Chapter 40
Apr 17, 2025
The next morning, Felicia sat stiffly at the dining table, her hands gripping the edges of her chair as if the wood could anchor her.
Across from her, Lucien ate his breakfast with an unsettling calmness, his dark eyes occasionally flicking up to her.
Neither of them said a word about what had happened last night.
About the kiss.
About how she had pressed her lips to his just to keep him from noticing the book she had hidden under her dress.
About how he had kissed her back.
Felicia swallowed hard, focusing on her plate. She had barely touched her food. The tension in the air was unbearable.
Lucien, however, seemed completely unbothered. He sipped his coffee, looking at her with that same unreadable expression he always had when he was deep in thought.
She hated it.
Hated that he wasn’t saying anything.
Is he waiting for me to say something?
She had run away after the kiss, not even waiting to see his reaction. And now, it was like nothing had happened.
Finally, Lucien set his fork down and leaned back in his chair.
“Are you going to keep avoiding me?”
Felicia nearly choked on her tea. She set the cup down hastily, avoiding his gaze. “I’m not avoiding you.”
Lucien smirked slightly, tilting his head. “No? Then why did you run away last night?”
Felicia clenched her jaw. “I was tired.”
Lucien let out a low, knowing hum. “Right.”
He didn’t push further, but the small smirk on his lips told her he wasn’t letting this go.
Felicia couldn’t take it anymore. She pushed back her chair, standing abruptly. “I should get the boys ready for the day.”
Lucien raised a brow, watching her as she quickly turned and hurried out of the room like she was being chased.
She didn’t stop until she reached her room, closing the door behind her.
Felicia’s breathing was uneven, her heart still racing.
Why did I do that?
Why did I kiss him?
She shook her head, forcing the thought away. She had bigger things to worry about.
Like the notebook.
Like the old woman’s warning.
Like the name of the woman who had come before her.
Felicia sat on the edge of her bed, pulling the book from beneath her pillow. She flipped it open, her eyes skimming over the pages.
She needed more answers.
She turned another page—when something fell out.
A picture.
Felicia reached down, picking it up—and let out a loud, startled gasp.
Her hands trembled as she stared at the woman in the photo.
It was Danielle.
***
Felicia’s fingers trembled as she turned the photo over, her heart pounding as she read the words scrawled in faded ink.
“Siblings Forever – L & D.”
Her breath hitched, her mind struggling to piece it together.
L & D.
Her eyes darted back to the photo, her stomach twisting. It was Lucien and… Danielle.
A cold shiver ran down her spine.
Lucien and Danielle are siblings?
The revelation made her chest tighten. The way Lucien had reacted when he found out Danielle was behind everything—it hadn’t just been anger.
It had been personal.
Felicia flipped through more pages of the notebook, her hands shaking.
There were more pictures of Lucien and Danielle together, some from childhood, others when they were older. They were always close—too close.
She swallowed hard, her fingers tightening around the edges of the pages as she turned them faster, searching for more answers.
Then, another name caught her eye.
Georgina.
Felicia’s heartbeat skipped.
In one of the older photographs, a woman stood beside Lucien. She had soft brown curls, gentle green eyes, and a warm smile.
She was beautiful—but there was something tragic in her gaze, like she had been carrying a burden too heavy for her heart to bear.
Felicia’s chest tightened as she flipped to the next page—only to let out a small, shocked gasp.
A picture of Georgina, standing by a window, her hand resting on her swollen pregnant belly.
Felicia’s breath caught.
Lucien is a father? she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Her mind spun wildly. Why had he never mentioned this? Where was Georgina now? And… what happened to their child?
She flipped through more pages, looking for any mention of a birth, a child’s name, a clue—but before she could find anything, she heard a deep, low voice behind her.
“Is that why you kissed me?”
Felicia froze, her breath stopping mid-inhale.
A cold wave of panic crawled up her spine.
She turned slowly, clutching the notebook tightly against her chest, her heart hammering against her ribs.
Lucien stood in the doorway, his dark eyes locked onto her, his face unreadable.
Felicia swallowed hard.
She had been caught.
