“I won’t force you,” he rushed out, desperation leaking from every word. “I just want you to look at me once more, to see that I’m telling the truth. I’m not the same person anymore. I will never ignore you again. I’ll listen to every word you say.”
“Is that so?” she questioned, her eyes piercing his.
He nodded furiously, tears spilling. “I promise. I’ll listen to everything. I’ll follow your word. I’ll lay down my life for you if I have to. I’ll do anything to please you. I will never ignore you. I won’t ever hurt you again. I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”
“Alright then,” Emily said at once, her voice like ice. “Then don’t show up in front of me after you leave this place. That’s all I want from you. Can you do that for me?”
Lucas’s body froze, his hands trembling as his nails dug into his palms. Tears streamed down his face. “Don’t say that,” he whispered hoarsely. On his knees, his fists clenched tight, his nails digging into his skin until they left marks.
Emily didn’t look at him again. She walked past him in silence, heading toward Sebastian’s car.
Sebastian followed after her, his jaw tight, fury pulsing in his veins. Every muscle in his body ached to drag Lucas up and beat him into the ground, to bury him in his own grave. But instead, he swallowed his rage and slipped into the car beside Emily, leaving Lucas crumpled on the floor behind them.
Chapter 14 A Man Wrapped Around Your Finger
Taylor pushed open the door of an elite private club with Dillon at his side. The air was thick with the stench of alcohol, bottles scattered across every surface.
Dillon’s expression was grim. “I did everything I could to convince Mr. Cantrell to go home, but he refuses to leave no matter what I say. It’s already gotten bad. I had to call you.”
Taylor’s brows drew together. “How long has he been like this?”
“He hasn’t left this room since the last three nights.” Dillon hesitated. “He… he went to Miss Crawford’s house. Wanted to reconcile. But the house was empty. He’s been circling that place for weeks, and when he finally saw her, she refused to return to him. Since then…” Dillon gestured helplessly toward the wreckage.
Taylor muttered under his breath, “Jesus Christ,” and strode further inside. His gaze fell on Lucas, slouched on the couch, glassy-eyed and broken. “How much longer is he going to keep doing this? He’s going to drink himself to death.”
Lucas stirred at the sound of their voices. His bleary eyes blinked open, unfocused, until they landed on Taylor. His lips curled into something between a laugh and a grimace.
“You came to get me?” His words slurred as he snatched his discarded coat off the couch and flung it at Taylor. “Get out. I’m not leaving. Meet me some other time.”
His voice cracked as he stumbled, but Taylor caught his shoulders, forcing him back down onto the couch.
“Sit. Down,” Taylor barked.
Lucas tried to resist, but Taylor’s glare pinned him.
Taylor drew in a sharp, frustrated breath, his hand raking through his hair before snapping furiously, “You bastard, do you even know what’s going on with me? My hospital is shutting down! Because someone powerful told several of my shareholders to pull their funding—left it as nothing but a shell!”
He grabbed Lucas’s shoulders, his anger spilling over into a roar. “Do I even need to guess who this powerful man is at this point? Sebastian is taking revenge! All because of what I said to Emily!”
In the corner of the room, Dillon went deathly still. His body stiffened, his casual posture snapping upright in fear for himself. ‘I’ve said so many cruel things to her. Over and over.’ His legs felt weak, as if they might buckle beneath the weight of his own body, a faint shudder running through him. ‘…What’s going to happen to me?’
His eyes snapped to Lucas and Taylor, voice deathly silent. “Mr. Cantrell… our biggest projects… they’ve been getting pulled one by one these past few weeks. No explanation. Almost all of them are cancelled already.”
Taylor’s gaze locked on Lucas, fury thrumming through his veins. “Isn’t it clear?” he snapped. “Emily has already married Sebastian. She has no intention of coming back to you. And if you keep going like this, you and I will both end up on the street!”
Lucas’s head dropped lower, his hands dragging through his hair. His voice broke into a whisper. “What should I do… to get her back?”
“For fuck’s sake!” Taylor roared, dragging a hand down his face in exasperation.
But Lucas didn’t even look up.
He seemed detached from everything—business, money, the world. His body shook, collapsing under the weight of grief and alcohol, as though even breathing was too heavy a burden.
For a moment, pity flickered in Taylor’s eyes before his voice softened. “Lucas, I remember when you were with Emily. She wanted your mother’s ring so badly, because it meant your family finally accepted her. That you were ready to settle down. But you never gave it to her. You never even proposed—not for an engagement, not for marriage. Nothing. So why not just let her go now?”
Lucas’s eyes burned suddenly, fire lighting in their depths. His lips pressed into a tight line as he swallowed hard. In one sharp motion, he shot to his feet.
He shoved past Taylor and Dillon, storming toward the door.