"Lucas Montgomery!" I instinctively pushed him away, my anger flaring, "He didn't do anything wrong, haven't you had enough?!"

My shove sent him flying across the room, his body crashing into the sharp edge of the able with a sickening crack. His forehead met the wood, and in an instant, a geyser of blood erupted, painting the pristine white carpet a grotesque shade of crimson.​

Lucas crumpled to the floor, dazed and disoriented, blood streaming down his face, mixing with the tears that welled up in his eyes.

But I didn't look back, just holding Julian Whitmore, urgently rushing to the hospital.

His trembling blood - stained fingers hovering above my forehead. "Sophia." he whispered, voice hoarse and laced with pain, "I'm fine. Don't blame him."​

I dropped to my knees beside him, the sticky warmth of his blood seeping through my silk gown. Cradling his face in my hands, I stared into his fading eyes. "You're the father of my child," I hissed, "You're the one who holds my heart, and I'll burn this entire manor to the ground before I let them lay another finger on you."​

His lips twitched into a weak smile, blood dribbling down his chin. "Our...our little one..." he managed to choke out.​

"Our child is safe," I cut in, pressing a fierce kiss to his bloodied lips. "And you will be too. I swear it on my life."

As I rushed out of the villa with Julian, I caught a glimpse of Lucas still slumped on the ground, the blood from the back of his head trickling down his neck.

But I didn't dare look back.

He was a in a threadbare shirt, an otherworldly glow haloing his cold, aloof form behind the convenience store counter. The moment I laid eyes on him, time stood still. I lingered outside for two torturous hours, entranced by his enigmatic presence.​

Then, I strode in, black card extended like a gauntlet. "Leave this life behind," I commanded, voice dripping with desperate yearning. "With me, you'll never have to touch a price tag again."

In a swift movement, he slapped the glossy black card back onto the counter.

It skidded across the scratched surface, hitting the register with a sharp clack.

"Keep your charity, miss," he spat, voice laced with disdain.

"My calloused hands may ring up your snacks, but they're cleaner than whatever strings you'd attach to that card. I earn my bread honestly, and I'll die before selling my dignity."​

The fluorescent lights of the convenience store flickered overhead, casting harsh shadows across his angular face.

After a long, charged moment, I retrieved a pristine business card from my purse, the embossed gold lettering catching the light.

"Sophia Sinclair," I declared, my tone matching his defiance.

I dropped the card next to his cracked name tag that read "Lucas".

"Tomorrow, I will be here again."

He didn't take it seriously. But the next day, I arrived in a Lamborghini Aventador as promised, standing in that noisy, chaotic convenience store like a joke, out of place.

To chase him, I did many things that even I found unbelievable-

When he rejected my confession, I had people hang banners outside the convenience store every day;

When he avoided me, I walked through the crowd on foot;

When he said we were from different worlds, I worked alongside him.

For nine whole months, I stood outside his convenience store, once, twice, nine times. until he finally started to care.

He agreed to be with me because I took the acid thrown by a competing store on his behalf, and to this day, there's still a huge, ugly scar on my back. I was in so much pain that I sweated cold, but I still gritted my teeth and said to him, "Lucas, remember, you owe me a life, and you'll repay it for the rest of your life."

That day, he cried. It was the first time I saw him cry, his hot tears falling into my palm.

Once we were together, I spoiled him, pampered him, and I lost control even myself. When he burned his fingers while cooking oden, I called a private doctor in the middle of the night; when he casually mentioned he liked a certain figurine, I bought a whole limited edition set; when he had a stomach ache, I stayed by his side all night, afraid to sleep.

Once, when he scraped his knee, I ran to the hospital holding him, my hands trembling. The doctor said it was just a surface wound, but I insisted on having an X-ray, afraid he had injured his bone.

But now.

He sat alone in a pool of blood, smiling down. That smile seemed to mock me.

I didn't have time to think much, only knowing I had to rush Julian to the hospital.

After his wound was treated, just as he was leaving the examination room, I immediately grabbed his wrist, my voice suppressing my anger: "Lucas Montgomery, you broke Julian's head, and now you're chasing after him at the hospital?"

He turned to look at me, his face pale, and the bandage on his head made me freeze for a moment.

"I came to the hospital." he said softly, "not to look for him."

He raised his hand, pointing to the bandage on his forehead.

I froze for a moment and then noticed his complexion and the injury on his forehead.

"You said you'd take me away after I had the child," he stared at me, his eyes reddening, "but now, can you still see me in your eyes?"

Hearing these words, my hand unconsciously reached out, wanting to touch his wound.

"You pushed me." He said, his tone calm, "I hit the edge of the table."

My heart jolted, and I suddenly remembered the force I used when I pushed him. I felt so guilty, I could barely breathe.

I instinctively hugged him. "Lucas, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I was just afraid that something might happen to Julian. If anything wrong. my family would definitely seize the opportunity. Our plan to leave would be delayed again. Do you understand?"

He didn't respond, his eyes vacant.

Once again, I said those words that he had already grown tired of hearing. They were sincere, but they were starting to sound like excuses.

"I understand," he said, pushing me away. "Go take care of him."

I grabbed his arm and whispered, "Lucas, no matter what, you must believe that I love only you. Everything I've done is for us to leave as soon as possible."

I gently touched the bandage on his forehead. "I'll have the servants take care of you. Don't get wet."

After saying that, I released my hand and turned to walk towards Julian's hospital room.

He didn't speak. I could feel his gaze on my back, but he didn't call out to me.

I walked further away.

At that moment, I didn't see the tears falling from his eyes.