Chapter 17 — The Man Who Stayed
402 Words
Lucas didn’t tell Ella about the second message immediately.
Not because he wanted to hide something from her.
Because he knew her.
He knew she would worry.
And after five years of carrying everything alone, the last thing he wanted was for her to feel afraid again.
---
But Ella noticed.
She always noticed.
“You’re hiding something.”
Lucas looked up from his phone.
“I’m not.”
She gave him a look.
“Lucas.”
He sighed.
“You haven’t changed.”
A small smile appeared on her face.
“What does that mean?”
“You still know when I’m lying.”
The smile disappeared.
Because once, that would have been a sweet memory.
Now it was painful.
---
Lucas placed the phone on the table.
“Someone sent another message.”
Ella’s face changed.
“Another?”
He nodded.
“They’re watching us.”
Fear appeared in her eyes.
Not for herself.
For Noah.
Lucas immediately reached for her hand.
But stopped before touching her.
He remembered.
He didn’t have that right yet.
“I won’t let anything happen to him.”
Ella looked at him.
“You say that like you can control everything.”
“I can’t.”
His voice softened.
“But I can stay.”
---
That evening, Lucas didn’t leave.
He stayed on the sofa while Ella prepared dinner.
No business calls.
No meetings.
No distractions.
Just them.
A normal moment he missed for five years.
Noah sat between them at the table.
“Can Daddy come tomorrow too?”
Ella looked at Lucas.
Lucas didn’t answer.
He waited for her.
Because this time, he wanted her choice.
Ella looked at Noah’s hopeful face.
Then at Lucas.
“Okay.”
A small word.
But it meant everything.
---
Later that night, Lucas stood outside his car.
He looked back at the apartment window.
For years, he had everything money could buy.
But a simple dinner with his son felt more valuable than anything.
His phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
“Who is this?”
A voice laughed softly.
“You really think you can build a happy family after what happened?”
Lucas’s expression turned cold.
“Show yourself.”
The person smiled.
“Soon.”
The call ended.
Lucas looked back at the apartment.
This time, he wasn’t fighting for his past.
He was fighting for his future.
Chapter 17 End.
- Writer
