Chapter 21 Chapter 21
Lucien’s POV
I don’t remember how long I stood there after she drove away. I kept staring in the direction she went with that little girl she claimed had nothing to do with me.
My finger twitched for a moment I could not understand what to do. My attention snapped when my phone rang. I finally moved and brought it out of my pocket.
“Sir, your meeting—”
“Cancel all the meetings,” I snapped and hung up without even listening to her fully.
"Home" I ordered the driver, sliding inside the car.
All the way home, a lot of thoughts were going through my head, but I entertained none.
When I reached home, like every other time, I was welcomed by darkness and loneliness.
I walked to the small bar in my home and poured myself a drink. I gulped it down in one go before pouring another.
Then another.
And another.
I was just trying to forget everything that happened today.
That little girl, Cynthia, her words.
But I couldn’t.
My fingers curled tightly around the glass until it shattered in my hand.
I could have easily snatched the little girl from Cynthia’s arms, could have pulled her out of the car, and bought her not one but hundreds of shakes.
Hell, to make her smile, I could have bought the entire damn café and made everyone leave so she could sit wherever she wanted.
But I didn’t.
Because I didn’t want to scare the little soul.
And I didn't have the right over her... Yet.
I lose control once my beast awakens. That’s why I kept myself calm even when Cynthia got angry at me.
It wasn’t the first time she had lost her temper with me. She had let out her frustration and anger at me many times in the past so much so that she sometimes threw things at me. I know her anger really well.
But things were different back then.
Now, I don’t tolerate even raised voices.
But she…
She dared not only to snap at me but also to warn me to stay away from that little girl — the one she claimed was hers and Adrian’s.
A sharp wince passed my lips as my fist clenched, tightened, and a shard of glass dug deeper into my skin.
Blood oozed out when I pulled it free from my skin.
The confidence in Cynthia’s voice when she announced her as Adrian’s froze something inside me. I know she is married to him, but still, I cannot even imagine anyone else's hands on her.
And when she announced it, she didn’t hesitate, stutter, or look like someone lying.
That was what bothered me the most.
I exhaled sharply.
Yes, Adrian has green eyes too but that alone proves nothing.
'It also doesn't prove she is yours' a voice came from inside.
I roared out in frustration as my hands tangled in my hair. I paced back and forth, pulling at it to calm myself down.
The more I tried, the more restless I became.
I can't forget her eyes... Those eyes.
My body still remembered the exact way that little girl had rested against my chest. I could still feel her warmth… her softness.
She had fit there as she belonged.
For those few moments, I had almost forgotten everything else. All my worries disappeared like they never existed.
I never liked kids. They cried too much but seeing tears in her eyes had ripped something open inside my chest.
There was something about that baby girl I couldn’t shake off, some invisible string pulled me toward her.
And I hated the way Cynthia treated her.
She deserved the world for every smile she gave.
She deserves everything she craves.
She deserves to be treated like a princess, she is.
My hand slowly moved to my chest, the exact spot where her back had been pressed less than an hour ago.
I could still smell her baby scent on me. My eyes closed as a soft smile of satisfaction made its way to my lips.
My fingers curled as an overwhelming urge to pull her into my arms again rose within me.
Slowly I opened my eyes.
She is not mine.
She is not mine.
I reminded myself.
But my heart refused to listen.
Suddenly, my fingers brushed against something on my coat. I frowned and looked down.
There was indeed something there.
A thin strand of hair. It was Golden-brown and medium in length.
I pulled it away carefully, afraid of losing it.
My breathing slowed as my eyes and world narrowed to that single strand between my fingers.
My thumb brushed over it once… then again.
Aurora.
It was her hair.
A strange stillness settled over me. My grip tightened around it as if it were the most precious thing I had held in years.
A faint curve touched my lips.
Interesting.
Very interesting.