Chapter 23

Lucas started working around the clock once he returned. He was the first to start work and the last to leave. Once he got home, he would drink himself into oblivion. He wanted to use alcohol to numb himself. Chris had to drop by every morning to clean whatever mess Lucas had created. He wanted to sigh whenever he looked at Lucas, who lay drunk on the couch while mumbling Rosalie's name. He was getting what he deserved, really. He should never have acted the way he did if he didn't want to face the consequences. … Meanwhile, Rosalie stood underneath falling petals. She wore a blue-and-white floral dress with her head lowered as Josiah helped to put an exquisitely made lily hair accessory in her hair. As the sunlight shone down on them, he confessed his feelings for her again, "I thought you were the most beautiful woman I'd seen in my life the moment I saw you, and that will never change. I genuinely adore you, Rosie. Can you give us a chance to take things further? Will you be m