Page 32 of Forever His Favorite
Lucas, holding a large decorated cake in his hands, began walking toward Emily.
Emily’s voice cut through the silence. “If you have anything to say, then just stand right there and say it. Don’t come closer.”
Lucas hesitated, his steps faltering. He stood right in front of her. Dillon trailed right behind him.
Lucas lifted the cake slightly, a hopeful glimmer in his eyes. The cream-covered cake sparkled faintly with the soft glow of tiny lights embedded in the transparent box. The frosting was thick, vanilla and milk—sweet and heavy. A cake that looked beautiful, but to Emily, it already felt sickening.
“I was coming here every day to meet you,” he said, his voice low but earnest. “But I couldn’t see you. I didn’t want to disturb you at your office so I kept waiting till you would come here.”
“I don’t live here anymore,” Emily answered calmly. Her voice carried finality. “I live with my husband. At his home.”
The word ‘husband’ hit Lucas like a knife. His body went rigid, his hopeful expression collapsing. His eyes darted toward Sebastian’s turned back, and though he tried to mask it, his lips curled with bitter disgust. He tried to tame it, tried to school his features, but the monstrous flash in his eyes gave him away before he forced himself to soften his expression again.
“I made this myself. For you. Just taste it, please.” He extended the cake toward her, his bandaged hands trembling slightly. “It’s the first time I ever baked. I know you like sweet things, so I tried. If it isn’t good, you don’t have to—”
“Yes,” Emily cut him off sharply. “I don’t like it.”
Lucas’s smile faltered, sliding into something hollow. Slowly, he lowered the cake. “It’s alright. I’ll try again. I’ll make something else for you and bring it tomorrow.”
He turned, stepping away when her voice stopped him cold. “No. I don’t want anything from you. Just looking at you ruins my appetite.”
He turned back to face her, his expression shattering piece by piece.
“You don’t have to do this.” Emily’s eyes held his with a quiet, merciless clarity. “All these actions… all these gestures… they only make you look more pathetic.”
Chapter 13 Begging On My Knees
Dillon, unable to hold back, stepped forward defensively. “Miss Crawford, how can you say that? Mr. Cantrell burned his hands making this cake for you.” He grabbed Lucas’s hands and held them up. The bandages were tight around the raw skin of his palms. “He tried again and again, despite the pain, just to make something for you.”
Emily inhaled slowly, then spoke with icy clarity. “The man who lived with me for five years,” she said firmly, “and still doesn’t know that I’ve been lactose intolerant since birth—that I can’t eat dairy—what right does he have to claim that he made efforts? And what right doyouhave to criticize me for rejecting his things?”
Dillon’s words caught in his throat. His eyes darted to Lucas, who stood frozen, every muscle in his body locked.
Emily stepped closer, her voice rising, trembling with suppressed anger. “If burning your hands gives you the right to be forgiven for every wrong you’ve done to me, then why didn’tIever get a pass for all the humiliation I endured? I gave Lucas myeverything. So none of you—” her voice cut sharp “—none of you have the right to blame me for choosing myself. Not even Lucas.”
Lucas’s lips parted, his chest tightening. His voice cracked as he whispered, “Why didn’t you tell me? That you were lactose intolerant?”
Emily stared at him, her eyes cold. “I learned every habit you had, every little quirk, every detail about you by heart. Then why couldn’t you notice one single thing about me without me having to spell it out? We lived together for five years. How hard was it to see that I never ate dairy, no matter what the meal was? Was it really that hard to know or did you just not care?”
Her blank gaze cut through him, and Lucas looked as though life had been ripped from his chest. His face was devastated, hollow.
Emily’s voice hardened. “You did nothing but take advantage of my vulnerability and love. Every time I was upset, you dismissed me, decided I was overreacting, and never once cared about how I actually felt.”
Lucas stumbled a step closer, his head bowed in shame. Emily immediately took another step back, creating space.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice cracking. “I’m really, truly sorry.”
Emily cut him off coldly. “You don’t have to worry about it now, because I don’t care anymore. You don’t need to do this. Don’t humiliate yourself like this just to beg for my forgiveness. It doesn’t matter to me now.”
But desperation clawed through him. Lucas surged forward, his words tumbling out in a broken rush. “I love you, Emily.”
She stepped back again, her eyes unflinching.
“I loved you from the very moment I laid eyes on you,” Lucas pushed on, his words spilling like a flood. “The day you stepped into my home to live with me, it was the happiest day of my life. You don’t know how much peace you brought me, how happy I was from the moment you entered my life—”
Emily cut him off again. “You don’t have to explain anymore. The time to tell me all of this has already passed. I did love you, Lucas. But I don’t anymore. You ripped it out of me, piece by piece, until there was nothing left.” She looked into his eyes, unwavering. “Now there is nothing left for you.”
Lucas’s chest burned, his breath heavy as he staggered another step closer. Emily stepped back instantly, widening the distance, her rejection clear in every motion.
