Lucas POVI watched the shock registering on Greg Combs and Katherine’s faces when I issued the declaration. It gave me immense pleasure letting this b*stard know that he made a mistake.I don’t intend to give Katherine up. Not for anything, now or ever. I took advantage of their surprise to slowly walk toward them.When I reached them, I snaked an arm around Katherine’s waist to show Greg that Katherine belonged to me and me alone. I watched in satisfaction when my action elicited a wince from Greg Combs. I wanted him to know that no amount of regret can change the past. It already happened. All we have to do is accept things as they are. If he had changed his mind and regretted the decision to divorce Katherine, then he could live in misery because I was never going to give her up for anything.“Katherine is mine,” I told the shocked Greg Combs.“She has always been mine to begin with.” I reiterated when he recovered from the initial shock. When he did, I saw a trace of regre
Katherine POVThe disbelief in Greg’s eyes changed into something sinister. Cold dread pierced my whole being as I watched the expression on his face change into something unrecognizable. Immediately, my hand tugged on Lucas’s shirt. “You b*stard! I now finally understood everything. You removed me out of the way so you can have my family!” Greg’s face turned ugly when he snarled. Lucas pulled me to stand on his back while he faced Greg’s wrath. “I am just getting what is rightfully mine. Your decisions were all on you. How can you blame me for your actions? Was I the one who did not stick to my vows? Am I the one who cheated and divorced my wife?” Lucas pointed out. I was hyperventilating. The confrontation between these two men was making me nervous.Greg made an evil laugh. “She was not yours, Lucas. She does not love you. She did not even remember you.” Greg spat out. “While I spent the last five years with her. Katherine loved me.” He added. I felt Lucas flinched.
Katherine POVAt first, he was resistant, but I refused to let the lukewarm response discourage me. I closed my eyes and kept pushing, nibbling, and sucking on his lips while my hands caressed his face. While I was a newbie to this, I persisted, knowing I needed to make amends. Lucas needed my assurance, and I intended to give him that. Today, I felt the need to be bolder. To take charge and not just become an unwilling participant. A wave of shyness threatened to overtake me, but the need to prove to him that I was here weighed more.I kept pushing until desperation fueled my action. And then, it happened. Lucas began to respond. He kissed me back, sending a surge of triumph. At last, he reacted positively to my advances. But before I could savor and rejoice the moment, he pulled back.Confusion clouded my senses, and I raised hurtful eyes at him. Am I being rejected?Did he already give up on me?Lucas must have sensed my confusion and rubbed my lips with the pad of his thu
Katherine POVJust like the other previous kisses we shared, it was explosive.I do not know how he does it - arousing my passion.“Lucas!” I gasped when his hands began exploring, touching places he shouldn’t.“You are taking advantage of the situation,” I complained when he pulled his lips away, but not his hands, which were gently stroking my br*sts from under my shirt.“You started it.” He groaned.I looked at him sharply before pulling his hands away from my bre*sts.“You were angry, and I don’t know how to reach you. I felt like I was losing you.”He chuckled. “I may feel disgruntled and dismayed over certain issues, but I will not leave you, alright? I already lost you and our daughter once. I do not want you to slip through my fingers again.”I bit my lip, feeling a tightness in my chest a
Katherine POVWhen we got tired of our game, Sara called us for dinner. Lucas snagged Erin from the bed, and she climbed on her father’s shoulders.He held her hand, crisscrossing like a plane on their way out. I followed them with my eyes, my lips tugging into a smile when I heard Erin’s giggles. Seeing how happy my Erin had been since Lucas came into our lives made me feel contentment in my heart. Looking at her, you wouldn’t see any trace of a sick child. She was recovering and adjusting to our set-up faster than expected. “Thank you,” I whispered to Lucas’ ear after we put Erin to bed. She was now snoring softly when I tucked the covers below her armpits. I placed bolster pillows on her side. We had a hard time convincing her to lie down. Erin insisted on Lucas reading her a story before bedtime, and he indulged her.I sat on her side, listening to their interaction. She cuddled close to Lucas’ chest, listening intently, and from time to time, she would interrupt him to p
Katherine POVWhen we left the apartment building, I was surprised to see a bus with an SF conglomerate logo waiting for us.“Whoa! What’s this?” I asked, not fully comprehending what was happening.Dan Burns got out of the bus to assist us.“Hi, Uncle Dan!” Erin greeted, seemingly unaffected by the sight of the bus.In contrast, Erin looked excited. She was clapping her hands, and her legs danced owing to her undisguised eagerness to jump on the bus.I adjusted the strap of her sun visor before allowing her to hop on the bus. Her laughter rang like a peal of bell as Dan held her hand to help her up.The sounds of her laughter were music to my ears. For the past two years, our lives have been filled with sadness due to Erin’s sickness. I used to ask God why he allowed such a misfortune to come to us, but now, seeing the joy on Erin’s fa
Katherine POVI turned around to face Veronica, but she was already walking away. Then, my eyes squinted when Oliver blocked her path. I saw the tension in her body and thought I was not the only one who needed some explanation. Veronica also has to explain the tension with Oliver. From the looks of it, something is brewing between them. “Stare at him longer, and I was an inch from getting jealous, sweetheart.” Lucas' breath fanned my cheeks when he leaned close to murmur in my ears. I stepped to the side to allow distance between us, consciously aware of the people around us. I don’t want to add fuel to our grand entrance. Lucas’ employees already had something to talk about.But my action sent the wrong signal to Lucas. “Why are you avoiding me?” His eyes squinted in suspicion. I rolled my eyes. Here he goes again. “Shh,” I said, trying to hold him back from further incriminating the two of us.“What?” Lucas demanded when he saw me looking from left to right. Then, he sh
Katherine POV“Put me down, Daddy!” Erin said, and Lucas swung her in his arms before he placed her feet firmly on the ground. “Thank you, Daddy.” She said sweetly before latching onto his hand. She gripped his thumb before she turned around to search the crowd. When she spotted me, she beckoned to me and said, “Come on, Mommy. Let’s go.” There were still some employees in the area, and as much as I would like to clamp a hand on Erin’s mouth, I couldn’t. I have to take everything in stride, just as Lucas had. No flaunting, and certainly no keeping secrets. I was just making things as natural as is. We can not hide forever. And from the looks of it, Lucas had no intention of hiding us either, especially Erin’s existence. I walked up to them. My breath hitched when Lucas snaked his arm around my waist and started gearing me toward the bus. At some point, Erin dropped his hand and ran toward Oliver. “Uncle Ollie. Wait up!” Oliver, who was walking with Veronica, stopped t
Katherine POVFor a moment, I thought he changed his mind, allowing doubt to creep in. But living in fear for too long makes one realize that there was a moment when she had to seize the moment and take a risk. Right now, I took a risk when I affirmed his question because he had become hesitant after asking the question. The glassy look on his face made me doubt if he was indeed serious with the proposal. But of course, raising your guard for a long time comes with a price -vulnerability. I tried to mask that weakness by pretending to be impatient, but inside, I was freaking out. What if he recalls the proposal?I grabbed his hand - the one with the engagement ring - to prove that the whole thing was not just a figment of my imagination. It was real. Lucas Sanders proposed to me. He had mentioned it previously but always tailed it with words that he would wait for my readiness. I realized no one was ready for anything. You take and accept things because they feel right. When L
Lucas POVMy chest pounded as I waited for Katherine’s reply to my proposal. Still, as the seconds stretched into a minute, I felt a wave of desolation washed over me. Disappointment was all over her features. My fingers closed on the diamond ring I bought with her in mind. "I know I did not prepare a grand proposal. I didn't even think of a good speech. I am also sorry for rushing you." I began to explain. It was different from pitching project proposals for my business because this would change my whole life. It sounded like I was babbling. The truth is, this is my first marriage proposal. I never proposed to anyone because no one came to measure up to this gorgeous woman in front of me. No one came close to how she has affected me that even after five years, she was still the only one I wanted. As I waited for Katherine’s reply, I remembered what Duke told me. “We can’t touch Agatha because JQ Entertainment is protecting her.”Now, the faceless man who dared to antagonize
Katherine POVI woke up alone in bed and felt slightly disappointed when I realized Lucas was gone. I turned to the side to hug the pillow he used on my chest, wishing it was him. It would have been nice to wake up and see him first thing in the morning. I was jolted from my daydreaming when the door to my room opened. Lucas entered the room with Erin in his arms. “Mommy!” Erin called out in a singsong voice. I watched her wiggle from Lucas’s arms. When her feet reached the floor, she began to run toward me. She climbed the bed and sat next to me. “You and Daddy sleep without me.” She complained.My eyes met Lucas above Erin’s head. Then, I turned to my daughter to mumble an apology. Erin shrugged. “It’s okay. Daddy promised we would sleep together tonight. You, me and Daddy.” Erin reported.The idea excited me. I began to caress Erin’s head to hide the pleasure the news brought. “Have you eaten?” I asked She bobbed her head. “Me and Daddy.” Then, she stood on the bed to tu
Katherine POV“I am sorry. I shouldn’t have stooped down to her level,” I told Lucas stiffly as we walked back to the bus.Until now, I could still hear Agatha’s rants and the expected whispers from our onlookers.If truth be known, hitting her and putting her in her place gave me immense satisfaction. Agatha shouldn't have insulted my daughter because that is where I draw the line.I felt a tug on my hand, prompting me to stop.“Agatha had it coming. You shouldn’t feel any regret.” Lucas told me.He held my chin and stared deep into
Katherine POV“Well. Well. Well. The sarcasm in Agatha Richards' tone was keenly comprehensible, especially if one cared enough to listen. Agatha was walking out of the function room at the same time we did. And because all doors lead to the lobby, we sort of ended up meeting in the middle. There is no way I could have avoided her, even if I wanted to. Then, she dropped the bomb that put me in the spotlight. “If it isn’t the fiance stealer.” She looked at me up and down, and her nose wrinkled in distaste as if she did not like what she saw. I know I am not as sophisticated or glamorous as her. I looked down the denim overalls I wore at the tree planting project and knew that compared to Agatha, I looked very ordinary. But Lucas’s hand, when it searched for mine, felt very comforting. I knew Agathaa saw how he held my hand and squeezed it. The action sent a signal that he was trying to silently assure me. This seemed to ignite Agatha’s anger. “How does it feel to be taking my
Katherine POV“Put me down, Daddy!” Erin said, and Lucas swung her in his arms before he placed her feet firmly on the ground. “Thank you, Daddy.” She said sweetly before latching onto his hand. She gripped his thumb before she turned around to search the crowd. When she spotted me, she beckoned to me and said, “Come on, Mommy. Let’s go.” There were still some employees in the area, and as much as I would like to clamp a hand on Erin’s mouth, I couldn’t. I have to take everything in stride, just as Lucas had. No flaunting, and certainly no keeping secrets. I was just making things as natural as is. We can not hide forever. And from the looks of it, Lucas had no intention of hiding us either, especially Erin’s existence. I walked up to them. My breath hitched when Lucas snaked his arm around my waist and started gearing me toward the bus. At some point, Erin dropped his hand and ran toward Oliver. “Uncle Ollie. Wait up!” Oliver, who was walking with Veronica, stopped t
Katherine POVI turned around to face Veronica, but she was already walking away. Then, my eyes squinted when Oliver blocked her path. I saw the tension in her body and thought I was not the only one who needed some explanation. Veronica also has to explain the tension with Oliver. From the looks of it, something is brewing between them. “Stare at him longer, and I was an inch from getting jealous, sweetheart.” Lucas' breath fanned my cheeks when he leaned close to murmur in my ears. I stepped to the side to allow distance between us, consciously aware of the people around us. I don’t want to add fuel to our grand entrance. Lucas’ employees already had something to talk about.But my action sent the wrong signal to Lucas. “Why are you avoiding me?” His eyes squinted in suspicion. I rolled my eyes. Here he goes again. “Shh,” I said, trying to hold him back from further incriminating the two of us.“What?” Lucas demanded when he saw me looking from left to right. Then, he sh
Katherine POVWhen we left the apartment building, I was surprised to see a bus with an SF conglomerate logo waiting for us.“Whoa! What’s this?” I asked, not fully comprehending what was happening.Dan Burns got out of the bus to assist us.“Hi, Uncle Dan!” Erin greeted, seemingly unaffected by the sight of the bus.In contrast, Erin looked excited. She was clapping her hands, and her legs danced owing to her undisguised eagerness to jump on the bus.I adjusted the strap of her sun visor before allowing her to hop on the bus. Her laughter rang like a peal of bell as Dan held her hand to help her up.The sounds of her laughter were music to my ears. For the past two years, our lives have been filled with sadness due to Erin’s sickness. I used to ask God why he allowed such a misfortune to come to us, but now, seeing the joy on Erin’s fa
Katherine POVWhen we got tired of our game, Sara called us for dinner. Lucas snagged Erin from the bed, and she climbed on her father’s shoulders.He held her hand, crisscrossing like a plane on their way out. I followed them with my eyes, my lips tugging into a smile when I heard Erin’s giggles. Seeing how happy my Erin had been since Lucas came into our lives made me feel contentment in my heart. Looking at her, you wouldn’t see any trace of a sick child. She was recovering and adjusting to our set-up faster than expected. “Thank you,” I whispered to Lucas’ ear after we put Erin to bed. She was now snoring softly when I tucked the covers below her armpits. I placed bolster pillows on her side. We had a hard time convincing her to lie down. Erin insisted on Lucas reading her a story before bedtime, and he indulged her.I sat on her side, listening to their interaction. She cuddled close to Lucas’ chest, listening intently, and from time to time, she would interrupt him to p