After the arrest, Snow blamed Aubrey for all the crimes. She claimed she had been manipulated into this, and Aubrey was the mastermind.Aubrey was behind all the plans. She did not admit it nor deny the accusation and instead requested to meet Lucas. It seemed she would only confess after meeting Lucas.Lucas agreed when he heard Aubrey's request from the police and met Aubrey in the Lanford detention center.Aubrey looked completely different from the well-groomed young lady she used to be. Instead of the beautiful Ms. Stewart, she looked miserable with disheveled hair, wrinkled clothes, and rough skin."It's been a while, Lucas." Aubrey let out a soft chuckle and greeted Lucas.Lucas shot Aubrey a look full of hatred. He wanted her to pay for what she had done. Aubrey, however, was pleased to see the hatred in his eyes. "Since childhood, I've always thought you were a cold person. It's hard to approach you, and it feels like no one can capture your heart."Aubrey spoke slowly
Lucas' face contorted in a mixture of anger and regret. Yeah. All Coco got was nothing. Even though he had finally realized he was already in love with her, Coco was unaware of it."Aubrey, why did you hurt her instead of me? You could've come at me!" Lucas hissed, his voice hoarse.Aubrey was stubborn as hell. "Without Coco, you'd be with me! Coco is a nobody. I want her to suffer more than me!""But... Isn't Coco a fool? Why would she risk her life for someone else's child?"Lucas murmured in reply, "Yeah... She's an idiot. She cares so much about others and forgets about herself."Coco had traded her life for Eden's chance of survival, not for Serenity, but for him! She must have been afraid. She knew he would live with guilt for the rest of his life should Eden die. That was why she made this choice.Coco thought giving Eden the chance to live was the best thing she could have done, but she never knew what he really wanted. He wanted her to live more than anything! He would r
Coco... Coco... He kept calling her name in his heart countless times, but it was always painful when he called her name!Lucas' parents came to Lanford, trying to help and talk to him. No matter any attempts to convince him that Coco might be dead, Lucas stubbornly insisted that Coco was alive. No one was allowed to mention the possibility of Coco's death before him.Three months later, the police announced that the search had stopped, and only the Gomez and Valor families continued the search for Coco.Serenity came to visit Lucas with Jackson one day. When she saw him, she could hardly associate him with the Lucas she remembered.Lucas' hair was messy, his jaw covered by his stubbly beard. He could barely stand straight and looked like he was about to collapse at any time,Lucas looked miserable. Who would have recognized him as the once powerful Prince Lucas who dominated showbiz?Lucas' parents were glad to see Serenity and Jackson come to visit. They told them, "Talk to him
"Do you think Coco wanted to save just the baby? She was also trying to save—"Serenity yelled, cutting Jackson off, "Jack, enough!"Jackson turned to his wife, and his voice trailed off when he saw the begging look in her eyes."Jack, stop it. It's our fault. Everything is our fault! It's our fault that Coco is missing!"Frightened by the situation, Eden started to cry in Serenity's arms. Serenity frantically tried to calm her daughter. "There, there. Be good, Eden. Uncle Lucas didn't mean to scare you, so stop crying..." she hushed gently.Jackson gave Lucas a warning glare. "I'm not letting you hurt Eden. If you need someone to pay for Coco's life, then come at me instead.""Pay for Coco's life?" Lucas erupted in hysterical laughter, more tears flowing from his swollen eyes. He knew he was the one who should pay for Coco's life!"I'm the one who should pay for her life! It's all my fault! I was wrong! I deserve to die!" Lucas yelled. He sounded like he was being strangled b
Somewhere, in a small village downriver from Lanford, an elderly lady had found the unconscious Coco and was caring for her in her simple house.Old Leia was tending to Coco with a cast on her leg, wiping and cleaning her body. A fellow villager saw Leia coming out of the house and asked curiously, "Hey, Leia. How is she doing? Has she woken up yet?" Leia shook her head."Why is she still unconscious? She's been in a coma for more than three months," the villager grunted. "Why did you even take her home? What if she never wakes up? You'll end up taking care of her forever!"Leia let out a heavy sigh. "I'll take it as a sign that God has given me another daughter, and I'll keep her."Everyone in the village knew Leia had lost her husband early in life. She had been living with her only daughter, who later drowned in the river. Her daughter had drowned and left her when she was ten years old, leaving Leia all alone. Since then, Leia often went to the river where her daughter ha
No one could predict what would happen if someone mentioned Coco’s name.Once, a journalist had mentioned Coco's name in front of Lucas and asked if they had broken up. Lucas had beaten up the journalist so badly that they ended up in the hospital. After that, no one in Solaria ever saw that journalist again.Those who witnessed Lucas's frenzied attack were left deeply shaken by his sheer fury and aggression. From that moment, everyone began to realize that Coco’s name was taboo. Nowadays, Minnie was frequently seen with Lucas, leading many to speculate if she was his new love interest. Minnie could only smile helplessly whenever she came across such gossip online.Lucas kept in touch with her because of their shared connection to Coco. During their weekly meetings, Lucas would ask Minnie to recount stories about Coco, whether from their school days or her work life. He was desperately trying to learn everything he could about Coco even though it was too late now.Besides t
That voice sounded familiar. Minnie almost jumped to her feet, her gaze fixed on the bedroom door. Could it be Coco? Was Coco still alive? Had she come back?!Minnie quickly put down the comic, stumbling as she barged into Coco’s bedroom. There, a slender figure was struggling to get up from the floor. Minnie’s eyes started welling up with tears.It was Coco!Even though Coco was much thinner than a year ago and her long hair was now short, it was definitely Coco!"Coco!" Minnie shouted, running to her and hugging her tightly. The touch and the warmth of Coco’s body made Minnie realize this wasn’t a dream.“You’re alive! Why didn’t you call me to tell me you were alive?! Do you know how worried we’ve been? Lucas hasn’t stopped looking for you! He is constantly sending people out to search for you!” Minnie rambled as she burst into tears. “I’m sorry...” Coco murmured.“Do you know how much I’ve cried for you? I thought I’d never see you again.” Minnie was crying happy te
Minnie quickly followed Coco. "How long will it take for your leg to heal? You should tell Lucas so he can take care of you!""Minnie," Coco took a deep breath and said solemnly, “My leg... will never heal.""Wait, what?" Minnie was stunned. She couldn’t comprehend the news. “Your leg will never heal? What do you mean?""I mean, my leg is permanently damaged," Coco said. She would be crippled for the rest of her life.Minnie felt a pang in her chest, making it hard to breathe. “No way! There has to be a way to fix it!” Coco looked at her sadly and forced a smile. "It's too late. I missed the best time for treatment. It’s too late to do anything now.” "So, you’re not seeing Lucas because of your leg?" Minnie asked."I... I will see him. I just haven't figured out how to face him yet," Coco hesitated and continued, "I know he's been looking for me, and I’ve seen photos of him online. I know he's been going through a tough time. I don’t want him to keep suffering because of me. I