Chapter 67 What He Could Risk
The city lights flickered beyond the windshield as Lucian rode the taxi, wanting to escape the misery in the mansion. The suffocation was too much, and he couldn't bear to see his father's face, and couldn't even endure hearing his name or seeing his shadow.
After talking to Magdalena, his desire to be with her intensified. He was even thinking of something reckless and might sound ridiculous.
He wanted to elope with her.
Damn!
He's getting crazier each passing day. He doesn't know how to live without her. He doesn't know how to smile without thinking of her. Everything about him screams for her, yearns for her.
God knows his feelings were too deep to ignore and forget.
He'd be lost. He won't find the light without her by his side. He'd be damned.
"Lucian?" His friend Cadence opened the door after he rang it multiple times. "Damn, you rang the bell like you're dying."
"I am dying," Lucian answered as he entered the condo unit without Cadance's invitation.
Cadence followed him as he lazily sat on the couch, dropping his body on the soft mattress like he was exhausted for carrying something extremely heavy.
"What are you talking about?" Cadence sat in front of him. "It's unlikely of you to talk about problems. And you've been missing in action for too long."
"Do you have some beer?" Lucian asked instead of answering.
Cadence shook his head and went to the kitchen. When he came back, he was carrying two bottles of beer.
He handed it to Lucian as he sat across from him again. "Spill the beans. The girls have been failing many times to meet you at the pub. They're getting crazy."
Lucian stared at the bottle of beer before he slowly looked at his good friend and asked, "How do you convince a woman to run away with you?"
Cadence started coughing after he choked on the beer. "What the fck, Lu!"
Lucian drank his beer and rested his back on the couch. He pressed his lips together while Cadence watched him, waiting for him to laugh because of his own joke. But none. Lucian remained serious. His eyes were empty and cold.
"Are you serious now?" Cadence asked, a hint of worry in his tone.
Lucian turned to him, his voice low, serious. "I'm not joking."
Cadence stared at him. "You're not usually the one asking for romantic advice. This is... real?"
Lucian didn't answer. He drank his beer again while Cadence massaged his forehead.
"Damn, man!" Cadence cursed. "How would I know? I hadn't eloped with someone."
"Fck, I'm going crazy!" Lucian groaned and set his beer down. He cupped his face and shut his eyes tight.
Cadence sighed. "Okay. Does this woman want to leave you?"
"No. She loves me, but there's something she can't break. A promise." Lucian's jaw ticked. "She's scared. She thinks she owes something. But I know she doesn't want to stay."
Cadence groaned. "Is she married?"
"No. But... she's about to be," Lucian answered calmly.
Cadence leaned back, groaning. "Jesus."
"She has a kid," Lucian added. "A little girl. The sweetest thing you've ever seen." Lucian smiled at the last words. He love Angel like his own now.
"Lucian..." Cadence sighed again, frustrated. "Man, this isn't just running away. This is taking someone. She's getting married. That's not romance, that's war."
"I know." Lucian messed his hair up. "But I can't give her up. He doesn't love her. He just wants to possess her because she's an amazing woman. A self-made. A fighter."
"Is she in danger?" Cadence stared at him.
Lucian paused and balled his fists. "Not the kind you can see."
A series of deafening silence reigns between them. Cadence was just watching his good friend. Lucian looked frustrated, problematic, serious, and desperate.
"Did she say she loves you?" Cadence asked.
Lucian nodded. "Yes."
"Lucian, you know what you're doing, right?" Cadence asked worriedly. "Man, I never intervene in your personal affairs. But this is different. You're committed to a committed woman. You even want to elope with her because you want to save her. Are you doing this because you want to, or you just want to help her?
Lucian balled his fists. "I want to run away with her because I want to help her. And I want to help her because I want to."
"You love her?" Cadence asked.
"Yes," Lucian answered without hesitation. His eyes were telling it all, anyway. He didn't need to answer.
Cadence leaned forward, he rested his elbows on his knees, staring at Lucian. "Okay, one question. Who is she?"
Lucian took a deep sigh, his jaw clenching as his fists balled in anger. "She's my father's fiancée."
"What the hell, Lucian." Cadence growled angrily, pulling himself up. He paced back and forth in front of Lucian and cupped his face angrily. "What the fcking hell, man! Damn, you're crazy!"
Lucian looked away. "I am. But I'll be crazier without her.
"You're in love with your father's fiancee?" Cadence cleared, shaking his head. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not judging you or her. But...man, this is ridiculous. Of all people."
"I didn't plan it." Lucian's jaw ticked as he stared at Cadence. "I met her first, Cadence. She was mine first. My father just manipulated her. He took advantage of her situation. He trapped her."
"Does he know?" Cadence asked. "Does your father know that you're planning to run away with her?"
Lucian shook his head. "Not really. Maybe. I don't know. He suspects something."
"That's insane," Cadence said. "Lucian, this isn't just complicated. It's suicidal. This is your father. Viktor goddamn Moretti. You don't just steal his woman. You don't even look at her too long."
"I didn't steal her," Lucian snapped. "I told you, she was mine first."
Cadence's eyes narrowed. "You sure about her feelings for you? Didn't it cross your mind that maybe she's just using you to get her freedom?"
"No." Lucian pulled himself up. "You didn't see the way she looked at me."
"Yeah, well, I'm seeing the way you're fighting for her," Cadence hissed. "Like you'd burn your life down just to have her."
"I would," Lucian muttered without blinking.
Cadence ruffled his hair in frustration. "You're not thinking straight."
Lucian shook his head. "I've never thought more clearly in my life."
"So what?" Cadence challenged. "You're gonna show up in the middle of the night, throw her over your shoulder, and escape like it's some twisted love story?"
"If that's what it takes," Lucian said, jaw clenched.
"You're gonna turn your back on your father?" Cadence asked worriedly.
Lucian's eyes sharpened. "He turned his back on me the moment he started treating her like she didn't have a choice. And I'm not taking her. I'm asking her. And if she says yes... I'm not leaving her behind."
Cadence exhaled slowly. "What if she says no?"
Lucian's lips parted. "I'll...ask her again. And again. Until she says yes."
Cadence shook his head. "Lucian, there's no going back."
Cadence knows he can't stop Lucian now.
"I'm not going back," Lucian said as he clenched his jaws again. "I just need her to say yes and I'll do the rest."