Silence lapsed between us.
I had so many questions swirling around in my head that it felt like it was going to burst out if I didn't find a way to express my thoughts.
It took a while to compose myself, but when I finally did, I cleared my throat to break the awkward silence that had taken hold of us. "I'm curious, when did you first realize that I wasn't Alexandria?"
As Lucas gazed into my eyes, a gentle smile ford on his lips. "The first ti I saw that beautiful tattoo on your back I had a suspicion you're not my wife. And the night I kissed you and sothing happened between us I confird my suspicions."
Taking a mont to gather himself, he drew in a deep breath before continuing. "Bella, you have been a true blessing in my life, and if anything good has happened to , it's because of you. I appreciate the way you care for my son as if he were your own, and I'm grateful that you ca into our lives.
Niall adores you, and I'm happy that he finally has the love of a mother that his reala mother refused to give him."
I felt a warmth spread through at his words.
I adored and love Niall. He was like the son I never have. And Lucas was unlike anyone I had ever t before, and I was starting to realize that I was falling for him.
But as much as I wanted to explore these feelings, I couldn't ignore the fact that he was still technically married to my twin sister.
Lucas wasn't the only one who was married – I too was married to soone else. Although it was a marriage of convenience and there were no romantic feelings between Eros Valentino, my husband, and myself, he is still legally recognized as my husband.
I had more pressing matters to discuss with Lucas, so I decided not to delve into how I got married to Eros. While there will be ample opportunities to share this news, my priority is to first inform him about Blackstone.
Before I had the opportunity to speak, he beat to it. "Can you tell about Blackstone? Do you know him? Are you acquainted? I couldn't help but notice how uneasy you beca when he showed up at the restaurant."
"I better tell you everything now. It might be helpful for both of us." I paused, unsure if I was ready to relive the mories that had haunted for so long.
"Please tell ." Lucas asked, his voice gentle and encouraging.
I took another deep breath before I continued. "Blackstone tried to kill ."
Lucas looked at with concern etched in his face. "Why didn't you tell about this sooner?"
"Because I just regained my mory and I never thought our paths would ever cross again."
Lucas took my hand in his. "Tell when this incident happened."
As I recounted the traumatic event, I could feel tears forming in my eyes. Despite my attempts to compose myself, I could feel a tight knot in my stomach. "I rember the day of your wedding to Alexandria. I tried to sneak into the church to catch a final glimpse of you, but he saw and followed outside and then shot in broad daylight," I explained.
His expression darkened. "Do you have any idea why he did that?"
"Yes."
He gestured for to continue, and so I did.
"My twin had been living a lie for years. She faked everything from having a degree in engineering to owning a chain of hotels when in truth my parents sent her to an asylum when they're still alive and she escaped more than a couple tis and pretended to be ."
"My sister feared that I would expose her lies and investigate our parents' death. She told that they died in a car accident, but I have reason to suspect that they were poisoned and she may have been responsible. It was difficult to accept that she could commit such a terrible act, but the evidence was overwhelming and pointed solely to her."
As the haunting mories flooded my mind, he squeezed my hand, reminding that I was not alone. I squeezed his fingers in return, grateful to have soone with whom I could share things I never thought I could tell anyone.
"She tried to get rid of because she wanted to be . It was who you dated all those years ago, Lucas, but she took my identity and had sent to a psychiatric facility in her place. Blissfully unaware of the truth you proposed to her, ultimately marrying her."
Observing , he appeared to be completely taken aback and unable to speak for quite so ti. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of silence, he spoke in a barely audible whisper.
"The woman I married was not who she portrayed herself to be. This would explain why she acted so differently after the wedding, and I felt like I had married a complete stranger."
His grip on my hand tightened as he turned to face , his eyes filled with regret and pain. "I should have trusted my instincts and realized it wasn't you," he said slowly. "There are so many things I wish I had done differently, Bella. I'm sorry... truly sorry."
"None of that is your fault, Lucas. Alexandria is the only one to bla."
"I had the opportunity to take action, but my lack of awareness prevented from doing so. I feel foolish for being deceived by her for so long."
Lucas was as shattered as I am but everything was in the past now and we couldn't rewrite history no matter how much we regret things.
"It's not too late to make things right, Lucas." I whispered, trying not to cry. I swallowed the lump in my throat and continued. "No matter what mistakes we may have made in the past, there's always a chance to make things right in the present. Perhaps, those mistakes were ant to happen so that we could have the opportunity to et and talk now."
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