Chapter 22

“Our first meeting was actually a month before that night at the bar.” Lucas Chase’s voice was soft, but it was like a key suddenly unlocking a flood of memories.

Eleanor Knight froze. She had no recollection of seeing him at the gala.

“You were wearing an emerald green velvet gown, sitting alone in the corner.” His fingers traced the outline of her face. “Sebastian left you there to dance with another woman. The whole room was watching you, waiting for a reaction, but you just sipped your drink in silence.”

Amusement colored his tone. “Until you picked up a wine bottle and smashed it against his shoulder.”

Eleanor’s cheeks burned. That had been one of the rare moments she’d lost control.

“The way you cursed him was magnificent.” Lucas chuckled. “The entire room fell silent, but you walked out with your head held high like a queen. That was the night I remembered your name.”

Her heart skipped a beat.

“Later, I looked into your situation.” His voice darkened. “I couldn’t understand why someone so proud would stay trapped in a rotting marriage.”

The question cut deep. Eleanor clenched her fists.

“Then I saw you at the bar.” His gaze softened. “You mistook me for Sebastian and cried like a child. I should’ve laughed, but instead, I held you all night.”

She remembered that morning—waking up hungover, tangled in the arms of a stranger, and nearly calling the police in panic.

“You insisted on ‘compensating’ me and chased me down at the university to hand me cash.” Lucas shook his head in exasperation. “Next thing I knew, the whole campus thought I was being kept by a sugar mommy.”

A laugh escaped her. Back then, she’d just had a massive fight with Sebastian and, in her drunken haze, had actually joked about “spoiling” Lucas.

“I should’ve refused.” His grip tightened around her wrist. “But the way you looked at me—it wrecked me.”

His thumb brushed over her pulse. “I lied to myself, said it was just pity. But every time I saw you, I couldn’t look away.”

Eleanor’s breath hitched. She’d never realized he’d been watching her all along.

“The day of the accident, seeing you covered in blood—” His voice cracked. “That was when I knew. I’d already fallen for you.”

The words struck like thunder. Her eyes widened.

“I even planned,” he admitted bitterly, “to take you from Sebastian by force if I had to.”

Suddenly, she remembered waking up in the hospital to find him slumped beside her bed, dark circles under his eyes.

“Thank God you woke up.” Lucas pulled her into his arms. “Thank God you chose me.”

Eleanor rested her head against his chest, listening to his racing heartbeat. Their story had begun long before she’d ever realized.

Two people who thought they’d hidden their feelings well had actually given their hearts away long ago.

No dramatic misunderstandings. No exhausting push-and-pull. It was as if fate had brought him to her, guiding her out of the fog.

And now, at last, she could see the path ahead.