingers, feeling its cool weight against her palm.
It was just a necklace.
Just a meaningless, stupid chain.
Her grip tightened.
Then why did she keep thinking about it?
Her mind whispered things she didn't want to hear. You want him. You miss him.
She exhaled sharply, dropping the necklace onto the bed like it had burned her.
Ariel had told herself to ignore it. To pretend it wasn't there.
But her fingers betrayed her.
She traced the chain, her nails dragging lightly over the smooth metal. The lock—small, unbreakable—gleamed under the dim candlelight.
It wasn't just a necklace.
Luciel never did anything without a reason.
Her thumb hovered over the lock, hesitating.
Why did she care so much?
Why did she wake up and the first thing she wanted to see… was him?
Ariel exhaled sharply, shaking her head. No. She wasn't obsessed.
She was just… affected. Temporarily.
That's what she told herself.
But deep down, she knew the truth.
