Chapter 114: What Mark?
TERESA’S P.O.V.
Lucian’s arms were strong around me, his warmth an anchor in the storm of emotions. My tears had begun to dry on his shirt, but my heart was still heavy from everything he had just told me. I felt like I was holding two versions of him at once—the alpha with the sarcastic smirk and the broken man that was terrified of love.
He leaned back slightly, his blind gaze fixed somewhere over my shoulder. "I’m okay now," he murmured, his voice soft but resolute. "And I’m sorry, Teresa. Sorry for everything. For making you pay for what wasn’t your fault. For being too wrapped up in my fears to see what I was doing to you. You didn’t deserve that."
"Lucian..." My voice trembled, but I forced it to steady. "It’s not your fault that you’ve been through hell. What I fault you for—" I stopped, gathering my words carefully. "What I fault you for is not trusting me enough to tell me your fears. Instead, you hurt me deeply. You pushed me away."
He exhaled sharply, his jaw tightening before he pulled me closer. His strong arms enveloped me in a way that felt both comforting and suffocating. "I was stupid," he admitted, his voice raw. "So damn stupid. I should’ve told you the truth, I should’ve trusted you. I should’ve..." He trailed off, his grip tightening as if he were afraid I’d vanish. "I thought I was protecting myself from you, and you from me but all I did was break us. I’ll never forgive myself for that. I’m sorry, Teresa. Truly."
His vulnerability chipped away at the wall I’d so carefully built around my heart. I wanted to tell him it was okay, that we could work through this, but I couldn’t lie to him—or myself. I wasn’t sure of anything. So instead, I pressed my forehead to his chest and let the silence speak for us.
Wanting to lighten the moment, I took a deep breath and forced a small smile. "Okay, okay. Enough apologizing. Let’s talk about something else before we both drown in this emotional swamp."
Lucian chuckled—a deep, rumbling sound that was far too attractive for its own good. "Alright, how about this?" His lips curved into a mischievous smirk. "Do you want to hear something cool?"
I glanced up at him, raising a skeptical brow. "Depends. Is this ’cool’ thing going to make me cry again?"