Chapter 8 Eight

Lucas's words hung in the air between us, thick with regret and unspoken longing.

"If I could do it over, I'd fight harder. I'd tell you everything. I'd let you decide."

I wanted to scream. To tell him he had no right to say that now, not after all the years of silence. Not after I had spent so long convincing myself I was over him.

Instead, I took a step back, needing distance before I did something reckless-like let myself believe him.

"You don't get to rewrite the past, Lucas," I said, my voice shaking.

"I know." His hazel eyes searched mine. "But I'm not asking for the past, Claire. I'm asking for a chance to fix the present."

I let out a sharp breath, shaking my head. "That's not how this works. You don't get to show up and expect me to just-just forget everything."

"I don't expect you to forget." His voice was quiet. Steady. "But I need you to know that leaving you was the hardest thing I've ever done."

I swallowed against the lump in my throat.

"Do you have any idea what it was like for me?" I whispered. "One day, we were planning a future, and the next, you were gone. No explanation. No warning. I spent months waiting for a call that never came. A text. Anything."

Lucas closed his eyes briefly, his jaw tightening. "I hated every second of it."

"Then why didn't you come back?"

His throat bobbed. "Because I thought staying away was the only way to keep you safe."

I let out a bitter laugh, wiping angrily at the tears that had started falling. "Safe from what, Lucas? Your father's threats? I could have handled it. We could have figured it out together."

His hands curled into fists. "And if he followed through? If he ruined your family, your career? If he hurt you?"

I flinched at the raw desperation in his voice.

"I couldn't take that risk," he continued. "So I did the only thing I thought I could. I left. And every single day since, I've regretted it."

Silence stretched between us, heavy with everything we'd lost.

For the first time, I saw the truth in his eyes-the pain, the guilt, the love he'd tried to bury.

And it shattered me.

Because no matter how much I hated him for leaving, a part of me had never stopped loving him.

I turned away, wrapping my arms around myself as if that could hold me together. "It doesn't change anything."

Lucas took a hesitant step closer. "Claire..."

I shook my head. "You don't get to do this to me, Lucas. You don't get to come back and act like we can fix this."

His jaw tightened. "Why not?"

"Because I don't know how to trust you again." My voice cracked, and I hated how vulnerable I sounded. "You broke me once. How do I know you won't do it again?"

Lucas inhaled sharply, then took another step-closer this time, close enough that I could feel his warmth.

"Because I won't make the same mistake twice," he said, his voice low, full of something I wasn't ready to name. "Because losing you once nearly destroyed me. And I swear, Claire, if you gave me even the smallest chance, I'd spend the rest of my life proving to you that I'm not going anywhere."

I swallowed hard, my heart hammering against my ribs.

I wanted to believe him.

God, I wanted to.

But could I?

Could I really let him back in, knowing what he was capable of doing to me?

I looked up at him, my breath uneven. "I don't know if I can do this, Lucas."

His fingers brushed against mine-just barely, but enough to send a jolt of something dangerous through me.

"I'll wait," he said. "As long as it takes."

And that terrified me more than anything.

Because a part of me already knew-no matter how hard I tried to fight it-Lucas was the one thing I'd never been able to let go of.

I barely slept that night.

Lucas's words replayed in my mind over and over again, tangled with the memories I had spent years trying to bury.

"I'll wait. As long as it takes."

I didn't know how to process that.

Because the truth was, despite everything, a part of me still wanted him. And that terrified me.

I needed space. Time. Something to clear my head before I did something stupid-like believe in him again.

So when morning came, I was already up, throwing on a sundress and slipping out before anyone else in the house could corner me with questions about last night.

The beach was quiet, just the way I needed it. The ocean stretched out endlessly before me, waves crashing against the shore in a soothing rhythm. I closed my eyes, letting the salty breeze fill my lungs.

I can't do this again.

I had barely begun convincing myself of that when I heard footsteps behind me.

"Thought I'd find you here."

I stiffened at the sound of Lucas's voice, but I didn't turn around.

"I needed some air."

He moved beside me, his presence as overwhelming as ever. "Running away?"

I let out a humorless laugh. "Says the guy who disappeared for years?"

Lucas exhaled. "Fair point."

Silence stretched between us, the ocean the only sound.

Finally, I turned to him. "Why are you really here, Lucas? And don't tell me it's just for Andrew's wedding."

He hesitated, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Because I needed to see you."

I swallowed hard. "And then what?"

Lucas's gaze softened. "I don't know. I just... I couldn't stay away anymore."

Something in his voice made my chest ache.

I looked away, staring at the waves. "You think we can just pick up where we left off?"

"No." His answer was immediate. Honest. "But I do think we can start again."

I turned back to him, searching his face. "And if I say no?"

His jaw tightened. "Then I'll walk away."

I sucked in a breath, caught off guard.

"I'm not here to force anything, Claire," he continued. "I just need you to know that I never stopped caring. And if there's even the smallest chance that you still feel something too... I'll wait."

My heart pounded.

Because the truth was, I did still feel something. But feelings weren't enough.

"Lucas..." I trailed off, shaking my head. "I don't know if I can go through this again."

He nodded, his expression unreadable. "I get it."

And then, before I could say anything else, he turned and walked away.

I stood there, watching him go, the ache in my chest unbearable.

And I hated that a part of me already missed him.