"What did you do to me?" Claire's voice rose in disbelief, eyes flashing with anger. How could this man be so audacious? Yes, she had come here with the intention of becoming his wife, but did he really think he could just crawl into her bed in the middle of the night and… and—
"Are you done?" Lucas's calm, unbothered voice cut through her thoughts. "Have you even looked around to see whose bed, whose room, this is? And what, exactly, do you think I did to you?" His gaze swept over her in mild disdain, his dark eyes filled with icy amusement. "I've seen plenty of beautiful women in my life, Claire. But someone like you? Not exactly my type. So don't worry—I have no intention of doing anything to you. Besides," he added, his tone carrying a subtle edge, "it's not as if I even *could*."
But Claire, her mind buzzing with anger, was too overwhelmed to catch his last remark.
"Lucas! You don't have to be so insulting!" she snapped. "What's that supposed to mean? I'm not exactly hideous, you know. I was actually quite popular back in college!" Her eyes narrowed, voice thick with indignation.
Lucas raised a brow, an amused glint playing in his gaze. Well, well. He had thought this woman who came in, claiming to repay a family debt, was some naive little lamb. But it seemed she had a feisty side, a hidden strength she didn't let show at first glance. But how could she be so clueless? Could she really not tell the difference between being "taken advantage of" and… well, not?
He wondered if his mother had neglected to tell her about his… condition. Maybe it was time to set things straight, to show her the truth and see how she'd react. Would she flee like the others, or be shocked into a stunned silence?
Driven by some unfathomable impulse, he crossed the room to the dresser and pulled out a slim, stapled document, handing it to her. "If you think I could've done something to you, take a look at this," he said, his eyes sharp and unblinking as they locked onto her face.
What did he mean by that?
Puzzled, Claire took the papers and glanced down, her eyes widening as she realized it was a medical report. His medical report.
She had almost forgotten about Lucas's "condition," though she had never fully understood what it was. It wasn't something she could see just by looking at him—whatever it was must be internal.
Did this report explain everything?
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Claire forced her trembling hands to open the report. Her eyes scanned the page, quickly landing on a set of letters in the diagnosis section.
*ED.*
Her gaze shifted back up to Lucas, who watched her with a strange expression, waiting.
Confused, she looked back at him, her eyebrows knitting together. "Uh… ED? What does that mean?"
Lucas clenched his jaw, suppressing a smile that threatened to break through. In a low, flat voice, he answered, "Erectile dysfunction."
The words hit her like a bombshell, making her face pale with shock and uncertainty. So *that* was it—something inside of him, something… hidden.
Lucas watched her closely, noting the way her face changed. He saw the shock, the faint discomfort, and the sudden awareness in her eyes. And an unexpected anger flared up inside him.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice cutting through the silence. "Scared? Regretting your choice now? Regretting your impulsive decision to pay off an old family debt by marrying a man who isn't… a whole man? Or maybe you're feeling like you made a huge mistake by binding yourself to someone who can't give you what you probably expected out of a marriage?"
Claire froze, his words slicing through her guilt and shame. She finally realized how deeply she must have wounded his pride. Oh God, she had let her reaction show too clearly.
How could she have been so shallow? Had she really let herself think that a marriage's foundation could rest on that alone? Here was a man with a vulnerability he had kept well-hidden, and she had just poked at his most fragile spot.
"I… I'm sorry," she managed, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't mean to react that way. It's just… it surprised me. That's all. It doesn't change anything. Really, Lucas. I'm not here to judge you—"
"'Surprised,'" he repeated bitterly, cutting her off. "So you don't 'judge,' you just have a 'normal reaction.' Got it." His voice dripped with sarcasm, and his jaw clenched again. "Don't bother saying any more." He turned abruptly and strode into the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind him, leaving Claire standing alone, her heart sinking with remorse.