Chapter 19 I Never Want to See You Again

Lucien slowly took two steps forward, moving closer to Talia. His eyes were fixed on the bloodstained tissue in her hand. He reached out, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty. "Can… I touch it?" Talia gave a faint nod. Maybe it was just the cold wind that day, but Lucien's hand was shaking badly. It wasn't just his hand. His whole body was trembling. The veins on the back of his hand bulged like thick roots, as if they were going to tear through his skin at any moment. Yet his movements were painstakingly cautious. They were weighed down by guilt, remorse, and anguish. Talia watched him coldly the entire time. She watched as his eyes turned bloodshot and he clenched his jaw tighter and tighter until his hands trembled so much that he could barely control them. In the end, he had to grip his wrist with his other hand just to steady himself. The tips of his fingers barely brushed against the crumpled tissue. Talia quickly closed her palm, pulling the crumpled tissue back. It was as if Lucien had just woken up from a nightmare. The shock hit him all at once. "Mr. Reese." Silence. "Mr. Reese." Only then did Lucien react, realizing that Talia was speaking to him. She'd changed the way she addressed him. His face twisted in pain. He lowered his voice and asked, "Talia, does it have to be this way?" "How else can it be?" "You should have told me earlier. If I'd known you were carrying our baby, I would have—" "You wouldn't have." Talia shook her head with an indifferent look. "Mr. Reese, I'm a person, not a substitute. I don't want to live my entire life as someone's stand-in." "What about the baby?" Lucien's brows were tightly furrowed. "I'm the father. Why didn't you tell me you were going to abort the baby?" She smiled. "Then let me ask you this—if I'd told you earlier, would you have given up being with Thalia for this baby?" Lucien clenched his teeth. "I'm not the kind of man who wouldn't take responsibility for his baby." "You're still avoiding the question. Why won't you give me a direct answer?" At that, Lucien remained speechless. "You were hoping you could have it all, weren't you? You wanted to be reunited with your first love while you kept me on the side to have your baby, right? But have you ever considered what that would mean for the baby? "When they grow up and ask, 'Mom, why does Dad's wife have the same name as you?', what should I say? That their father never loved me? That I was just a placeholder until the real Thalia returned?" He continued staying silent. "And when our baby needs a father, you'll be off gazing at the stars with another woman. When they beg for a hug, you'll already be holding another woman's baby in your arms. "Years later, when that child grows up—when you take them to amusement parks and aquariums and on lavish vacations wherever they please—what then? Our child will watch from the sidelines as you play happy family with someone else. Have you ever considered how that would destroy them?" For the fourth time, Lucien had nothing to say. "And what about me? If I had the baby, would I be allowed to marry someone else with your kid in tow?" "Absolutely not!" The words tore from him. "Exactly. Because of the baby, I'd be shackled to the Reeses for the rest of my life. I've never been one to romanticize marriage, and I'm not afraid of remaining single and raising a child alone. But when the child asks for their father, I'd have no choice but to face you again." At that, Lucien fell quiet again. "Lucien, I never want to see you again."