Chapter 178

Victoria stood from the couch and walked toward James. She leaned in and kissed James on the cheek, a silent apology in the gesture.

James's previous hard demeanor softened as his cheeks reddened.

Shock washed over Lucas at the unexpected act as his wide eyes met mine.

James had told me that there was something going on between him and Victoria, so I wasn't as shocked as him. However, this was my first time seeing them be affectionate with each other with my own eyes and that was surprising enough.

"Wait, what?" Lucas stammered.

James nodded, his expression a mix of sheepishness and pride as he looked down at Victoria. "We've been seeing each other for a while now."

"Since when?" Lucas asked, he turned to me and said, "I told you so."

I couldn't help but break out into a small fit of giggles. "I knew you would say that when you found out."

"Since we won our championship game," James explained, grabbing Victoria's hand. "It's not really official yet."

Victoria, probably not wanting to discuss the topic of her unconfirmed relationship with James, looked to Lucas. "Can you guys forgive us? We never meant to hurt either of you."

Lucas gave me a stare full of remorse. "We really didn't. We only wanted to help, and we were always going to end the agreement once your debts were paid off. I don't want any part of my father's plans."

I didn't know how to respond. The betrayal ran deep, and forgiveness felt like a distant possibility.

Lucas hadn't done anything to be malicious, but he still lied to me about it. I couldn't wrap my head around that. Why couldn't he just be honest?

I would've been upset if I knew, but at least I would know.

I wasn't sure what would hurt more, knowing or not knowing.

The room was thick with tension as James and I exchanged glances. Lucas and Victoria waited for our response, their gazes expectant but also worried

James decided to break the silence first, his voice edged with frustration. "Why do you always have to keep everything a secret, Lucas? Like Shana said, if you would've just been honest from the beginning, none of this would have happened."

"I know that, but you don't see it from my perspective." Lucas sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I knew you wouldn't let me go through with it if I told you the truth. I thought I was doing the right thing, helping Shana."

I couldn't hold back my anger. "The right thing? Deception and lies? That's your idea of helping me?"

"Shana, please." Lucas looked genuinely remorseful. "I didn't expect it to go this far. I never thought it would hurt you both this much. I never wanted you to find out like this."

"You never wanted us to find out at all, did you?" I asked. "Be honest, would you have told me if we didn't find out on our own?"

"I would've told you that I helped pay off your debt," Lucas admitted. "If you asked me how... I don't know what I would've said, but I wouldn't want to hurt you either."

James and I exchanged a glance, still unsure whether we could forgive them. The wounds were still very fresh, and the trust I had was slowly crumbling.

Finally, James spoke, "We need time to process all of this."

"I understand," Lucas said with a nod. "Take all the time you need."

James looked to Victoria, "Do you need a ride home? I'm going to head out."

She nodded, and the two of them bid us their goodbyes as they left the room.

Before James walked out, he turned to me. "If you need anything, text me."

"Okay," I said with a nod. "Thank you, James."

He gave me a curt nod and followed Victoria out of the front door.

Now that Lucas and I were in the room alone, the weight of the situation clung to us.

This was the first time we were truly alone since everything had gone down. It was an uncomfortable silence because I wasn't sure how I was supposed to act around him now.

I didn't know what more there was to say. The way I felt about him had felt twisted somehow, and James was right. It was too soon for me to forgive Lucas. I needed time to process things.

I couldn't shake the feeling of disappointment and hurt. Lucas had always been secretive, but I never thought it would lead to something like this.

That was my main problem with him, his constant lies. I didn't understand how he could lie to my face so easily. Didn't he feel bad? Didn't he care?

Why does he always have to keep secrets? It's like he's incapable of being straightforward, meanwhile, I've been nothing but honest with him.

I've told him about all of my struggles. He's the only person who knows about my White Wolf, besides Professor Black, and all the symptoms I was facing even before that.

At times, it felt like I trusted Lucas more than he trusted me. I'd never done anything to make him think otherwise. I don't know why he was treating me this way.

I wondered if Grandma Jo had overheard any of Lucas's confession and what she would think.

Knowing how opinionated and overprotective she had grown about me, I felt like she would be on my side here. Lucas wasn't behaving the way he should be. If anything, he was acting more like Kendrick.

I wondered how his relationship with his father would be now. If Kendrick had declared Lucas's was no longer the heir... where did that leave things?

I knew Kendrick would never fully cut Lucas out of his life. I think a small part of him still wants Lucas to be involved in the family business, but it's the only way he can threaten him to listen.

Not only had Lucas probably ruined whatever trust he had with his father, but he had chipped away at ours. Could I really trust anything that came out of his mouth? Or would I have to be cautious now and protect myself from further hurt?

Lucas stared at me carefully and he opened his mouth to speak. I could tell he was fighting a battle in his head, to speak or not to speak.

He decided to break the silence. "I think I'll move back to Grandma Jo's. My father probably never wants to see me again after all this."

I hesitated for a moment. I hadn't even considered that Lucas would need to move back here. A part of me was thrilled that I would get to see him everyday again, but another part of me wanted to shield my emotions.

"Does Grandma Jo know?" I asked.

Lucas shook his head. "Not yet, but I think she'll be okay with it."

I went to reply but my phone began to ring. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, expecting the call to be from James, but my heart sank when I saw the name on the screen.

It was my father.