novelbin Chapter 174: He Loved Her
Chapter 174: He Loved Her
The party was loud, filled with the clinking of glasses and people laughing, but Lucien didn’t care about any of it. His eyes were fixed on the girl in the rag-like green dress, who looked very out of place.
He moved through the crowd, keeping his distance but never losing sight of her. His heart hammered against his ribs.
It was her. It was really her.
Over the years, all he remembered was her eyes, but he had forgotten the name he had randomly given her under that tree. So when he overheard people whispering her name, Seraphina, he felt a pang in his chest.
But what shocked him more was what the people were saying next. She wasn’t just an orphan anymore. She was the real, long-lost daughter of the Lancaster family. The tiny girl who used to dig mud with her bare hands was the heiress to an empire.
He felt a sudden surge of happiness. He wanted to walk up to her, talk to her, and ask how she had been all this time. But as he got closer, that happiness died.
She was not the same anymore. Those eyes, though still teary, looked completely dead. There was no life left in them. He wanted to speak to her, but she barely looked up, keeping her head low and not talking to anyone.
"What have you been through in these few years?" he muttered under his breath.
He followed her every movement. Suddenly, his chest tightened as he saw a man approach her. The man was arrogant, cornering her and harassing her. Lucien saw fear flashing across her face as she tried to protect herself from his touch.
Before the man could do anything else, Lucien stepped in as Seraphina ran away, taking her chance.
He didn’t care about the crowd. He shoved the man away, his cold glare forcing the man back.
But when he turned to look at Seraphina, she was gone. She was running alone in the dark, as if she were trying to hide herself in the shadows.
Lucien didn’t wait any longer; he started his car and followed her, stopping his car at the end of the road, where Seraphina almost tripped, falling into his arms.
She was trembling in fear, wanting to get away, but Lucien embraced her, telling her that she was safe now.
Seraphina could tell that he was the person who but she was still afraid.
For a second, Lucian thought she would hold onto him. He thought she would remember him.
But when she gently pushed against his chest and pulled back, her eyes met his. There was fear and sadness in them, but she didn’t recognize him.
Lucien felt a deep sadness. His hands dropped to his sides. He wanted to tell her that he was the person who named her. He wanted to tell her that he was also the person who had abandoned her, leaving her in such a horrendous family while he went away to London.
He stood there, filled with guilt, watching her walk away until Adrian came over to talk to him.
Days went by, and Lucien did his best to forget her. He tried to convince himself that Seraphina would finally be happy now that she was with her real family, but he still couldn’t let it go.
He tried to cope by throwing himself into his business. He took on more responsibilities, worked longer hours, and did everything he could to distract himself. For a while, it really worked. The work kept his mind busy, and the thoughts of her began to settle.
That was until Alistair called him a few years later, inviting him to the engagement party of his sister, Seraphina.
The news crumbled all the peace he had hardly found. He didn’t want to go.
Sitting in his office, he stared at the invitation, frustrated with himself. He just couldn’t understand why he was so completely obsessed with her. Was it truly love, or was he just trapped in the guilt of knowing she had lived such a horrendous life while he was away in London?
But if it was just guilt, why was he still thinking about her now? She was safe. She was already with her wealthy biological family. She didn’t need him.
"What will you do now, Lucien?" he muttered to himself, staring out the window of his office. "There’s no way she’d be yours anymore."
A single tear slipped from his eye as the realization settled in.
He thought back to all those old meetings with that little girl.
He remembered the way she struggled to form even a simple sentence, stuttering through her words, yet always managing to calm him down always.
If it were not been his father, forcing him to leave, and denying to let him contact her in anyway... Would she still remember him?
She had been his only safe place when Ethan died. No matter how much he tried to deny it, he finally realized the truth.
He loved her. He had always loved her.
He wanted to be with her, not out of pity or guilt, but because his heart belonged to her.
"I... I won’t let you get away from me," Lucien pronounced, his voice hardening as he rose to his feet.
All the hesitation of years were now gone. "I will not let you marry someone else but me."
He was determined to go to that party, find her, and tell her exactly how much he loved her. He was going to tell her that he was the one she should be marrying, not some stranger.
But when he actually got there, the words he had prepared died in his throat.
Seraphina was smiling, laughing, and looking completely happy with Shane.
To anyone else, they looked like the perfect couple, completely in love. Seeing her look so radiant with another man cut Lucien to the bone. He stood there frozen, watching the girl he loved happy with another man. He realized he was too late, and the guilt of interrupting her happiness forced him to turn around and leave without saying a word.