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Lucas slowly reached for his phone, every movement sending sharp stabs of pain through his broken body. He winced as he tapped the screen, his fingers trembling, bloodied knuckles barely responding. With gritted teeth, he dialed for an ambulance.§
Once the call ended, he lay back against the cold ground, panting and waiting, his breath shallow. Who the paramedics arrived, he was
barely conscious but still clutching something tightly in his hand.
At the hospital, after being stabilized, he handed a nurse a sealed plastic bag containing two strands of hair–one his own, the other golden and soft.
“Please,” he said through cracked lips. “Run a paternity test. I need to know if she’s mine.”
Meanwhile, word of his injuries quickly reached Emily. She rushed to the hospital in a panic, and when she saw Lucas lying on the bed wrapped in gauze and bandages, her heart dropped.}
She rushed to his side and collapsed at the edge of the bed, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.”
“Lucas! The doctor said your injuries are serious–your ribs, three of them, are broken! Who did this to you? I’ll call the police right now!” But Lucas shook his head weakly and dismissed her with a tired wave of his hand.
“Go back to England,” he said flatly.
Emily froze. She stared at him in disbelief, thinking she must’ve misheard.
“What did you say? You’re asking me to go back? Are you not coming with me?“}
She glanced down at his injuries again, frustration rising.
“You’re in no condition to be alone. You can manage the company remotely if necessary, and I’ll stay here to take care of you.”
Despite her concerned tone, Lucas only pulled his hand away from her grip and turned his head to the side.
“I don’t need you here. Just leave.”
His coldness hit her like a slap in the face. Emily clenched her jaw, her expression tightening as she bit back her anger.
“I get it now… You’re just looking for an excuse to stay and chase after Zoe again, aren’t you?” Her voice shook with rage. “What is it with you? After all this time, you’re still hung up on her? Haven’t you seen? She’s moved on! She has a child with someone else. She doesn’t love you anymore!“}
Her words pierced the air, raw and bitter.
For years now, Lucas had never touched her again. He barely came home, choosing to sleep in the office or avoid her entirely.§
Lucas’s patience snapped. He turned to her with eyes full of weariness and disdain.
“What are you even yelling about? You don’t get to dictate my decisions. Your flight’s booked. Go.”
Then he closed his eyes, shutting her out completely.
Emily stood motionless, stunned by his words and the emptiness in his expression.
A bitter laugh escaped her lips.
“You’re dreaming, Lucas,” she said through clenched teeth. “Even if you kick me out and divorce me, you’ll That was the one truth Lucas didn’t want to hear–the truth that had haunted him since the moment I left. Without warning, he picked up the water glass on the nightstand and hurled it toward her.
“Shut up!” he roared.
never
get Zoe back!”
The glass struck Emily’s forehead with a dull crack before shattering on the tiled floor, pieces scattering across the room.
Everything fell silent.
Emily stood there, frozen, touching her forehead. Blood seeped through her fingers, warm and sticky.
“You really dare say that?” Lucas barked, trembling with rage. “Did you tell Zoe about my medicine? Huh?! If it weren’t for you running your mouth, would she have been so heartbroken that she left me?!”
He was seething.
He had replayed that moment over and over in his mind–me turning away from him, completely detached. Only now did he realize what had pushed me to such a desperate decision.
Back then, the only thing I had wanted more than marriage was a child. And he–he had believed his mother’s lies. He had agreed to prevent me from conceiving, all because of Emily.
Now, when he looked at Emily and her child, all he could think about was the baby I could’ve had… the life we could’ve shared.
Emily touched her bleeding forehead, but her whole body felt numb, like she had fallen into an icy void. Lucas didn’t even look at her again. He shut his eyes tightly, lost in his regret.}
Unable to bear the crushing indifference, Emily bit her lip hard and fled the room.
Moments later, a soft knock sounded at the door.
The doctor stepped in, slightly surprised by the broken glass and the tension in the room. He approached Lucas cautiously and held out an envelope.
“Mr Evans, this is the expedited paternity report you requested. The results have just come in.” Lucas’s eyes shot open. With shaky hands, he tore open the envelope and scanned the contents.
And then… he smiled.}
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9:01 AM
Lucas’s eyes shut open. w Stary Tartus, the lure open the envelope anu scanned the GUIENS.
And then… he smiled.
His face lit up for the first time in years, tears glistening in his eyes.
“I knew it,” he whispered, his voice choked with emotion. “She’s mine. Zoe… you gave birth to our daughter.”
He pressed the report to his chest, clinging to it like a lifeline.
Even if I hated him, even if I never spoke to him again–this truth alone gave him hope.
His daughter existed.}
And that changed everything.
