"Alright. I'll definitely go house-hunting with you. I'll keep an eye out for suitable options as well. And when you bring your godmother to Solaria, I must see her to thank her for saving my best friend!"After Minnie left, Coco glanced at the drawing tools she had placed on the desk. It had been a year since she last held a paintbrush, and they already felt unfamiliar in her hands.Even though her hands were fully functional, she was in a vegetative state for ten months, so her hands were no longer as dexterous as before.Picking up drawing again would be a challenging endeavor.It wasn't just her leg that was crippled, it was her life too.From now on, she would have to work even harder than before!While she was lost in thought, the door to her apartment suddenly swung open, and Lucas rushed in."Coco, do you really intend to leave me? Is that why you moved all your things from my place without even informing me?" Lucas walked up to Coco, gripping her shoulders as he questio
Coco's eyes widened in shock. She watched as he slowly lifted up the right side of her long skirt.He... he wanted to see her disfigured right leg!No! She couldn't let him see her ugly leg!Coco instinctively took a step back, forgetting that the couch was behind her. She stumbled and ended up sitting on the couch.Lucas successfully lifted her skirt, revealing her deformed right calf.She wanted to pull her skirt back down, but he pressed down on her hand, preventing her from doing so."You’ve shown it to me before. Why can't I see it now?" he asked."There's... nothing worth seeing," Coco replied, lowering her head. "Like you said, you've seen it before, so why bother looking again?""But... I want to see it again." His gaze remained fixed on her right calf, and his slender fingers gently touched the deformed area. "You got injured because you wanted to protect me, right? Coco, you really, really love me, don't you?""No!" she quickly denied it. "I... I used to love you, bu
Coco's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Lucas."Do you really think that if something were to happen to you, I could move on and find someone else to love? That's impossible!" His words echoed in her ears."You were the one who desperately wanted me to fall in love with you in the first place. And now that I have, you claim that your feelings for me aren't as strong anymore. So, how strong are your feelings for me now?" he pressed."I... my feelings for you are just... like those between ordinary friends," she stammered."That's a lie!" he instantly saw through her deception. "Is it because of your leg? Do you think it's ugly? But to me, everything about you is beautiful, and this injury is proof of your love for me!"As he spoke, he tenderly kissed her right calf, showing his sincerity.Coco's body tensed up as she felt the blood rush to her leg. Her leg, which she considered ugly, was being kissed with such earnestness.She remained frozen, watching him shower kisses
His voice, filled with enchantment, captivated her. "I... I..." she tried to muster her last bit of willpower to say something that went against her heart.But his lips landed on hers, sealing all the unspoken words. Coco instantly felt her mind go blank. His kiss seemed to steal away all her senses, and she lost herself in it...Coco allowed herself to indulge for one night. It's just one night, she assured herself.He only said those things because he was drunk. It was a stolen moment of fleeting happiness. At least for that one night, he had truly loved her!When she woke up the next morning and saw Lucas lying beside her, still asleep, a pang of reluctance surged within her. How could she not love a man like him? But the way she was now, she did not deserve him anymore.Gently, she lifted her hand and slowly reached for his face, which was so close. She was actually really, really reluctant to leave him.Her fingers lightly caressed his cheek, feeling his warmth.
Coco's eyes widened in surprise. The feeling of his warm breath on her face made her mind go blank, so she did not know how to react.Right now, their faces were so close, and their lips were on the verge of touching."Coco, you wouldn't just toy with my emotions, would you?" he whispered, his gaze and voice filled with seduction. "I know you'll take responsibility.""......" She was rendered speechless, unsure of how to respond to his words. Toy with his emotions? Who would dare to do that to him?Serenity's eyes widened in disbelief upon hearing the news of Coco's return to Solaria. She asked Jackson, "What? Coco's... back?""Yes, she came back a few days ago, but she only met with Lucas the day before yesterday," Jackson informed her, sharing the information he had received.Serenity was puzzled. "Why didn't Coco go to see Lucas as soon as she returned?"It did not make sense. If Coco came back to Solaria, her first stop should have been to see Lucas."Coco..." Jackson pa
"I know. I'll make every effort to compensate her in whatever way I can," Jackson assured, gently wiping away Serenity's tears with a tissue. "Serenity, please don't cry. Coco is back now. I'll reach out to renowned international doctors to explore any possibilities to heal her leg. And no matter what kind of problems Coco faces in the future, I'll help her.""Jack, I want to see Coco right now," Serenity expressed. For the past year, she had thought of Coco and the debt they owed her every day."Alright, I'll take you," Jackson agreed.He promptly asked the servants to prepare the car and obtained Coco's current address from his subordinate.Coco was taken aback when she saw Serenity and Jackson at her apartment. Lucas had not left her apartment yet, and the four of them exchanged glances.Serenity broke the silence. She stepped forward and embraced Coco tightly. "Coco, you're finally back. You're back! I'm so happy!"Her voice trailed off, replaced by sobs. Serenity couldn't
"I really need to thank Leia for saving you," Serenity expressed with a sigh. "Can you tell me her address? I would like to visit her to express my gratitude.""No need for that. Once I settle down, I plan to bring Leia here to live with me. I've already accepted her as my godmother," Coco explained."That's wonderful! We'll get to meet the person who saved your life!" Serenity remarked.Lucas, who had been listening to their conversation, appeared unusually quiet.They chatted for a long time. Serenity was reluctant to leave, but Jackson spoke up, "Coco must be tired. Don't worry, you have plenty of time to talk now that Coco's back.""You're right, we have plenty of time. Coco, rest well. I’ll come see you another day," Serenity said."Okay," Coco replied.After they left Coco's apartment, Serenity turned to Jackson and said, "Jack, don't you think there's something strange with Coco and Lucas?""Strange? How so?" Jackson asked."It feels like there’s some kind of barrier be
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... for causing you so much pain," he whispered.A bitter smile formed on Coco's lips. She had been apologized to so many times since her return. In truth, she didn't want to hear apologies.They only made her feel like everyone was trying to make it up to her out of a sense of guilt and responsibility for her leg injury.She would rather everyone treated her normally so that she could feel like an ordinary person again."Lucas, you don't have to feel indebted to me. You don't owe me anything," Coco said, attempting to pry his arms away from her waist.But he held her even tighter instead."Coco, I understand that you don't want me to compensate you out of guilt. But I want you to know that I would never tell you I love you out of guilt. When I heard about all the things you had to go through during the past year, my heart broke. I want to protect you so badly, but when you suffered, I... I couldn't do anything to help you at all..."Lucas' voice was hoars