Chapter 21

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Chapter 21

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Lucas, swayed by Olivia and Noel’s advice, decided to wait for Natasha to apologize first before forgiving her.

But as he stared at his silent phone day after day, it suddenly hit him–over half a month had passed.

They’d never gone this long without contact before.

Regret crept in. He knew Natasha was stubborn. ‘Why did I have to pick a fight with her?‘

And then… he thought of grandma’s burned–down courtyard.

Though the Clark family tried hard to hide it, fearing Olivia might get upset in her fragile state, Madeline had to come clean when Olivia brought up transferring the property.

Without the emotional weight of the courtyard, it was just a piece of remote wasteland. The so- called “lucky charm” the fortune–teller once mentioned no longer held water.

Olivia was heartbroken. “That was Grandma’s most treasured place. How could Natasha be so cruel?”

Madeline comforted her endlessly, promising to find her an equally meaningful antique.

“It’s not about me. I’m just sad that now there’s no Grandma… and no her home anymore.”

Lucas watched Olivia, wrapped in Madeline’s arms, lost in sorrow, but his mind wandered.

Having grown up with them, he knew Natasha’s bond with Grandma ran deeper than Olivia’s.

‘If Olivia was this devastated… what about Natasha? What was going through her mind when she lit the fire? How had things gotten so bad for her?‘ He suddenly regretted not being there when she needed him most.

But his calls went straight to voicemail, and no one answered the door at her place. Lucas panicked.

If Sadie hadn’t chewed him out over the phone–at least confirming Natasha was okay–he’d have called the cops.

With all worst–case scenarios ruled out, only one possibility remained: Natasha was truly done with

him.

Lucas spiraled into anxiety.

he’d been camping outside her building like a stalker, watching her lights turn on at night. But Natasha never opened the door. When he knocked too long, she’d just

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Chapter 21

days, Lucas

Margot was not

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was adorable as a child, the apple of the Clark family’s eye, so

into the picture, Natasha drifted apart from her family, and

her son come home defeated again, she blurted out in frustration, “Might as well swap

terrifying expression scared

only

why do you always pick

it up because she sensed her son and husband’s true feelings–one cared more about a foster daughter than his own girlfriend, the other preferred a daughter–in–law who could milk

festering wound, yet

Lucas’s heart ached.

up in that environment, while he, out of guilt toward Olivia, kept

even done?‘ he

home, Lucas returned to

to hold her, but she

was always softest on those she cared about. I’d win her over

to others, his persistence

Lower than a cockroach in the gutter. Should I chop off his legs or gouge

was investigating Natasha, this

the guy had just been dumped by Natasha for

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Chapter 21

L‘

he be? Oh, and let’s not forget the failed

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him and Olivia, well, you know what they say–where there’s smoke, there’s fire.’

squashing this annoying bug and rushing home to feed his little rose, Alexei didn’t hesitate to

never been in a relationship, but he’d heard the saying–a corpse of a first love

Natasha or anything. But he sure as hell wasn’t gonna let his pet

fake, hypocritical layers to expose his rotten, fickle heart–now that

Natasha felt nothing but disgust every

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