Rose’s hands trembled, the memory flooding back with startling clarity as she heard Lucian’s words about cutting ties with the Kane family. Her heart clenched at the thought, her mind spiraling back to her past life. She vividly remembered the shock she felt when the family lawyer, Lethan Trunks, had handed her those documents, cold and final. Lucian had signed away his name, his right to be recognized as a Kane, his inheritance, everything. He had severed himself from the family in both name and spirit.
At the time, she hadn’t known what to feel. She’d sat there, her hands holding that stack of paperwork, almost numb. There was an odd emptiness, a confusion within her. Part of her had whispered that she’d finally “won,” that the competition between them had ended with her on top, as the sole Kane heir. But a deeper part of her a quiet, neglected part felt strangely hollow. Something within her had died with that document, though she didn’t know what. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
And then, almost like fate mocking her, the very next day, the news hit: Lucian was gone. He’d ended his own life, left the world without a whisper, as though he’d never really existed in it. She remembered the utter shock that washed over her when she learned of his death. Her brother her once-annoying, often overlooked, shadowy brother was truly gone.
For hours, she’d sat there, staring blankly at the wall, her mind barely comprehending the reality. She hadn’t wept, hadn’t screamed or cried out in grief. It was as if her heart had gone cold, locked behind an impenetrable wall of detachment. She was numb. One single tear had slipped down her cheek that day, and she hadn’t known if it was grief or something else entirely. She hadn’t known why she felt so detached, so… removed from everything that had happened. It was as if there was a fog, something murky and dark, obscuring her heart, clouding her feelings for Lucian.
Even after hearing the details, even when the family lawyer, Lethan Trunks, had sat across from her, sharing Lucian’s final wishes, she had barely reacted. She’d nodded along, hardly processing the words. But one sentence had stayed with her, one phrase Lethan had shared the last words Lucian had left specifically for her.
“Tell my sister that I was never after the property or the company. Tell her I’m tired. I can’t do it anymore. But tell her… that I hope my absence can give her the peace that my love never could.”
The words echoed in her mind like a haunting melody, but at the time, they had barely touched her. She hadn’t cried; she hadn’t even felt anything. Her own brother was dead, and she couldn’t shed a tear for him. In that strange, numbed state, she almost felt as if Lucian had left to find peace for himself, leaving her to her so-called “victory.” But that feeling whatever it was had only lasted a single day.
The very next morning, like a dam breaking, everything shattered within her. She didn’t know how, but it was as if something had been unlocked inside her heart, releasing a torrent of emotions that overwhelmed her. It was as if that strange, cold fog had lifted, leaving her to feel the full weight of her loss. And then, for the first time, she felt everything.
The good memories they’d shared as children, the times he’d tried to reach out to her, the moments she had brushed him off, ridiculed him, and pushed him away all came flooding back with an intensity that nearly drove her mad. She remembered the smile he used to give her, that shy, hopeful look in his eyes whenever he tried to speak with her. She remembered his quiet voice saying, “I only want you to be happy,” the small gestures he made to show he cared, even if she’d dismissed them as meaningless.
For the first time, she felt the searing regret, the agony of knowing she had lost him forever and that she had played a part in pushing him to that dark, irreversible choice. And when the tears came, they were unstoppable. She cried until her body was numb, curled up alone, trembling as she grieved for the brother she had never truly known. Every kind gesture he’d made, every caring look he’d given her, every sacrifice he’d silently made all of it returned to her, each memory sharper and more painful than the last.
His last words haunted her, echoing through her mind in the dead of night when sleep refused to come: “I hope my absence gives you the peace my love couldn’t.” She remembered those words, her heart twisting at the thought that he had carried such sorrow, such loneliness, and she hadn’t been able to see it. She hadn’t even tried.
And now, sitting here, staring at Lucian as he gently but resolutely offered to sever himself from the family once again, she could hardly breathe. The pain of that memory mingled with the guilt of knowing she had failed him so completely. Here he was, still offering to give her the space and freedom she’d once craved, even if it meant erasing himself from her life again. He was ready to walk away, ready to sacrifice his family name, all because he thought it would bring her peace.
Rose looked down, her heart breaking at the weight of what he was saying. She had seen him give up his last hope in that previous life, seen him walk away from everything with nothing but exhaustion and heartbreak. And now, hearing him offer the same sacrifice again, she felt as if she were reliving that same nightmare all over again.
How could he still be so willing to give everything for me? she thought, her hands trembling as she tightened her grip on the coffee cup, her vision blurring with tears. How can he still care so much, after all I’ve done?
She realized, with painful clarity, that Lucian’s love had been unconditional all along. He hadn’t cared about the family wealth, or power, or recognition. He had only ever wanted her acceptance, her love. And in return, she had given him nothing but suspicion and distrust.