Chapter 6

• 【Lucia POV】
• “Lucia, come downstairs already. We need to pick out your wedding dress.”
• Mom was calling from the first floor, but I couldn’t bring myself to move.
• I sat frozen, staring at the photograph on the table. It was the only picture Jason and I ever took together. Blue skies, white clouds, and our bright smiles. Everything looked so perfect back then, but now everything felt like a cruel memory.
• The moment I remembered that letter, tears gathered and rolled down my cheeks.
• My Jason… how crushed would he be when he read those words? Would he even have the strength to keep going?
• I’m sorry, Jason. I’m really sorry.
• I never wanted to hurt him, not for a second, but this was the only way left to protect him.
• Even if he hated me forever, even if he never spoke to me again, I wanted him to live. That was enough. I would love him for the rest of my life, even if I had to do it from far away.
• “Lucia…”
• Mom had come upstairs without me noticing. She wiped my tears gently and glanced at the photo of Jason and me. A sigh slipped from her lips.
• “You need to let him go. You nearly lost your life for that boy more than once. Now you’re being forced to marry someone you don’t love, someone you can’t even stand. You’ve already sacrificed too much for him.”
• She placed the picture flat on the table as if it might break. “He’s not coming back. Mark will never let you see him again. My poor girl… please give it up.”
• “No, Mom… I can’t. I love him. I love him so much.”
• I broke down completely. Once the dam burst, there was no stopping the flood. I clung to her as I cried, unable to breathe between the sobs.
• Suddenly, my phone rang.
• It was Mark.
• I didn’t want to answer, but avoiding him would only make things worse.
• “Lucia, why haven’t you picked out your wedding dress yet? The wedding is tomorrow night.”
• His tone was filled with irritation. “You know how I feel about you. I respect your loyalty when you love someone, but you shouldn’t waste that loyalty on the wrong man. Jason…”
• He paused as if choosing his words.
• “I already promised you I would take care of him, even help get him out early. But that only happens if you behave and satisfy me. You don’t want him rotting away on Devil’s Island forever, do you?”
• Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting!
• I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to curse him until he had nothing left to say. Mark was even more monstrous than Helena and the others combined. He thought of everything in terms of benefit and control. Family meant nothing to him. Human feelings meant nothing at all.
• But I was powerless.
• Fighting back would only risk Jason’s life and drag my family deeper into danger.
• “I understand. I’ll go,” I said. My voice sounded like it belonged to someone else.
• I felt hollow as I followed Mom out to the busiest shopping street in Nuremberg. People flooded the sidewalks. Cars rushed by in steady streams. The world was loud and alive, but inside me, everything was silent. My heart had died the moment I wrote that letter to Jason.
• Then something caught my eye.
• Through the shop window, across the street, I saw a familiar figure. Tall, straight-backed, with that face I had memorized by heart. The clear, gentle eyes I had dreamed about every night.
• I blinked, rubbed my eyes, then stared again.
• It was real.
• My Jason.
• He was back!
• He stood right in front of me, just like every dream I had tried to forget.
• “Lucia, are you alright?”
• His soft voice wrapped around me. It felt exactly the same as before everything fell apart.
• Warmth rushed through me. Tears swelled instantly, and I nearly ran to him, ready to throw myself into his arms. God knew how long I had waited for this moment.
• But before I could move, my mom rushed forward and blocked him. She pushed him back slightly.
• “Jason, don’t disturb her anymore. It’s over between you two. Lucia is marrying your brother tomorrow night.”
• She pointed toward the street. “Leave, Jason. It will only get worse if you stay.”
• The reality struck me like a blow. Jason must have come back because of Mark. And if I broke the deal by reconnecting with him, Mark would drag Jason right back to that horrible island and keep him there forever.
• My chest clenched painfully.
• The worst pain in the world is seeing the person you love standing right in front of you but being forbidden from even reaching out. Forbidden from whispering the words that are burning inside your heart.
• “Jason, Mom is right. You should go.”
• The moment those cold words left my mouth, I felt something inside me crack. I turned my head away so he wouldn’t see my expression. I bit my lip, lifted my chin slightly, and fought desperately to hold back the tears that still escaped without permission.
• “That wedding dress is beautiful. I think it suits you,” Jason said quietly, pointing toward a dress displayed behind me.
• He knew my taste so well. I actually loved that dress. But none of this was the wedding I wanted, and we both knew it.
• “If you like it, then choose that one,” he continued. “Because tomorrow will be our wedding.”
• Please, Jason… stop.
• Every word he said made the pain sharper.
• No matter how hard I tried to hold back the tears, they streamed down my face.
• Jason kept painting dreams—dreams I could never have. It was torture.
• “I know you don’t believe me, but Lucia…”
• He reached out and brushed my cheek lightly. His touch warmed me in a way nothing else could.
• “Tomorrow, I’m going to surprise you. And when I do, you’ll see… you won’t have to endure any of this anymore.”