Emily grabbed his wrist, the one tangled in her hair, and yanked it away. Her voice trembled, but her eyes burned with clarity. “You keep calling yourself my boyfriend, but when have you ever acted like one in the last five years?”
His expression tensed, defensiveness flaring in his eyes.
“What are you talking about?” he shot back. “I’ve done everything you wanted.”
“Really?” she laughed bitterly. “Were you my boyfriend when you publicly refused to give me your mother’s ancestral ring because ‘I wasn’t ready’? Were you my boyfriend when you didn’t believe me about Amelia stealing from your office? Wereyou my boyfriend when you kicked me out of your company—again—just last night to protect Amelia?”
She shook her head and let out a bitter laugh. “You don’t even know what I like for breakfast, Lucas. What kind of boyfriend is that?”
His eyes flashed with anger. “Youknowthe reason behind all of that. Everything I’ve done is for your own good.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” she snapped, her voice rising. “I’m a grown woman, Lucas Cantrell! Do I look like I need you to decide what’s good for me?”
Her chest heaved as the words tumbled out, sharp and shaking.
“Do I look happy to you? Do I look like I’m enjoying this—your so-called sacrifices—when they come at the cost of publicly humiliating me?”
She held his gaze, refusing to let him look away.
“You’ve made it so clear you don’t evenlikeme. So why do you still want me to stay?”
She swallowed hard, her throat tight.
“You should be with Amelia. You defend her. You listen to her. You trust her. And with me? It’s always doubt. Silence. Shame. You don’t have to force yourself to stay with me when it’s her you’re doing everything for.”
She drew in a shaky breath, then looked up at him—one last time.
“I want to break up,” she whispered.
Then she turned, calm and certain, and started walking toward the door.
But the moment her hand touched the knob, Lucas rushed forward. He grabbed her from behind and pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her waist tightly.
His voice was low, broken, and close to her ear. “Emily, can you please not run away from me again? Don’t walk out of this house.”
She pulled herself free from his arms and turned to face him.
He stared at her like she was the only thing keeping him alive. Desperate. Silent. Then slowly, he reached into his pocket and took out his phone. He held it out to her.
Her brows furrowed. “What are you doing?”
“You can check my phone,” he said, still holding it toward her.
She blinked, her brows pulling together. “Why would I?”
“Don’t you like going through my phone? You always ask me to show it to you. You even sneak it to check my texts, calls, and photos. So here,” he extended it more firmly toward her, “I’m giving it to you. You can check it. Go through everything—texts, photos, whatever you want.”
She took the phone from him automatically, without really thinking—but her face stayed puzzled. But even as she held it, confusion lingered in her eyes. She didn’t remember being that insecure. Had she really done that?
Then, Lucas turned the same hand, palm open toward her.
Emily glanced from his hand to his face, a frown knitting her brows.
“Your phone,” he said quietly, gently. “If you’re going through mine, it’s only fair I see yours too. Right?”
Chapter 12 Pacify
Her heart thudded in her chest. She stared at him, confused… but then, like a lightning strike, a memory surged into her mind.
