Lara turned around and looked down to be welcomed by a very familiar man. Lara felt her eyes sting and soon blur; she raised her head to the ceiling to fight back the tears.
"Lucas!" She said beneath her breath. How could she forget, in her last life, whilst throwing a fit at her father, that this man was the one who dragged her away? He also tried so much to help her see the truth, he gave up everything just…. Just … for her, EVERYTHING, including his legs and then life. This man who so foolishly and hopelessly loved her in her last life, she will do her utmost best to give him the most peaceful home he can. This man….. her fiancé... Lucas.
Lara took in a deep breath and calmed her emotions. She put on a neutral face and climbed down the stairs.
"I'll leave you two be," Kiera said and then left the young couple to their privacy.
"Arabelle" he called softly, a smile blossoming on his face. Oh yes, whilst everyone else called her by her first name he prefers to call her by her middle name.
"Lucas," she replied, not knowing what else to say.
"Can we talk in the garden?" He asked, already leading her to the garden. He looked at the stiff lady walking before him and asked himself if everything was worth it. But then, remembering her smiles and laughter that she graced him with the last time they went on a date, he smiled to himself and thought, "Definitely". When they reached the garden, they sat down on the swing.
"Aren't you supposed to be back in two months?" Lara asked truthfully, curious; in her last life, he had also returned this time, two months earlier, with no warning.
"Well, my fiancé sent me a message asking to break up and then blocked me, so I had to come back" Lucas replied with a serious face, turning slightly to face her.
Lara was taken aback; she might have been reborn, but her memory was quite clear, in fact, much more clear than it used to be.
Looking at her confused face Lucas narrowed his eyes, a dangerous trouble brewing in its depth.
A few seconds later Lara looked up at him and said that she sent no such message and didn't remember blocking him.
Lucas fished for his phone, opened his WhatsApp to her chats, and showed it to her.
Lara: I don't want to marry you anymore let's break up
Lucas: ???
Lucas: what's going on?
Lara: .....
Lucas : Arabelle?
•This contact has blocked you•
Lara looked at the chat and was shocked; she was quite not that she didn't do any such thing.
But now the evidence before her says otherwise.
Lara opened her purse and took out her phone. She checked through her messages and opened his chat, and it did not have that message; the last message there was of their last conversation, and nothing about the breakup was there.
"I have no idea what is going on," Lara said, looking as confused as she could, but within, she was sneering; no doubt it was Amira. Probably around the time she was deadbeat drunk.
Observing her look Lucas chose to believe her
"Are you having doubts about our relationship?" He asked, his brows knitting together. Lara looked down at her fingers and shook her head.
"I know that our grandfathers were the ones who betrayed us to each other, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be in a loving relationship," Lucas said and brushed his hands through her hair.
"I know, and I do not have any ill feelings about… us," she replied. "And don't ruin my hair," she said and slapped his hands in her hair. He looked at her reaction and chuckled, easing the tension of the heavy topic.
" In that case, Forget about it," he said, gently stroking the edge of her face.
"How've you been?" he asked, all signs of his earlier gloom gone.
"I've been well," she replied, a ghost of a smile on her face.
With the heavy atmosphere eased, they broke into a light-hearted conversation. They spoke for a long time and soon the sun had hidden, and the stars were shining bright.
Kiera, being the considerate mother she was, had sliced up one of the cakes Lara bought and made a maid serve them to the couple.
Once the sun had set the couple had the last of the cake and sat in a comfortable silence, only to be interrupted by the grumbling of someone's stomach. Lara subconsciously covered her stomach as if that would silence it.
Lucas looked at her and chuckled.
"I believe it's dinner time," She said, trying to hide her embarrassment. She got up and quickly walked into the house with Lucas close behind.
Walking towards the dining room, they noticed that only two plates were on the table; she called a maid and asked, only to be told that her sister was having a sleepover with her friends and her parents had had an early dinner. Not thinking too much about it, they sat down and had dinner.
Whilst having dinner, Lucas randomly remembered something his future father-in-law had told him and decided to ask Lara, "Right, your dad says you wanted to take a vacation out of the country?"
"I do, but it seems like no one else is willing," Lara replied grudgingly and stabbed the steak and made a loud noise. Lucas observed her reaction and tried to soothe her. His little one was always one with a temper, especially when things didn't go her way.
Lara took a chance whilst he was focused on his food and looked at his face properly: his chiseled jaw, perfectly shaped eyebrow that had a little scar on the left side, and goodness, that face. Why the hell did she trade this masterpiece for that counterfeit in her past life? And not to mention, he was quite gentle to her, always gentle to her, unlike that violent one who would get physical with her for the slightest anger.
"Arabelle, why don't we get married before this holiday break ends" Lara heard him say and choked on her food.