Elena did not know how to react. Did Luacs mean what she thought he meant?
She was a little dense, and so she could only manage to give him an awkward smile. “Luacs, I am the mother of two children.” How could she think she could fall in love again, or even get married?
Luacs stared at her with disapproval. “So what?” Just because she was ‘dragging an oil barrel’, so what?
He was a golden bachelor. Since his arrival, he had found an excellent job. He was the head of a massive security service provider. His future was bright and boundless. It was apparent that he would need to settle down with a young and attractive girl.
As for Elena, she had a notorious reputation, and she had also been with another man. He knew about all of that.
Elena had no intention to settle down with another man. She could still live happily with her two children.
“Luacs, I don’t know what’s gotten into you tonight, but I’m not suitable for you.” She struggled to free her hand from him.
However, Luacs managed to keep his hold on him.
“Why not? Have we not been great these past two years? Did I do something wrong that made you unhappy?”
Luacs was a little nervous. He had been anxious the moment he decided to listen to Caleb to confess his feelings for her.
“Elena, please tell me. What is it that you dislike about me? I’ll change it immediately. I will do it. You must believe me.”
“No, Luacs. Why would I dislike you? You have always been good to us.”
She had no complaints about him, whether he was her friend or her children’s ‘father’. She was the one who had a problem.
“Don’t you get it? I have had other men, and I have children.”
“Again, so what?” It was she who did not understand!
“I love you; I have always loved you. I have loved you since a long time ago.”
She was probably the only one who did not know about his feelings for her. Had she been so depressed that she could not feel it at all?
No wonder that Caleb called him a stupid fool for not telling her.
“I’m sorry, I should have told you earlier so that you could understand how I feel.”
He was so nervous that beads of sweat formed on his forehead and face. His palms were also drenched in sweat.
“I have loved you for a long time, Elena. Please give me a chance. Let me be the children’s father for real, okay?”
Elena did not speak; her fingertips trembled.
“What would it take for you to believe me?” Luacs became anxious when she remained speechless.
Elena shook her head. She knew Luacs well; she knew that it was not a joke to him. It was just that she never expected things to be like that.
They had been like a family for two years, and she felt uneasy about disrupting that relationship.
“Luacs…”
“I knew that I shouldn’t have troubled you. Goodnight. I’ve been too impulsive.”
That was Luacs. He would never want to put her through any kind of trouble. When he saw the look in her eyes, his heart immediately softened. If Caleb saw him did that, he would nag him again.
Luacs let go of her hands, stood up, and headed to the bathroom. He needed to calm down. Perhaps a cold shower was a good idea.
“Don’t be angry. I will never bring this up again.”
The drunkenness in his eyes had given way to calmness and a slight disappointment. His tall figure swayed as he shuffled toward the bathroom. The alcohol he drank was not in vain.
Just as he pushed the bathroom door open, Elena softly called out from behind him. “Luacs.”
Luacs’s tall figure stopped in his tracks; his hand was already on the doorknob. However, he dared not look at her.
Did she have something to say to him? What if she wanted to reject him? Luacs was so flustered that he did not know what to do. If she wanted him to leave…
He should have known that a confession could only have one of two results—either his wish was granted, or he would face utter rejection.
It was probably impossible for them to return to the way it was. That was the risk that he had to take when he confessed his feelings. He would rather not do it.
“Elena.” Luacs’s back was so stiff that she could see the traces of despair in him.
He stared at his hand; he still could not look at her. “I’m still happy with the way it is now. Even if you don’t need me, the children still do. Please do not ask me to leave…”
“I would like to give it a try.”
Elena’s words brought whatever Luacs wanted to say to a halt. His eyes widened as he spun around abruptly to stare at her; he feared that he had misheard it.
“You’re …willing to…give me a chance?”
“No…”
“Elena…” Luacs’s mood was like a roller coaster. One moment it was up, and then the next it was down.
It was unbearable! He felt like he was about to explode! What did she mean by that?
“I’m not giving you a chance. I wanted to give myself a chance.”
Elena sighed in relief. Compared to Luacs, she was even more nervous and worried about the future.
“If you really don’t mind that I have been touched by another man, and even bore his children…”
“I don’t mind; why would I mind? This was exactly what I wished for! No, I didn’t mean it like that! I mean… I…”
He only wanted to tell her that no matter what she had experienced in the past, he would feel like the luckiest person in the world if she could give him a chance.
Luacs hated his mouth at that moment. Why could he not say those simple words smoothly? He did not mean anything else by it; he was only too ecstatic.
His skittish expression amused Elena, and her lips broke into a smile.
“I don’t know if I can completely forget about the past and fully commit to you wholeheartedly. But I can only try.”
“You can. I’m sure you can!”
Luacs quickly made his way to her. His hands and fingers continued to tremble. He wanted to hug her tightly, but he was afraid that his impulse would scare her away. He felt like a nervous teenager who could not figure out what to do with his hands.
On the contrary, Elena did not feel uneasy when she saw him like that. Everything about Luacs was good. When she was with him, she was afraid that she was not worthy of him.
“Are you really willing to give it a try? If I could not forget the past…”
“Then we will just return to the way it is now. I’m okay with that. At least you gave me a chance. At least we tried our best to make it work!”
Luacs finally pulled her into his embrace and hugged her tightly.
“I will try my best to live up to your expectations. I will make you and the children happy. I swear it!”