Chapter 100 The Truth

Chapter 100 The Truth

Chloe's POV

I looked up at him coldly. "Nothing. I just… need some time."

Time to accept how completely my feelings for him had changed. Just like he used to tell me over and over. I held on too tight. Suffocated him. Left him no room to breathe.

"Sweetheart, let me walk the rest of the way with you, okay? I'll keep you safe." Owen reached his hand out toward me.

This was exactly what I used to dream about. But now, all I felt was numbness. I turned him down without a second thought.

"That's okay, Owen. There's no danger anymore."

I turned to look at the stranger who had just saved me.

He was crouching beside the wild boar's body. He checked the wounds with quick, practiced movements. The little piglet kept circling around his boots. It let out thin, broken squeals.

I raised my hand and pointed. "He's the one who saved me."

Lucas followed my gaze. He gave me a light pat on the back. "Let's go thank him."

We walked over together. I spoke first. "Thank you for stepping in back there."

"No problem." The man glanced at me, then at Lucas. "You two got lucky. Those were sows protecting their young—the most aggressive kind. They'll charge at anything that moves."

Lucas reached out his hand. "Lucas."

"Yosef." The man shook it. His tone was easy. "I'm a hunter. I live around here."

"You've been living up in these mountains?" I asked.

Yosef nodded. "More or less. I haven't come into this part of the forest in a long time—the wildlife was cleared out ages ago, so there shouldn't be boars this size around here. A few days ago I spotted fresh droppings on the other side of the mountain. It bothered me. I came up today with my knife to check things out. Turns out my gut was right."

He glanced down at the piglet by his feet. "This litter was probably born not long ago. When a crowd of tourists swarms around taking photos, the mother panics. She'll go after anything she sees as a threat."

Lucas's voice was serious. "Thank you. You saved her life."

Yosef waved it off with a grin. "You're no slouch yourself. Taking down a full-grown wild boar on your own—that's not something your average tourist can do."

Owen jogged over just then. His voice was tight. "Thank you so much, man. That was absolutely terrifying."

Yosef gave him a brief, flat look. He said nothing more. He quietly wiped his long knife clean and put it away.

After that, nobody was in the mood to wander or take pictures. The group moved quickly. The crowd that had been so loud and chatty went completely quiet.

Dahlia and Stella fell in line without a word. They trailed at the back of the group. Their faces were pale and stiff.

Owen tried to come talk to me several times. But Lucas kept stepping in the way. He did it without making a show of it.

After a little over an hour of hiking, we finally reached the open ridge at the top.

A temporary stage had already been set up. Colorful flags hung all around it. Camping chairs and a few food trucks lined the sides. The vibe was nice.

But the band hadn't arrived yet. Someone from the organizers announced over a megaphone that Velvet Chorus had run into trouble on the way. It would be at least another hour before they could start.

The crowd immediately broke into complaints.

"Are you serious? We hiked all the way up here just to stand around waiting?"

"Can't they at least put something on? Even a movie would do."

A few minutes later, the staff set up a projector screen. They got ready to play something to pass the time.

Owen headed over with Dahlia, Stella, and the rest of their group to watch.

I wasn't interested. I sat alone in a folding chair off to the side. I drank water. My hands were still trembling slightly, no matter how hard I tried to stop them.

Lucas stood beside me. He handed me an energy bar. "Eat something."

I took it and looked up at him.

He'd changed into a clean jacket. The blood had been wiped away. But I couldn't shake the image of him pinning that boar to the ground.

"Lucas."

"Yeah?" He looked down at me.

"You really scared me back there."

His expression softened. "Scared I'd get hurt?"

I didn't deny it.

His throat moved as he swallowed. His voice came out quiet and steady. "I'm not going anywhere."

My fingers tightened slightly around the energy bar. I looked down and started unwrapping it. I didn't say anything back.

The big screen lit up in the distance.

Dahlia was bored. She scrolled through her phone. She laughed and messed around with Stella.

Someone complained that the movie was dull and started calling for something else. Dahlia started tapping around randomly. The next second, the entire screen mirrored her phone.

The crowd burst out laughing.

"Dahlia, how did you cast your own phone up there?"

"Hurry up and close it—you're not scared we'll see all your secrets?"

Dahlia panicked. She scrambled to get out of the screen. But before she could close it, her chat window was blown up for everyone to see.

The contact name at the top read: Owen.

I'd only glanced over out of habit. But I froze.

The messages on the screen were crystal clear.

Dahlia had sent the first one: Honestly, the whole mess between you and Chloe is partly my fault. If I hadn't told you to call her and sort things out that day, you two wouldn't have fought on the phone. She never would've gotten into that accident.

Owen's reply: It's fine.

And then the next line. Sharp as a blade. She's too sensitive.

I stared at those words. Every sound around me dropped away.

The day of my accident.

I'd been standing on the street taking his call. Heart pounding. Hands shaking. His voice in my ear, one accusation after another.

I'd actually believed he was trying to work things out. That he cared. That the argument meant something to him.

It didn't.

While he was tearing into me on the phone, he was casually texting Dahlia on the side.

And when I nearly lost my life, the way he summed it up was that I was too sensitive.

The energy bar slipped from my fingers. It hit the ground without a sound.

Lucas looked down at me immediately. His voice was tense. "Chloe?"

I didn't move. My eyes were still locked on the screen.

Dahlia finally cut the connection. Her face was drained of color. But the crowd had already erupted.

"Was that a chat between Dahlia and Owen?"

"An accident? What accident?"

"Oh my god. Owen is unbelievable."

Owen shoved through the crowd. He snatched the phone out of Dahlia's hand. He was furious. "What the hell were you doing?"

Dahlia was flustered and defensive. "It was an accident! Why are you coming at me?"

Stella stood nearby. Her expression was stiff. "Owen, you need to explain yourself."

But I couldn't hear any of it anymore.

My chest felt hollow. Like everything had been scooped out of me.

All this time, it wasn't that I was too dramatic. Too sensitive. Too much.

He just never cared. Not about my pain. Not about my hurt. Not about whether I lived or died.

Lucas crouched down in front of me. He blocked my view of the whole scene.

"Don't look." His voice was gentle.

I opened my mouth. My throat felt dry and raw. Like something was stuck in it. It took a long moment before any sound came out.

"When I called him that day…" I looked at Lucas. My voice was barely above a whisper. "He was texting Dahlia the whole time."

Lucas's expression went dark.

I said it slowly. Each word heavy. "And he said I was too sensitive."

Across the way, Owen finally broke free from the crowd. He came running toward me. His voice was frantic. "Chloe, just let me explain!"