Chapter 19
Leah’s POV
Stood on the balcony, I leaned forward to the handrail, looking at the crowd in the yard.
I saw Darren, who was accompanied by an attractive young woman in an elegant satin dress, sipping champagne while talking to Alpha Kyle, the Chairman of the Derby Committee.
I didn’t blame him for not bringing me that glass of champagne after witnessing what happened just now.
He was still young. He didn’t need to be involved in a divorced woman’s family farce. I understood. Plus, the woman leaning against him looked much younger and happier than me. She looked like the younger version. of me, when my heart hadn’t been broken by my ex–mate.
When I was still unrejected.
I stretched out my arm to fetch the wine glass behind me, but the glass turned out to be empty.
I lifted up my head and sighed, staring out into the night sky.
The stars twinkled above me, but my mind was clouded with a deep sense of melancholy.
I couldn’t shake off the fact that I had just come face to face with my ex- husband, a man who had once been the love of my life.
The encounter had been anything but pleasant.
He had made a complete fool of himself and he almost got into a fight with my brother.
I couldn’t believe that after all these days, he still had the power to make me feel so painful….
So relevant.
“Do you need a refill?” Lucian appeared at my side, sensing my distress.
“Not really, brother. I’ve had enough for today. Drinking makes me sad.” I shook my head.
Lucian placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, and I turned to look at
him.
His beautiful brown hair was tousled, and his olive–green eyes were filled
with concern.
“You know,” he said softly. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
I shook my head and forced a smile.
“It’s not your fault, Lucian. I just can’t believe he’s still the same after all these days. He never changes. He’s still willing to throw himself into water to save a woman that has been lying to him. Why can’t he see what everyone can easily see?”
Lucian turned and leaned against the rain, looking at the night sky.
His skin looked translucent basking in the silver moonlight.
“You know, me and Lucas don’t really see eye to eye with each other. Do I want to rip his head off his shoulder for what he has done to you? Yes. But is he a bad guy? No.”
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Then, he took a long pause and continued, “I’ve known your ex–mate for all my life. He’s a decent, honest, down–to–earth man. ‘A rising star‘, as Father would say. But after his best friend Basil passed away, a part of him died with that man. He became incomplete. He’s a different man now, Leah. He’s sad all these years and he’s been denying his pain. And that’s why I didn’t approve of your marriage in the first place. As much as I have faith in my own sister, you can’t cure a seemingly incurable sadness. You used to be surrounded by happiness and love. You used to be happy. And that’s why you shouldn’t be with a sad man like Lucas Farrow.”
I burst into tears. I’d been holding my tears all night, and there was no reason to hold them anymore in front of my brother.
“Oh, Leah. Now you’re so sad and I can’t do anything about it. I blame no one but myself.” Lucian held me in his arms and hugged me.
I sobbed silently against his chest, dampening his silk shirt with my tears. He just stood there and held me tightly, as if he would never let go of me again in his life.
Lucian was right. Sadness was contagious. I had to do something to prevent my own negative feelings from spreading to my brother.
So, I collected myself, wiped off my tears, and looked up.
I felt a lump form in my throat, and I turned away from him.
“I thought I was over him and I was ready to move on. But after what happened tonight, I don’t know if I could ever move on with my life. Is it possible that I’m still in love with him, Lucian, even though the bond. between us has already been cut off?”
Lucian’s expression darkened, and he pulled me into a warm embrace.
“Leah, you’re not in love with him. You’re just desperate and confused.
With or without him, your life has to move on. A woman’s life shouldn’t. be all about a man. And you can’t keep holding onto someone who is so toxic to you, who doesn’t deserve you. You deserve to be happy. And this. time, I will stand by you, and I won’t let you push me away.”
As I rested my head on Lucian’s shoulder, I knew he was right. I couldn’t keep living in the past, clinging onto a love that was never meant to be.
But with Lucian by my side, I knew I could face whatever the future held.
“Brother, I will never push you away from me again,” I whispered.
“Ah, great.” He sighed with relief. Then, he lifted me up in his arms and pointed at the sky. “Look up! Here it comes. I’ve got something for you.”
I looked up and saw it. The first burst of light shattered the tranquility of the night sky, painting it with a kaleidoscope of colors, each hue vying for dominance in the ephemeral spectacle.
Then, more fireworks emerged in the sky. The explosion echoed across the landscape. The sound waves reverberated like a drumbeat in the stillness. The fireworks seemed to take on a life of their own, moving and morphing as they ascended higher into the sky. As they continued to blossom, the colors seemed to blend and bleed into each other, creating new hues and patterns with each passing moment, until the whole night sky was lit up by a harmony of chaos and beauty that could only be created at the moment and would never be repeated again.
“Brother! Look! Fireworks! They’re so beautiful!” I clapped my hands like a child and pointed at the sky.
I turned to Lucian and looked at him with excitement.
His face was illuminated by thousands of colors written in the air. Then, with reluctance, he smiled.
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“Yes, beautiful.” He whispered, stroking my hair gently.
I was amazed. Lucian had never ever smiled at anyone in my memory.
Are you smiling, brother?” I asked.
“Yes, Leah. I’m smiling because I have got my sister back.”
