Chapter 270 Emotional confession

Chapter 270 Emotional confession


Ariana watched Lucas closely, trying to read his expression.
Lucas set down the brown paper bag, at a loss for words.
"I just found out. My mom didn't want me to be upset, so she hid it from me with the doctor's help. I'm really sorry..."
Suddenly, Lucas grabbed Ariana's hand. "Ariana..."
She didn't pull away; instead, she remained calm. "It's a good thing we're not married yet. There's still time."
"What do you mean? Are you thinking of leaving me?" Lucas asked, looking at her seriously.
He rarely looked this earnest.
"Lucas... From the moment I decided to be with you, I knew that every second we spent together was a blessing. I don't want to think about the future.
At least I've loved fiercely, and I don't regret it. But..."
"No buts!" Lucas interrupted her firmly.
Ariana knew that Lucas was struggling to accept this reality even more than she was.
"Let me finish what I'm saying."
"I don't want to hear it. I know what you're going to say! With today's medical advancements, having a child isn't that hard, right? We can try IVF or even find someone to help us."
Lucas pursed his lips. "That's not the issue for us."
"I've consulted with doctors. In my case, even IVF has its challenges. We'd have to constantly visit the hospital, take medications, get injections, and undergo various tests.
Then we'd wait anxiously... feeling stressed, disappointed, defeated... over and over again."
Ariana could hardly imagine the kind of torment that would be.
Both physically and mentally exhausting.
"We might grow more and more weary, disappointment turning into despair, blaming each other, arguing, possibly saying hurtful things, and eventually wearing down the love we've built."
Ariana shook her head with a sad smile. "Growing to resent each other..."
"That's nonsense!" Lucas suddenly cupped Ariana's face, their eyes locking.
Ariana looked at the face before her.
From the first time she saw it, she had been completely captivated by it.
Even now, she found herself captivated by his face.
And he felt the same way.
"Just tell me, are you scared?"
"Scared of what?"
"Scared of the pain you'll go through, scared of what others might say, scared of the pressure from your family? Are you scared?"
Ariana paused. What was there to be scared of?
She had faced life and death and endured countless criticisms along the way.
"I'm not scared of those things, just scared of you..."
"I'm not scared either," Lucas interrupted her again.
Ariana's gaze remained fixed on his face.
"So if neither of us is scared, what does it matter?"
Exactly, they weren't scared.
What was she really afraid of?
"Lucas, I never had a strong desire to have children because of my childhood. I'm not sure I can be a good mother.
Plus, with my health, I might endure a lot of pain and hardship, but because it's you, I'm willing."
She was willing to try because it was him.
He was worth it.
Hearing this, Lucas shifted from being deeply emotional to wearing a playful smile.
"If you're going to confess, could you give me a heads up? You caught me off guard, and I wasn't prepared at all. It's kind of embarrassing."
"I didn't see you being shy at all."
"Lucas, but you have to understand, maybe, in the worst case, we might not have children."
"If we don't, then we don't. If we don't have kids, it must be fate punishing me, not you."
Lucas toned down his smile slightly.
"And if..."
"If this process becomes too painful, I can't bear to see you suffer so much. I won't allow you to keep going just for me, understand?"
Ariana was taken aback by this man.
He had said everything she wanted to say.
She was worried she might not be able to endure it, yet he took it all upon himself.
Ariana finally smiled.
"Lucas, I love you so much."
"I love you too." Lucas straightened up and kissed Ariana on the cheek.
They exchanged a warm smile.
"Why meet in a place like this? We should be in our home. Such a touching moment deserves a little celebration in bed."
"Don't make me slap you when I'm happiest!"
"As you wish!"
They laughed again, feeling incredibly free.
"I still think we need to talk to your parents about this," Ariana said, still a bit concerned.
Susan had always been so kind to her, and Ariana couldn't let her down.
"I'll handle it. You don't need to worry about this," Ariana assured.
She nodded, relieved that what she thought would be a tricky situation was resolved so smoothly.
Though challenges lay ahead, she felt fearless now.
She believed that nothing could ever come between them again.
Across the street from the café, someone was watching the couple through binoculars. Their conversation was being transmitted to his ears via his headset.
Chuck finally lowered the binoculars.
The woman's smile was so bright and full of sunshine, a sight he had never witnessed before.
A hint of sadness crossed his face.
She never smiled like that for him.
Was it something he did wrong?
An associate approached him. "Chuck, I've found out their wedding is set for the eighth of January."
"The eighth of January, a good day," Chuck replied, expressionless.
His associate was finding Chuck harder to read lately. Their plan had taken a significant step forward.
Success was within reach.
Yet, there was no trace of joy on Chuck's face.
"We could move our plan up. Arthur said it could be done before the end of the year."
Chuck Drake let out a soft hum.
Let her enjoy the holiday at home.
"We'll deal with it after the New Year."
His subordinate didn't quite understand but didn't argue.
"Alright, we'll stick to the original plan."
Chuck continued to watch the two people behind the glass window across from him, still chatting and laughing.
Though he couldn't see them clearly, Chuck could imagine how happy Ariana was.
"Chuck, Chuck," his subordinate called him several times.
Chuck finally snapped back to reality.
"What else?"
"Arthur Firestone wants to meet with you."
"What does he want with me?" Chuck's frown deepened. "We're just business partners. I don't really want to interact with the Firestone family."
"I know, but Arthur said he has a trump card to ensure the plan goes perfectly."
"What kind of trump card?"
"He didn't tell me. He probably wants to explain it to you in person."
Chuck took a deep breath, "Alright."