Chapter 224

"Make a choice already! What are you spacing out for? I'll give you three more seconds to decide." Lucas Zeller's tone carried the arrogance of someone doing her a great favor.

"Th-three seconds?" Claire Grace blinked in disbelief. Was he serious? That demanding?

"You have two seconds left." The sharp edge in his voice left no room for doubt.

"What?" Her heart pounded. He couldn't be serious.

"One second—"

"Neither!" she blurted, her words tumbling out before her brain could process. Pressured to the brink, her instinctive response slipped through.

For a moment, they both froze, stunned by the unexpected outburst.

"Care to repeat that?" Lucas's dark eyes smoldered, his handsome face closing in on hers. His calm façade cracked, revealing the seething anger underneath.

Did she just say "neither"? Was she not done tormenting him?

"I..." Claire sighed heavily and averted her gaze. "You probably talked to Blaine, so you must know the truth by now. If that's the case, you should understand why I left you. I couldn't be selfish—I couldn't put my needs above everything else. That's why I left without a word." Her voice softened with guilt. "I couldn't bear to be the one to bring shame to the Zeller family."

"Shame?" Lucas barked, his voice rising with unrestrained anger. "You don't know a thing! You think you were being selfless, but this—this was the height of selfishness!" His words roared out, reverberating with hurt. "You never bothered to ask what I wanted. Instead, you decided for me. Do you know how much I hated every choice you made for my so-called benefit?"

"How could I not know?" Claire's voice was barely above a whisper, her words trembling. "You wanted a child of our own, Lucas. But I... I couldn't give you that. I couldn't fulfill your dream. That's why I left."

Lucas scoffed, his laugh humorless and biting. "And you think leaving me would fulfill my wish? Who do you think I am? Someone who can magically have children by myself?"

"What? That's not what I meant! I was saying you could... you could remarry someone who—"

"You're suggesting divorce?" His grip on her arm tightened, the storm in his eyes intensifying. "That's what you truly want?"

"No! It's not that!" Claire shook her head desperately. "It's because I can't—"

"Even if you can't have children, I still want you. Only you." His words cut through her excuses like a blade, leaving her speechless.

"What?" Claire blinked rapidly, her mind struggling to process his declaration. "You mean... you don't care that I'm not—" Her voice caught, hesitant.

"Not what?" Lucas interrupted, his gaze piercing. "You have hands, legs, a brain that's sometimes more like mush, and everything else perfectly intact. How are you not whole?" His voice softened with a rare tenderness as he pulled her into his arms, his protective embrace overflowing with emotion.

"But I can't give the Zeller family an heir," Claire murmured, her voice fragile with doubt.

"You married me, Claire. Not the Zeller family." His frustration softened into a quiet intensity. "You'll be spending the rest of your life with me. As long as I love you and cherish you, what else matters?"

"But you said you loved kids. And your parents—your parents want more grandchildren. I don't want to stand in the way of—"

"My parents will understand. Leave them to me." His confidence left no room for argument.

"Lucas..." Claire's voice wavered, her uncertainty evident.

"You don't believe in my love for you?" Lucas arched a brow, his trademark arrogance slipping back in. He leaned down, pressing a firm kiss on her lips before pulling back with a smirk. "Everyone already knows you dumped me. If you don't come back with me, are you trying to let them laugh at me forever? Also, Blaine's been swamped with business lately. He can't even find a good assistant. You owe it to him to come back and help out."

"But—" Claire hesitated, torn.

"What's there to think about, my queen? Do I need to get on my knees and beg you to come home?" Lucas released her and dropped to one knee in an exaggerated gesture.

"Lucas! Stop it!" Claire grabbed his arm, flustered. "If Blaine needs help, of course, I'll go back with you."

Lucas's eyes narrowed, feigning hurt. "So Blaine's needs come before mine? I begged you endlessly, and it didn't work. But mention Blaine, and suddenly you're packing your bags? Talk about crushing my heart."

"You... You're the one who tricked me, right? You and Mr. Lin by the gate! You told him to lie to me, didn't you?" Claire shot him a suspicious look, crossing her arms.

"You found out about that?" Lucas chuckled, unrepentant. "Mr. Lin was such a gentleman. He didn't hesitate to help when I said I needed to bring you home."

"How else would you have gotten into my neighborhood and waited outside my house?" Claire retorted, her suspicion growing.

"If I hadn't, I would've missed you calling me a jerk and saying you hated me." Lucas tilted her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. The intensity of his gaze made her heart skip a beat. "Do you still hate me?"

"Lucas..." Tears welled in Claire's eyes as she stared at him. "I was so scared. After the diagnosis, I was terrified you'd look at me differently. The better you treated me, the worse I felt. I wanted to leave the day after the results came out, but I couldn't. The perfume endorsement wasn't finished, and... and I couldn't bear to leave you."

"Then why did you leave?" Lucas's voice softened, but his words were still edged with hurt. "I know you were scared, but why didn't you tell me? You just assumed I'd leave you over something like that?"

"No! I was torn apart inside. I was afraid you'd abandon me, but I was also afraid you'd stop me from leaving. I didn't know what to do." Claire's voice cracked, her guilt pouring out. "When the shoot ended and your parents were about to return, I forced myself to leave."

"Claire, I—" Lucas cut himself off, pulling her closer. "Do you know how much it hurt when you left? Do you know what you've done to me?"