He Betrayed Me, I Left With Dignity

Chapter 2

I froze, but quickly collected myself and rejected him gently. "I know you're in a dark place and need comfort right now, but a relationship is a serious commitment. You shouldn't make rash decisions on impulse..."

"So you were just placating me too. You look down on me, just like everyone else," Lucas muttered, turning around to climb back onto the railing.

My heart leaped into my throat. Terrified that he would jump, I immediately gave in. "Don't do anything rash! I accept!"

Just like that, I brought the homeless Lucas Hayes back to my rented apartment.

Initially, I only planned to put him up for a few days, expecting him to leave once he moved past his heartbreak and stabilized emotionally.

But he settled in comfortably and naturally stepped into the role of a boyfriend, doing the laundry and cooking for me every day while quietly waiting for me to get home from work.

After half a month of peaceful coexistence, seeing that he was fully recovered, I gently suggested that he should move on with his life. His eyes welled with tears instantly, and he stared at me with grievance. "Even you are kicking me out? Do you also think I'm dirty? I guess when you agreed to be with me back then, it was just empty promises to keep me alive."

"It's not what you think. I just feel like you deserve a better life. You shouldn't settle for me out of gratitude. I don't want to hold you back. You deserve a stable, decent life."

"But being with you is the only thing that makes life worth living." Lucas stared into my eyes, his gaze so intense and earnest that it pierced right through to my soul. "Sarah, please don't push me away. I'll work hard, and I'll make you fall in love with me eventually."

His cautious, pleading face was permanently etched into my mind.

Lucas had always thought my hesitation was because I didn't love him.

But he had no idea that falling in love with him was the easiest thing in the world. He was pure, gentle, considerate, and sweet—every beautiful adjective seemed tailor-made for him.

In front of him, I had always felt deeply insecure, believing I wasn't good enough for him. Yet, living under the same roof day after day, I had completely fallen for him.

I warned myself over and over not to lose my heart—I had a terminal illness and didn't have much time left.

This was the ultimate reason why I had resolutely pushed him away from the very beginning.

The doctor had diagnosed me with less than a year to live. I didn't dare to love, didn't dare to get too attached, because I didn't want Lucas to be trapped in grief after I passed away.

Yet, Lucas kept doing everything in his power to prove his determination to spend the rest of his life with me.

He actively looked for a job and told me earnestly, "I don't need you to support me. I can earn my own living. You don't have to carry any burden."

He repeatedly assured me, "Sarah, it's you that I love. Your job, your background—none of that matters to me."

On the rare occasions he drank too much, he would wrap his arms around my waist and mumble petulantly, "Sarah, when are you finally going to love me for real? Do I really not make your heart flutter, or are you just afraid to love me?"

He leaned in incredibly close, enveloping me in his clean, youthful scent. That scent had been my sole source of comfort throughout these bleak days.

Exposed, I was too embarrassed to utter a single word.

"You've had too much to drink. Go get some rest." I stood up to head to my own room, but the next second, he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around my neck and pulling me into a kiss.

As he kissed me, tears ran down his cheeks. "Sarah, why won't you love me? Is it because of my ex? Do you think I'm dirty?"

My hands, which had been pushing him away, froze.

It turned out that all my restraint and rejections looked to him like disdain for his past.

A wave of overwhelming tenderness and heartache washed over me.

This boy was brave and sincere enough to run toward me with everything he had, while I had been nothing but a coward, constantly retreating.

The next second, I cradled the back of his head and kissed him back.

Everything fell into place naturally.

Afterward, as I watched Lucas sleeping peacefully in my arms, I wished with all my heart that time could stand still forever.

In that moment, I felt a fleeting pang of regret, wishing I hadn't crossed the line and impulsively accepted him.

But mostly, it was an undeniable rush of happiness and love that I couldn't hide.

And from that day on, I made up my mind: I would work as hard as possible to make money in the time I had left. When I departed this world, I wanted to leave him with enough savings to ensure he would live a comfortable, secure, and happy life.

So, I worked three jobs a day: sweeping the streets by day, working at the bar by night, and doing manual odd jobs in between. I often worked until midnight, coming home covered in sweat and dust.

But in his eyes, I was nothing more than a smelly, low-life loser who wasn't fit to be seen in public.