bChapter /b294 No Secrets

    bLuika/bb: /b[Are byou /breally bnever /bbgoing /bbto /blog binto /bthis ount bagain/b?b] /b

    b14 /bbmin /bleft

    [Looks blike /bbthe /banswer is yes. If you’re noting backb… /bcan I use this ce as a diary? Since you didn’t say nob, /bI’ll take that as permission.]

    b[/bKaia, you got engaged to Alden today. I really wanted to bpull /bbyou /baway–just take your hand and run–but I couldn’t. You’ve liked bhim /bbsince /bbyou /bwere sixteenb. /bbYou /bbfinally /bbgot /bbwhat /byou wanted bafter /bgraduation at eighteenb./b]

    b[/bbKaia/bb… /bbif /bbonly /byou liked me instead.]

    [It’s been bsnowing /bbwhere /bbI /bbam /bfor a month straight. But every time I bthink /bbof /bbyour /bbsmile/bb, /bI feel warm bagain/bb. /bWould it be even warmerb… /bif I were holding byou/b?b] /b

    [I heard you’ll be spending Christmas at bthe /bGraves Manor this year.]

    [I’m back in bthe /bbcountry /bbnow/b. bI /bsaw byou /btodayb–/bwrapped up in bthat /boversized down jacketb, /bbyour /bnose red from the cold. Were you waiting for bhim/bb? /bbKaia/bb… /bbyour /btaste bin /bmen is really awful. If it were bme/b, I’d never bmake /bbyou /bwait.]

    [I passed by byou /btoday. You didn’t recognize me. I guessb… /bbthis /bis goodbye. bI /bjust hope he treats you well.]

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    Chapter 294 No Secrets

    b14 /bbmin /bleft

    Kaia read through each message bin /bsilence, tears bblurring /bher vision from the very first line.

    Then came thest one.

    [Kaia, I heard you’re getting married soon. I haven’t dared to log in for a long timeb, /bbut I couldn’t help myself todayb. /bMaybe this will be thest time I write to byou /bhere.]

    [You’re bgoing /bto be someone else’s wife soon. I can’t let byou /bget caught up in gossip because of me. From now bon, /bbyou’ll /bbbe /bbmy /bnephew’s bwife/b, and I’ll just be byour /bbuncle/b.b] /b

    [Time flies. And you’ve be a mark bI’ll /bnever be able to erase from my blife/b.]

    [Even so… I still hope he makes byou /bhappy. bTruly/bb, /bforever.b] /b

    Kaia clutched her chestb, /bboverwhelmed/b.

    “Lucienb… /bhow could you be so amazingb?/bb” /bbshe /bwhispered, her voice breaking.

    From the summer of 2008 until just ba /byear bago/bb, /bthere were 520

    messages,

    She couldn’t even begin to bimagine /bwhat kind of emotions had filled him beach /btime he wrote one.

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    Chapter 294 No Secrets

    Looking backb, /bshe thought bitterly-

    It wasn’t his fault.

    It was her own terrible taste… that she never noticed him

    sooner.

    *****

    b14 /bmin left

    Lucien arrived home bright /bbon /bbtime/b. After bslipping /boff bhis /bshoes, he bent down bto /bwipe them clean before carefully cing them in the shoe cabb. /b

    Dn approached. “Mr. Graves, please allow me—”

    “No need,” Lucien said, already bstraightening /bup. b“/bbI’ll /btake care of these myself from now bon/bb./bb” /b

    He shrugged off bhis /bcoat and nced around. “bWhere’s /bKaia?”

    “Mrs. Graves bhas /bbeen bin /bbthe /bstudy all dayb, /bsirb,/bb” /bDn replied. “She hasn’te bout /bonceb./bb” /b

    Lucien’s brow furrowed.

    All day? It’s ialready /iipast /iifive/ii. /i

    He made his way to the studyb, /bhis footsteps slowing as unease crept in. He knocked gently.

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    Chapter 294 No Secrets

    “Honey, it’s me,” he called. “I’m home.”

    13

    b14 /bmin left

    When there was no answer, he turned the doorknob slowly and pushed the door open.

    Kaia was curled up in the corner of the couchb, /bhugging her knees to her chest. Her eyes were red and puffy from cryingb, /bher face pale and streaked with dried tears.

    The moment she looked up and saw him, her voice cracked.

    “…Honeyb, /byou’re back.”

    Lucien dropped his coat without a second thought. He rushed to her, kneeling down beside her like the world had stopped.

    “What’s wrongb?/b” he asked urgentlyb, /bscanning her face.

    “Are you sick? Is your stomach hurting bagain/bb? /bHow blong /bhas it been hurting? I’ll call the driver–we’re going to the hospital,

    now-”

    Kaia reached out and clutched bhis /bhand tightly, her grip tremblingb. /bHer btear/bb–/bfilled eyes searched his, her nose red from crying.

    Lucien’s heart twisted.

    bHe /bgently lifted her into his arms and sat down with her on his bp/bb, /bwrapping his barms /baround her like he could shield her from

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    Chapter 294 No Secrets

    whatever bpain /bshe was bfeeling/b.

    b14 /bmin left

    He cupped her face with one hand, softly brushing away the tears on her cheeks.

    “Heyb… /bit’s okayb. /bDon’t cry,” he murmured, his voice low and soothing. “Did something happen? Did you have a nightmare?”

    If it wasn’t a stomachache, then she must’ve remembered something painful.

    But when his eyesnded on the lit–up screen in front of her, Lucien’s body went stiff, and his throat tightened.

    “Youb… /bsaw everythingb?/bb” /b

    Kaia nodded slowly.

    “Yeah, I saw it allb./bb” /b

    She looked at him, eyes shimmering.

    “Honeyb, /bbwhy /bdidn’t you tell me? I missed so many years because of that.”

    Lucien moistened his dry lips, his bgaze /bflickering.

    b“/bYeah… bI’ve /bliked you for a long time.”

    He blet /bout a bbreath/b.

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    b14 /bmin left

    “I was scared you’d think I was some kind of creep, so I kept it to myself.”

    Kaia paused, thoughts swirling.

    “How long? Since I was seventeen?” she asked, voice soft,

    curious.

    Lucien’s lips curved into a faint smile, eyes locked on hers.

    “Honeyb, /bwhat if I told you… it was even earlier than thatb?/bb” /b

    Her breath caught.

    “Earlier?” she whispered, heart skipping.

    The first time they’d met—she had only been thirteen.

    “You…” Her voice trailed off as realization bhit/bb. /b

    “Are you scared of me nowb?/bb” /bbhe /basked.

    Kaia shook her head, then wrapped her arms around him btighter/b.

    “No. Even if byou /bbare /ba creepb, /bbyou’re /bbmy /bcreep. The one who bonly /bloves bme/bb./bb” /b

    bShe /bleaned backb, /blooking bup /bat bhim /bbwith /bba /bbwatery /bbsmile/b.

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    “bWhy /bdidn’t you tell me when I was seventeenb?/bb” /b

    Lucien’s expression grew serious.

    “You weren’t an adult yet. It didn’t feel bright/b.”

    Kaia let out a softughb, /bshaking her head.

    “Lucien, you’re such an old–fashioned bguy/bb./b”

    b14 /bmin left

    Just the thought of this man–affectionate yet reserved, cunning yet endearingly self–deprecatingb–/bbloving /bher with such steady, undivided devotion made her heart ache bin /bthe best way.

    Tears welled againb, /bbbut /bLucien was quick to bbrush /bthem awayb. /b

    He kissed the corner of her eye gently.

    “Alrightb, /bno more bcrying/bb. /bI didn’t write those messages to make you cryb… /bor to win byou /bbackb. /bbI /bjust needed somewhere to talk to you, even bif /byou’d never read it.”

    He hadn’t expected her to stumble across his buried confessions.

    Nuzzling into the bcrook /bbof /bhis neck, bKaia /bwhispered, “Will you still be good to meb, /bLucienb? /bbEven /bafter everything?”

    “Always.” His answer was immediate,

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    Chapter 294 No Secrets

    &

    b14 /bbmin /bleft

    His beloved rose had bfinally /bbloomed–and he would never let

    bher /bwitherb. /b

    That bnight/bb, /bKaia bthought /bLucien would be bhis /busual insatiable self.

    But instead, he just held bher/b. bQuiet/b. Secure.

    bNo /bwords, bonly /bcloseness.

    And somehowb, /bbin /bthat bsilence/b, beverything /bwas said.

    For the first timeb, /bbno /bsecretsy between them.

    Lucien was bentirely /bbhers/bb–/band the peace that bbrought /bwas boverwhelming/b.

    Yet beneath bhis /bcalm exteriorb, /bbLucien /bwas bsilently /bbstruggling/b.

    He wanted to bmake /bbthis /bbnight /bunforgettable.

    He wanted to bim /bbher/bb. /b

    But he held back.