Because I owe you the truth

Severa's POV

Decorating a hotel room for Christmas wasn't exactly something I had planned for.

But after months of living in this coastal town, Eugene and I had started making strange compromises with our surroundings—like using a kitchenette to cook actual meals instead of ordering takeout or convincing the hotel manager to let us bring in a small Christmas tree.

It was ridiculous. But somehow, it felt… right.

I stood in the middle of my room, holding a tangled mess of Christmas lights while Eugene attempted to assemble the three-foot tree that, according to him, was "idiot-proof."

Spoiler: it wasn't.

"Are you sure you don't need the instructions?" I teased, watching him struggle with the branches.

Eugene shot me a dry look. "I'm an engineer, Sev. I think I can handle a Christmas tree."

I blinked. "Wait. What?"

He frowned. "What?"

"You're an engineer?"

"Yes?"

I stared at him, confused. "I thought you were just a businessman."

Eugene scoffed. "What do you mean 'just' a businessman?"

"I mean," I waved vaguely at him. "You run a company. You act like one."

"You never asked."

I narrowed my eyes. "So, you're telling me we've been working together on a construction site, and you never thought to mention that you're also a civil engineer?"

Eugene shrugged. "Didn't seem relevant."

I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. "Well. That explains why you actually understand my reports."

He rolled his eyes. "What, did you think I was just nodding along, pretending to know what you were talking about?"

"…Yes."

Eugene groaned. "Unbelievable."

I smirked. "Not my fault you look more like a businessman than an engineer."

"Sev, that doesn't even make sense."

It didn't. But it was fun teasing him.

Three Days Before Christmas Eve

I knew Eugene didn't like the ocean.

I had known since that summer.

Back then, I used to beg him to go swimming with me, but he never did. He always had an excuse—the water was too cold, he was too tired, or he just didn't feel like it. I thought he was just being stubborn. It wasn't until much later that I realized he genuinely hated it.

So when he agreed to go with me to the beach that afternoon, I was surprised.

It was our first time actually taking advantage of where we were. Work had consumed us for months, but with construction paused for the holidays, we had no excuse.

I threw my towel on the sand and stretched, feeling the sun on my skin. "You sure about this?"

Eugene scoffed. "Are you?"

I grinned. "Of course."

"Good."

Then, without warning, he ran straight into the water.

I blinked.

"What the—HEY!" I yelled, running after him. "You hate the ocean!"

He turned, smirking. "I never said I hated it."

I narrowed my eyes. "You just don't like it."

"Exactly."

Despite myself, I laughed. "You're so weird, Dominguez."

He smirked. "Took you long enough to notice."

I rolled my eyes and dove in. The water was cool against my skin, a refreshing contrast to the heat. We swam for a while, letting the waves move us, neither of us speaking.

Then, when we finally stopped to catch our breath, Eugene spoke.

"My parents disowned me."

I turned my head toward him, the playfulness from earlier vanishing. "What?"

He chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "Not exactly breaking news. I just don't talk about it."

I stayed quiet, unsure of what to say.

"I refused to be a puppet," he continued. "My father… he controls everything. He has expectations, plans, an entire map of how my life is supposed to go. And when I didn't follow it, he cut me off."

I swallowed hard. "And you chose to build your own company instead."

Eugene exhaled. "Yeah. But it wasn't easy."

He turned to look at me. "That's why I did it, Sev."

I frowned. "Did what?"

"That summer. That betrayal."

My body tensed.

I wasn't expecting him to bring it up. Not now. Not like this.

Eugene exhaled, as if he had been holding this in for too long. "I had no choice."

There was a beat of silence before he spoke again.

"You were never just some random girl who showed up that summer, Severa. I knew about you before you even got there."

The coldness of the ocean suddenly felt sharper against my skin.

"What?"

He nodded, his gaze unreadable. "My father had been planning to take that farmland for years. Your aunt just wouldn't sell. When he found out you were coming, he saw it as an opportunity."

My stomach twisted.

"From the moment you arrived, you were already part of his plan." Eugene's voice was quiet but steady. "I was supposed to make you trust me. Make you believe I was on your side. And then, when the time was right…" He trailed off, unable to finish.

I didn't need him to.

I knew how the story ended.

I clenched my fists, trying to ignore the stinging in my chest. "So everything was a lie."

"No." His answer was immediate. "It started as a lie. But it didn't stay that way."

I wanted to believe that. I wanted to believe that, at some point, I had meant something to him.

But how could I?

How could I trust anything when I was nothing more than a target from the beginning?

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. "Why are you telling me this now?"

Eugene hesitated before answering. "Because I owe you the truth."

I let out a bitter laugh. "The truth? Now?"

"I know it won't change what happened," he admitted. "But I don't want to lie to you anymore."

I stared at him, searching for any sign of deception. But all I saw was exhaustion.

Eugene Dominguez—the man who had broken me, betrayed me, ruined a part of my life—was standing in front of me, stripped of all his defenses.

And for the first time, I wasn't sure if I hated him.

Or if that terrified me even more.