Chapter 2

Clara froze, too. "You two…"

Caleb quickly grabbed her hand. "Clara, please don't ask, okay? I..."

I couldn't stand another second of his performance. I turned on my heel to leave, but Clara stopped me again.

"I don't care what your history is. You bumped into him, so you owe him an apology. Caleb is a doctor. His hands are precious, and you almost injured him earlier."

The burn on the back of my hand felt as if something were biting into the skin, the pain radiating all the way to my chest. I lifted my hand, exposing the raw, angry red skin to her.

"There's plenty of space in the aisle. I was standing beside my own table. He was the one who came over and ran into me. Besides, I'm hurt, too. This wasn't my fault, so I'm not apologizing."

Clara's gaze fell on the back of my hand. For a brief second, something shifted in her calm eyes.

I pushed past them, asked a server for an ice pack, and left.

As I headed for the exit, I couldn't help but glance back one last time.

Caleb was sitting by the window, looking sullen and dejected, while Clara sat beside him, her expression soft as she personally grilled the meat for him.

The ice pack in my grip sent a chill straight to my heart, freezing out the last flicker of hope I'd been clinging onto.

Clara had always been so cool and untouchable, yet she was personally grilling meat for Caleb.

In this pursuit, I had completely lost.

As soon as I got home, Mom pulled me into the bedroom and pressed me about whether I had really agreed that morning to a marriage alliance with the Shaws.

When I saw the worry in her eyes, my nose stung, and the bitterness in my chest rose all over again.

Everyone in our circle knew that I, Lucas Quinn, had fallen for Clara at first sight and sworn that I would marry no one but her.

No matter how cold she was to me, I still went after her like I couldn't help myself.

Mom pulled me into her arms, her heart aching as she asked if I'd been hurt.

I forced a smile. "Mom, I mean it. I've hit the wall with Clara enough times to know it hurts, and I don't want to keep doing it. It's time for me to walk away."

Not long after, voices came from downstairs. Mom stood up, then quickly returned and closed the door, her face paling.

I heard Caleb's voice.

When I went downstairs, Dad was sitting on the couch, laughing so hard he nearly doubled over.

Caleb had his arm wrapped around Dad's and was telling jokes, while Clara sat beside him.

The moment Caleb saw me, he instinctively flinched.

Dad acknowledged me, though his tone sounded stiff and awkward.

My gaze fixed on Caleb in a cold stare. "Who gave you permission to set foot in my home?"

The color drained from his face, and he looked like he was on the verge of tears.

Displeased, Dad snapped at me, "That's enough, Lucas! He's your brother!"

I raised my chin and shot back, "I'm my mother's only child. I don't have some brother who came out of nowhere!"

A sharp slap cracked across the room. Dad had shot to his feet and struck me hard across the face.

My cheek began to swell instantly as Mom came stumbling down the stairs, throwing herself in front of me. "What gives you the right to hit Luke?"

Dad's chest heaved with anger, but since there were outsiders present, he sat back down in a fury.

Mom held me as she cried, and for the first time, she stopped enduring everything in silence.

"You cheated on me while I was pregnant! You promised he would never set foot in this house, but now you've gone ahead and brought him here!"

My parents' marriage had been arranged by their families. There hadn't been much love between them, but their life together had at least been stable.

It wasn't until the year Mom gave birth to me that she found out Dad had once had a girlfriend. During Mom's pregnancy, the two of them had gotten involved again.

When I was a year old, that woman had Caleb after a difficult delivery.

For my sake, Mom had made Dad promise that Caleb would never be acknowledged and brought back into the family.

Now, there he was, acting as if he owned the place.

I pulled away from Mom's arms and steadied myself, my tone cold and firm. "Either you kick your bastard son out, or the two of you can leave together!"

Throughout this entire exchange, Clara remained indifferent, even after hearing a family secret no outsider was supposed to know.

Only after I said that did she lift her eyes, and a flicker of displeasure crossed them.

She stood and stepped in front of Caleb, whose face was streaked with tears. "Watch your words, Lucas."

As I met the displeasure on Clara's face, my mind suddenly flashed back to the day I first met her. She had been just as cold then, leaning down to look at my badly swollen ankle and asking if I was okay.