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Chapter 4

My breath caught in my throat as I stared in shock. I never imagined seeing the face of the person in front of me again, partially illuminated by the silvery moonlight. The world tipped under my feet for a moment as his dark eyes met mine.

"Lucas?" Before I could stop myself, I slipped the name out in a whisper. Even though I could hardly hear myself, my voice sounded like a shout in the darkness.

He didn't respond right away. Instead, he walked forward slowly a few times while putting his hands in his black coat pockets. He moved with purpose as if he had unlimited time. His calm demeanour, given the circumstances, was almost sinister.

As I stepped back again, the cool railing pressed against my spine, and my heart pounded frantically. This isn't possible. Here, in front of me, was Lucas—my Lucas, the man I had loved and lost. It was nonsensical.

At last, with a ghost of a smile playing at the corner of his lips, he said, "You look surprised," in a smooth, low voice. "Did you think you wouldn't see me again?"

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. A thousand questions raced through my mind, crashing into each other in a jumbled mess. How did he get here? For what reason was he here? Above all, why did he remain silent? Why had he vanished silently all those years ago?

My voice cracked. "You—" I began. "You abandoned me."

His eyes darkened, transforming that smirk into something more sombre and even dangerous. Rose, I didn't go. I had to leave.

"Forced out?" I said it again, my words tinged with disbelief. "You vanished into thin air. Nothing—no letters, no calls. Lucas, I waited for you. I believed you to be deceased.

"I'm still alive." He was clipping his words, and his tone carried a hint of resentment. With a few long strides, he got closer and closer until he was standing a foot away, taller than me. "I had no choice but to leave you, even though I never wanted to."

As I struggled to understand his cryptic words, my mind reeled. After all this time, his presence here felt like a thread unravelling, tearing apart everything I believed to be true. I had tried to bury the hurt of his absence and forget him for years. Now, he stood before me, seemingly effortlessly reentering my life as if nothing had occurred.

However, everything was different.

The girl who had foolishly believed in love and a future with him was no longer me. The day he vanished had destroyed that version of me, and someone colder and more reserved had taken her place. He now held my life in the palm of his hand, and I married a man who would undoubtedly crush anyone who tried to claim what he felt was rightfully his.

"Why are you here?" I whispered a question barely audible. "What are you looking for from me?"

The hardness in Lucas's eyes briefly softened, revealing a glimpse of the man I used to know. "Rose, I came to see you. to ensure your well-being."

"Why now?" I demanded, growing irritated. "Why not earlier? When I most needed you, why didn't you return?"

His jaw tensed as he hesitated. "You weren't safe there. You don't grasp certain concepts, which I couldn't adequately explain to you at the time.

What did you fail to convey to me? Incredulous, I repeated. "Lucas, you left me with nothing. Only heartache and questions."

His voice lowered to a near growl as he stepped closer, his face darkening once more. "Rose, I took the necessary actions to keep you safe. Do you think I wanted to leave? Do you think I wanted to observe from a distance as you went about your life?"

His words caused me to wince, and my heart thumped with excitement. Observe from the shadows? Could he have been pursuing me all this time?

"What do you protect me from?" My voice trembled as I asked. "What's so risky that you had to leave my life without telling me?"

His eyes narrowed as he examined me, delaying his response. He seemed to be considering how much to reveal to me and whether I could take the reality. When he did speak, it was slowly and deliberately.

"Ronaldo," he said in a firm voice. "Roseline, you have no idea what sort of man he is. What he can accomplish."

The mere mention of Ronaldo's name made my blood run cold. It all came back to him, of course. That man seemed to be at the centre of everything in my life, drawing me to its murky depths like a vortex.

"You’re wrong," I said, sounding more assured than I was. "I am fully aware of the type of man he is. Lucas, though, I'm not the same girl you left behind. I am capable of taking care of myself.

Anger flashed in Lucas's eyes. He stepped closer and said, "You don't understand," until his breath touched my face. "Ronaldo is more than just an entrepreneur. He poses a threat. He has people in his network who take care of his dirty work. He will take action if he discovers that you are speaking to him.

"He’ll what?" I interrupted him to challenge him. "Lucas already holds power over my life. He can't take anything else from me.

Lucas said in a low growl, "Don't be so sure." "He's always capable of taking more."

With a sinking sensation spreading through my stomach and my heart thumping in my chest, I gazed up at him. I wanted to argue with him, to tell him that he was mistaken, but I knew in my heart that he was right. Ronaldo was a man who did not tolerate disrespect. One way or another, he would learn about this meeting. When he did...

I said, "You need to leave," in a shaky voice. "You're not allowed to come."

Lucas's hand reached out as though he wanted to touch me and console me, and his eyes softened once more. However, he halted himself, his hand lingering between us before returning to his side.

Silently, "I came back for you, Rose," he said. "I will never abandon you again."

With a knot in my throat, I muttered "Lucas." "You're not getting it. If Ronaldo discovers—"

His voice was sharp as he interrupted, "I don't care about Ronaldo." "You are important to me. I will not allow him to harm you."

I hadn't felt hope in a long time, but his words and his insistence caused my chest to tighten. However, fear swiftly eclipsed that hope. Ronaldo possessed a power that Lucas could never have imagined. And even with his best efforts, Lucas was powerless to keep me safe from the impending storm.

"You have to go," I said again, this time with more vigour. "If he discovers we're conversing..."

I left the sentence unfinished. The mere thought was too frightening to speak aloud.

Lucas's gaze hardened once more as he clenched his jaw. He was reluctant to go. I could see the stubbornness that had always been a part of him—the resolve in his eyes. However, he must have heard the seriousness in my voice—the actual threat that loomed like a guillotine over us.

After a lengthy pause, he said, "Fine," in a tight voice. However, this is not the end. Roseline, I'll be watching. I refuse to let him rule you indefinitely.

He then pivoted on his heel and vanished into the balcony's shadows, leaving me standing there, gasping for air and feeling uneasy.

I couldn't shake the feeling of impending disaster as I leaned against the railing and tried to steady myself. I had buried something deep inside of me, and Lucas's return had ripped it loose. And now it was surfacing, threatening to upset the delicate equilibrium I had worked so hard to preserve.

However, a chilly voice cut through the night air before I could collect my thoughts.

"Roseline, who were you speaking to?"

I turned slowly to the man in the doorway and froze, my heart halting in my chest.

Ronaldo.

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