Chapter 102 Her True Feelings Laid Bare

Chapter 102 Her True Feelings Laid Bare

Chloe's POV

All the weight I'd been carrying finally settled in that moment.

Lucas held me tight. His warm breath brushed past my ear. His voice was unbearably gentle. "Don't be sad. I'm right here with you, okay?"

And just like that, everything became clear to me.

Someone who truly loves you would never make you tough it out alone. They wouldn't stand back while you're hurting. They definitely wouldn't brush it off as you being "too sensitive" after you nearly got hurt.

They'd come running the moment something went wrong. They'd stand in front of you. They'd remember what scares you, where it hurts, and what you need.

It had always been Lucas. It was always him.

I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck. I buried my face deep in his shoulder. My voice came out thick with tears. "Lucas, will you leave me too?"

His breath caught for half a second.

My heart lurched. I held on tighter. My voice dropped to a plea. "Don't leave me. Please."

He tightened his arms around me. He held me steady. His palm rested gently against my back. His voice was rough but certain. "I won't."

"Promise?"

"I promise, Chloe."

I closed my eyes. Warm tears soaked slowly into his collar.

"You'll always be my princess to protect."

The moment those words landed, all the tension I'd been holding for so long finally gave way.

I cried until I was exhausted. My head was heavy and foggy. My fingers clutched the hem of his shirt and refused to let go.

Somewhere in the distance, voices called out. Velvet Chorus's van had arrived at the base of the hill. The show was about to start.

I sniffled. My nose stung. I spoke quietly. "I'm kind of tired."

"Want me to take you back?"

I shook my head slowly. "No. I want to hear them sing."

Lucas glanced at the busy stage. Then he looked back down at me, worn out as I was. He gave in without a fuss. "Then lean on me and sleep for a bit. I'll wake you when it starts."

I nodded and settled against him. He sat at the edge of the grass. He draped his jacket over my shoulders. He let me rest against his chest. His arm stayed firm at my side, keeping the crowd from pressing in.

His heartbeat was steady and strong in my ear. Calm enough to pull me under almost instantly.

I figured the music would wake me up. But what actually pulled me out of sleep wasn't the noise from the stage.

It was Owen's voice. Cracking with rage. "Get your hands off her!"

I opened my eyes slowly. The sky had gone mostly dark. The stage lights were blazing. The crowd had surged forward, buzzing with energy.

Owen stood in front of me and Lucas. His eyes were red. His gaze locked on Lucas's arms around me. His whole body radiated hostility.

"Uncle." Owen bit out the word through clenched teeth. His voice was full of barely contained fury. "What gives you the right to stop me from taking Chloe?"

Lucas's voice was flat and cold. "Because you're a piece of trash."

Owen looked back and forth between us. Then he threw out a warning. "You're crossing a line right now."

I took a slow breath. My fingertips still rested against Lucas's sleeve. My voice was steadier than it had ever been. "You could say that before. Not anymore."

I'd been holding those words in for months. Now they finally came out whole.

"I'm not your girlfriend anymore."

Owen went completely still. His eyes were red. His voice shook with disbelief. "What did you just say? Chloe, say that again."

I stood up slowly from Lucas's side. My voice was quiet and certain. "I said I'm not your girlfriend."

Just then, Stella pushed through the crowd from behind Owen. She looked at me and Lucas and let out a cold laugh.

She raised her voice on purpose. Her tone was dripping with sarcasm. "See, Owen? Now you can finally see it clearly, right?" She paused for effect. "They've been tangled up behind your back this whole time. Dahlia was right. Chloe is nowhere near as innocent as you thought."

Owen's face went pale. But he didn't say a word to stop her.

In that moment, the last bit of sympathy I had left for him disappeared completely.

Stella kept pushing. Her voice was sharp and deliberate. "She played the victim. She put on the sad face. She showed off every little bruise. She acted all pure and helpless. Owen, she's been playing you from the start. She and Lucas were already—"

I raised my hand and slapped her across the face.

Stella grabbed her cheek. Her eyes were wide. She stared at me like she couldn't believe it. "You hit me?"

My palm was tingling. But my voice didn't waver. "Of course I did."

"You can say whatever you want about me. But you don't get to drag Lucas into your filthy little theories."

Stella trembled with anger. "And you're going to stand there and act like you're clean?"

"My conscience is clear." I met her eyes without flinching. "I'll admit it. I had feelings for Lucas."

Owen's head snapped up. Lucas went still beside me. But I didn't look away from anyone.

"But I never once thought about betraying you, Owen." I looked at him directly. Every word was deliberate. "I fought it. I held back. I kept reminding myself I couldn't cross that line."

"Even when you hurt me over and over. Even when you walked away. Even after I was in that accident and nearly didn't make it. Even when you and Stella were clearly something. I kept making excuses for you."

Owen's eyes flickered with something uneasy. His lips moved. "Chloe…"

But nothing came out.

I stepped forward. My eyes were burning. But I had no tears left to cry.

"You took everything I gave you and acted like it was owed to you. You said you loved me while keeping Stella on the side. You wanted excitement. You wanted everyone chasing after you. And you expected me to just stand there and be the good, obedient girlfriend."

Stella pressed her hand to her cheek and snapped back, "Don't act so noble. You liked his uncle the whole time!"

"Yes." I said it plainly. "I like him."

Beside me, I heard Lucas's breath go quiet.

"I like the way he always shows up for me. I like that he remembers every hurt I've ever had. I like that he drove out in the middle of the night to find me. I like that when I'm scared, he's always there."

Owen's eyes went dark red. His voice was cutting. "So you finally admit it."

"I admit I had feelings for him." I held his gaze. Calm and steady. "And I also admit that every single day I was with you, I kept those feelings in check. I never kissed him. I never snuck around with him. And I never stood in front of everyone and made a fool out of you."

Owen looked like something had closed around his throat. Then, like he'd finally found something to hit me with, he spat out, "You spent every day calling me out for being unfaithful, but you had someone else in your head the whole time. What gives you the right? You're not so clean either."

Lucas's expression turned to ice. He started to move forward. I grabbed his sleeve.

"Don't bother."

I looked at Owen and let out a faint, tired smile. "A cheating scumbag lecturing me on purity and fidelity? What a joke."

Right then, the music hit. Velvet Chorus took the stage. The sound of a guitar rang out sharp and clear across the ridge. The crowd below erupted.

I'd looked forward to this concert for so many nights. But right now, all I felt was bone-tired. I just wanted to get out of there.

I took Lucas's hand. I walked away without looking back.

The sky was fully dark now. The lights along both sides of the wooden walkway came on one by one. Warm light spread all the way down the mountain path. Streams of people pushed past us, heading up toward the stage. It was just me and Lucas going the other way.

I walked fast. My cast kept knocking against the edge of my bag. Sharp little jolts of pain shot up my arm. I didn't slow down.

Lucas tried to say something a few times. But people kept passing between us.

I kept my head down and pushed forward. My ankles ached. My chest felt heavy. Like I'd just finished a long, grinding race and had nothing left.

At a bend in the path where the crowd thinned out, I finally stopped. I leaned against the railing and caught my breath.

Lucas stood quietly behind me. No rush.

After a long moment, he spoke. His voice was lower than usual. "Chloe."

I didn't turn around. "Yeah?"

"What you said back there." His voice was rougher than normal. "Was that to get back at Owen, or…"