Chapter 95
The car sped along until it pulled up directly in front of Juliana's private clinic.
The moment it stopped, a figure rushed out from inside. It was Paul.
His face full of anxiety, he hurried over as the car door opened.
"Mr. Sharp?" Paul froze when he saw Lucas step out, then his gaze was immediately drawn to the small figure Lucas was holding by the hand.
"Matty!" Paul's voice cracked as he crouched down to examine Damian carefully. "Are you alright? Where did you run off to? You scared us half to death!"
Seeing Paul nearly in tears, Damian felt a pang of guilt.
He was about to explain when Lucas gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
Lucas looked at Paul, his tone steady. "Where's Juliana?"
"Ms. Wells, she... she just got back. She's in a bad state. Locked herself in the rest room and won't open the door for anyone..." Paul's eyes reddened as he spoke. "It's all my fault. I didn't keep a proper eye on Matty..."
Before he could finish, the clinic door was yanked open from inside.
Juliana burst out.
When her eyes landed on Lucas and Damian held in his hand, she froze completely.
"Matty?"
Her voice trembled uncontrollably, as if she were seeing a hallucination.
The next second, she rushed forward like someone possessed, pulling Damian into a crushing embrace, holding him so tightly it was as if she wanted to absorb him into her very bones.
"You scared me to death... you scared me so much..."
Damian's little heart clenched as he reached up his small hands to pat Juliana's back. "Mom, I'm okay. I was with Dad."
Dad...
That word made Juliana's body go rigid. This was Damian?
She slowly lifted her head, looking past the child's shoulder at Lucas standing before her.
What was he doing here?
Wasn't he supposed to be in the hospital receiving treatment?
Countless questions exploded in her mind, but more than anything, she felt a bone-deep terror.
Ashley's warning still echoed in her ears—"If anyone else finds out, especially Lucas, you'll never, ever see Dami again."
Lucas knew.
Her legs gave out and she nearly collapsed to the ground.
A strong arm caught her around the waist, pulling her into an embrace that, though weakened, was still solid.
"I'm here."
He didn't ask anything.
Leaning against him, breathing in his familiar crisp scent, Juliana's nerves—stretched to their breaking point—suddenly snapped.
She couldn't hold back anymore. Burying her face in his chest, she broke down sobbing.
Lucas held her quietly. He knew she was terrified.
She thought he knew the truth, was afraid Ashley would retaliate, afraid she'd never see her other child again.
He lowered his head and gently kissed the top of her hair, his voice impossibly soft. "Don't be scared. The child is fine."
Juliana was crying so hard she could barely breathe. At his words, she jerked her head up, looking at him through tear-blurred eyes.
Her mind was in complete chaos.
Could it be... he didn't know?
Did he just think Matty had gotten lost, happened to find him, and brought him back?
That thought offered a glimmer of hope.
Right, he couldn't know! Absolutely couldn't!
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and pulled back slightly from his embrace, messily wiping at her face.
"You... why did you leave the hospital? Your condition..."
She tried to change the subject, to cover everything up.
Lucas watched her evasive gaze, understanding perfectly.
"I heard from David that Damian went missing from the hospital. Did it scare you?"
His tone was natural, as if he were stating something completely ordinary.
Hearing his dad call his name while in his mom's arms, Damian tensed but obediently stayed quiet.
Juliana's mind was in such turmoil, completely consumed with thoughts of Matty taken by Ashley, that she didn't even register which name Lucas had said.
"Yeah..." She shook her head, not daring to meet his eyes, her voice still thick with tears. "Your treatment just started. How could you just run around like this..."
Watching her force herself to stay composed while giving such an incoherent response, Lucas's last trace of doubt vanished.
His mother had definitely threatened her using the other child.
Just then, a jarring ringtone cut through the air. It came from Juliana's pocket.
She jumped like she'd been shocked, fumbling frantically for her phone.
When she saw the name flashing on the screen, what little color remained in her face drained completely away.
Lucas's gaze swept over and clearly saw those two words.
—Logan.
Staring at "Logan" on her screen, Juliana felt as if all the blood had been drained from her body in an instant. Her hands and feet went ice cold. She even forgot to breathe.
It was him.
Ashley's threat still rang in her ears, her other son's whereabouts unknown, and now this biggest time bomb was going off too.
What should she do? Answer it or not?
While her mind descended into chaos and her trembling fingers could barely hold the phone, a well-defined hand reached over and steadily took the vibrating device from her palm.
Juliana's head shot up to meet Lucas's unfathomably deep blue eyes.
He said nothing. Right in front of her, he pressed the answer button and put it on speaker.
Juliana's heart skipped a beat.
What was he doing?!
Before she could react, Logan's voice came through—smug and flippant.
"Juliana, have you thought it over? Are you choosing me, or are you going to keep clinging to my half-dead brother?"
The moment the words landed, Damian's little face flushed bright red. His small fists clenched as he started to charge forward. "Don't talk about my dad like that!"
Lucas raised his hand, gently pressing down on his son's shoulder, signaling him to stay calm.
He didn't even raise an eyebrow. He simply held the phone to his lips and spoke:
"Logan."
The other end of the line fell into dead silence.
A full three seconds passed before Logan's voice came back, sounding like he'd seen a ghost. "Lucas?! Why are you—weren't you supposed to be in the hospital..."
"You don't have the right to call my wife anymore."
Lucas's tone remained flat. "As for that question you just asked, I can answer it right now."
"She's the woman I'm going to marry. She'll be mine for the rest of her life. And you," he paused, his lips curving into a deeply mocking arc, "what the hell are you supposed to be?"
Without giving Logan a chance to respond, he ended the call.
The world went blissfully quiet.