I froze at his words and instinctively avoided his gaze.
Lucas spun halfway around, leaning back toward me. “What are you running from?”
I reluctantly met his gaze with a surge of embarrassment. “Your confession. It’s just, well, a bit sudden.”
No sooner had I said that than his frustration flared.
“We’ve been classmates for seven years! Anyone can see I’ve liked you for ages! If I’d known you were this clueless, I would’ve confessed a long time ago. That way, Joziah, that jerk, wouldn’t have swooped in and stolen you first. He treated you like dirt! I swear I would do anything just to get my hands on him!”
I wasn’t sure about how to approach his feelings. “Lucas, I’m not planning on dating anyone right now.”
He seemed to ignore my uneasiness as though it didn’t matter. “What are you so afraid of? If I make you uncomfortable, you can always walk away. However, we can take it slow if you don’t mind being around me. Let’s stay as friends and see where it goes. Your comfort comes first.”
I shook my head. “It wouldn’t be fair to enjoy your kindness without knowing if I can return your feelings.”
He flicked me lightly on the forehead. “Wouldn’t be fair? I like you, and I like to do things for you. You need to remember this: someone who truly cares about you wouldn’t keep a score on things. Those people who do something for you and then expect something in return? They don’t actually have your best interests at heart.”
His words made sense.
**
Henry’s family gave me scraps that could barely count as food. In return, they expected me to work for them like a servant.
Whenever Joziah helped cover my expenses, he was really just looking to boost his reputation, thinking that his “favors” would force me to obey him without question.
I lost my parents when I was so young that I didn’t even know what real love looked like.
Lucas quickly shifted the conversation, moving on to discuss how we could. go about reclaiming my parents‘ inheritance,
It had been so long since this all began. So, he admitted he wasn’t too confident about the case. I knew for a fact that that was just his humility talking.
When the trial started, he completely overpowered the lawyer Henry’s family had hired, to
3/2
+25 BONUS
Chapter 7 Why Would You Betray Me Like This?
the point where their lawyer was left speechless.
