THE LUCAS' REJECTED MATE

. Locked in a wordless struggle of wills, Lucas and Sophie stood at the doorway. With Sophie's letter still clenched

e was screaming for me to act or say anything to break the spell Sophie appeared to have over h

ice, Lucas said, "Sophie.

gaze flickered to mine, and I saw the way her eyes clouded with

ck between the lady he had loved in the past and the one he was meant to be starting

ed onward. Are you saying that you've

d slightly, as if digesting what I had spoken. Sabota

Lucas has been deceived by you from the beginning, distorting his impressio

t get it. There is a history between Lucas and myself that you are unable to fathom. I'

jumbled and disoriented, but he was suppressing the rage that was bubbling under the surface. He'd always

Lucas said in a calm voice that now had a hi

s, this is nothing new to us. You understand that we are meant

the guy he had been before all of this chaos: a strong, determined, uncompromising individual. "It's ove

s Sophie's eyes as they enlarged. You're not s

ked me. My wife was the one person I should have trusted above all others, yet yo

anishing like grains of sand between her fingers. Her

ere and ruin what's left of my marriage because you're feeling nosta

with incredulity, Sophie's face was a mask of astonishment.

I

ed, "Lucas is right." "You've enjoyed yourself, Sophie. You've taken enough hits and

e as her eyes narrowed. Do you believe that you have won? D

. You don't have to 'win,' Sophie. There is no rivalry here.

She knew she was losing, though, and I could see it in her eyes. She was losing

r, almost imploring. Do not do this, p

phie, already. I made Claire my choice when I got married. I apologize for

to close in around us. No one said anything for a long time. Sophie's face

d left, leaving a trail of her footsteps th

ast, Lucas had selected me and had discovered the lies Sophie was telling. However, when the tr

s open wounds. The dark, menacing shadows Sophie had cast ov

ed to face me, but there was a newfound

longer driven by the anger that had previously driven me, only weariness. I sto

le above a whisper, "Lucas, I need

provide for your every need. Simply put, I Claire, I want this to b

viously, I looked at him and saw it was there, unfli

can." But I need room right now. I must dete

rejections still too raw and raw. Though I could feel the pain in his eyes

me you need." "I'll be standing by, ready. Claire,

hurt was too great. So instead of answering, I turned and left the study,

ed in that spot, observing me with a mixture of longing and regret in his eyes. But not j

rned away. With every step we took, we were treading ca

as though the walls were closing in on me and suffocating me. My phone buzzed with a m