Chapter 66: Forgive
TERESA P.O.V.
"I don’t understand," I said, barely recognizing my own voice. It wavered somewhere between disbelief and confusion. "Why now? Why after all this time?"
Lucian looked up, his piercing green eyes locking onto mine as his fingers curled gently around my hand, still resting on his head. "Because I’ve been searching for you, Teresa. Every single day. And now that I’ve found you..." His voice softened, almost trembling. "I can’t let you go. Not again."
Hold on. He couldn’t what now? My brain hit the brakes so hard, I could almost hear the screeching tires.
This couldn’t be real. Lucian Blackwood, the untouchable titan of arrogance and wealth, was kneeling before me. Kneeling The same man who’d kicked me out of his mansion like I was a disposable fling, his voice echoing in my memory as he barked at Kenneth never to mention my name again. And now? Here he was, in all his mighty glory, groveling at my feet.
Was this a prank? Maybe there was a hidden camera somewhere. My heart pounded, but it wasn’t from some long-lost hope or fluttering affection. No, this was sheer what-the-hell-is-happening adrenaline, mixed with a heavy dose of distrust. The Teresa standing here wasn’t the same lovesick fool he’d tossed aside. She’d been burned, broken, locked up, and rebuilt into someone stronger. Someone who wasn’t buying this charade.
From the corner of the room, Luke cleared his throat—a not-so-subtle reminder that we weren’t alone in this bizarre soap opera. He sat by the twins’ stroller, casually adjusting a blanket as though this was just another Tuesday. Kenneth, ever the stoic assistant, was failing miserably to mask his shock. His mouth hung open, as if his jaw had suddenly forgotten how hinges worked.
And then there was Jennifer. Ah, Jennifer. The nuisance I didn’t even know why she was here in the first place. Leaning against the doorframe like a villainess in stilettos, her arms crossed and her brown eyes shaping into a glare sharp enough to cut glass. "Please tell me this isn’t happening," she drawled, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Lucian Blackwood, brought to his knees? What on earth did my evil stepsister do to you? She’s not worth the humiliation, Lucian."
Lucian ignored her entirely, his voice breaking through the chaos. "Teresa, please." His tone was low and gravelly, like he’d swallowed a handful of rocks for breakfast. "I was wrong. About everything. Just... forgive me."
I yanked my hand out of his grasp, crossing my arms as if the stance alone could stop them from shaking. "Wrong?" I echoed, the disbelief thick in my tone. "Wrong about what exactly, Lucian? Wrong to throw me out like last week’s trash? Or wrong to pretend I didn’t exist? Or maybe you mean the part where you told Kenneth you never wanted to hear my name again. Which one of those was just a little oopsie on your part?"
Lucian flinched, and for a moment, I thought I saw shame and mostly regret flicker across his face. His jaw tightened, and he looked up at me, his once-mesmerizing eyes now pleading. "I didn’t mean it like that," he said, his voice cracking.