8
I turned to Luke and pulled at his sleeve.
“Let’s go home.”
Luke nodded.
Jake yelled after me, but I didn’t look back.
I don’t know what he was hoping to
accomplish coming here, but it seems he was
just wanting to get information from me. After
all, he and Luke were rivals.
<
A month later.
Luke’s hands were almost back to normal.
When I told him I was moving out, he asked if
I wanted to be his girlfriend and let him take
care of me forever.
I was surprised. He’d never shown any
interest in me, not back when we were
negotiating contracts, or even while I was
taking care of him. He always seemed so
detached.
I stared at him suspiciously. “You like me?
What do you like about me?”
“From the moment I saw you, I thought you
were special. Small, but with a fiery temper.
L
And kind of clumsy, too. Makes you want to
scoop you up and protect you.”
Who was he talking about?
Luke reached out and ruffled my hair. “Think
about it. I really like you.”
His eyes were serious.
I’d seen him be serious enough times to know
he wasn’t lying.
But I didn’t want to trust love again.
I didn’t want to get hurt again.
“Don’t answer me now. You can take your
time. I’m willing to wait.”
く
His gaze was gentle, like it could melt all my
pain away.
I smiled faintly. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”
But I still moved out.
Before leaving, I told him, “Be careful with
Jake. He’s a vindictive guy. Your situation is…
tricky. He’s capable of anything.”
Luke bit his lip. “I’m not going back to that
family.”
Then, he told me why.
Luke’s mom and Luke’s dad were best
friends, and when it came down to the
wedding talk, Luke’s dad didn’t marry her!
The reasons are confidential. After the
く
wedding, Luke’s dad had to go to his mother
and take her away.
Luke hated that family. He didn’t want
anything. He was skilled and had money.
He was a lot like me. Happiness was our goal,
not revenge.
I patted his shoulder, looking at him with pity.
“You poor kid. I’ll watch your back from now
on.”
He chuckled. “Alright.”
Maybe it was the way we had each other’s
backs, but we suddenly felt closer.
Even after I moved out, he called me every
day, wanting to share everything with me.
く
I was genuinely grateful.
Even crashing into his car felt like a blessing.
After my divorce, I had no idea what to do or
where to go.
Then I crashed into his car and had to take
care of him, and I didn’t have time to dwell on
things.
Time heals all wounds.
If last time was to test my patience, then this
lifetime has to be to bring me happiness!
I was about to answer his question when I
realized I couldn’t get ahold of him.
He wasn’t answering calls or texts.
<
He had mentioned that he’d be busy, but
normally, I would have waited. But now, I felt
anxious and wanted to see him as soon as
possible.
I went to his house, but no one was there.
The building manager said he hadn’t been
home for two days.
I started to panic. I went to his office and
found out his assistant had already called the
cops.
He’d vanished.
