Chapter 9

Lucas and Bella's downfall was even worse than I'd imagined. Natalie relayed all of this to me like juicy gossip. After the Hartley family went bankrupt, Lucas' father never made it out of the ICU. His mother couldn't handle the shock and had a mental breakdown. In the end, she was committed to a psychiatric hospital. Overnight, the golden boy fell from grace. Lucas was now drowning in debt after his family's ruin. He couldn't find decent work, and his name had become synonymous with "scumbag" and "trash". To survive, he took on the most menial labor jobs—hauling bricks on construction sites and washing dishes in restaurant kitchens. Once, Natalie and her friends were at the mall when they spotted Lucas in the underground parking garage, washing a Rolls-Royce. He wore a work uniform, his hair disheveled and soaking wet, while the owner barked orders at him like a dog. "Here! You missed a spot. Are you blind? I'm paying you good money, and this is what I get? One more complaint,