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Inside the car, there was a silence that yearned to be broken But by looking at Ava’s face, Luke thought he should keep driving without asking her anything.
After a long drive, he pulled over the car to a coffee shop.
Ava opened the door without saying anything and got out of the car.
Luke stepped down from the car and followed Ava inside the coffee shop.
He had been observing her sullen mood for a while. When they were in her house, he was waiting for her to have a conversation. But when she returned, she was empty–handed and asked him to go to the coffee shop he had previously decided on.
From then on, she remained silent and looked angry.
Luke pulled out a chair for her. She looked at him. There was a sudden amazement in her eyes. But then it immediately faded.
“Thank you,” Ava said and sat down on the chair.
Luke took a seat across from her and asked,
“Ava, what’s wrong? You look mad. Have I done anything wrong?”
Ava shook her head and replied almost immediately,
“No, no. Did I make you feel like that? I am so sorry, Luke.”
He smiled as he noticed her mood returning to normal.
“Relax, Ava. I was just asking. You didn’t make me feel like that.”
Ava let out a sigh and leaned her back against her chair.
She was not mad at Luke but at Ian.
She was mad at herself too. How could she almost believe the things he had said to her? And why did she think that was even possible?
‘Even if what he said was true, I should ignore him. I will never forgive him. I should not. What he did to me was brutal,‘ she thought.
W
“You are lost again,” Luke said, staring at her.
She tried to pay attention to Luke. “Listen, Luke. I am just mad at Ian. Nothing else.”
Luke’s brows lifted as he looked perplexed. “Ian?”
“Yeah, He…”
She thought she should not tell him what Ian had said to her. She did not need to.
She disregarded both Ian’s warning and his continued mockery of her. She focused on Luke.
“Forget it, Luke. Tell me. You wanted to say something.”
Luke’s face turned calm as he grinned at her. “Since you are mad today. Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”
She shook her head. “I am not mad. At least not to you.”
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Luke’s grin broadened. “By the way, you don’t look good in anger. I like your smiley face. Always try to smile.”
His words caused Ava to pause. She blinked her eyes. Her cheeks were getting hot.
She chuckled while nodding her head. She patted her cheeks and mumbled,
“Let’s order some coffee.”
“Yeah.”
Luke called a waiter and ordered two cups of cappuccino for them.
Luke asked how her study was going and if she had any problems with any subjects. She said she would try to study hard to get good marks for this semester.
Luke seemed to be twisting the conversation and turning it into something personal.
“You know everything about me, Ava. I want someone who will be loyal to me. How about you?”
Ava paused, sipping coffee as she glanced at him. She cleared her throat and placed the cup on the table.
“Me?” she asked with a shy smile.
“Yes. Who is your dreamy boy? What kind of boy do you like?”
Ava’s smile faded. She lowered her head, looking at the coffee.
She moved her finger on the cup and mumbled,
“Dreamy boy? I used to have a crush on someone,” she said, thinking about the person she was in love with.
Luke froze as if he did not expect Ava to be in love with someone. Gazing at her, he allowed her to speak.
“I thought it was just a crush. But when I got closer to him, I realized it was love. I could not just stop myself from thinking about him. I tried to forget him but could not stop my heart.”
She closed her eyes as she took a long pause. She recalled Ian’s closeness in the kitchen.
Her eyes flung open as she realized that she was thinking about him again.
She slowly looked at Luke, who looked serious.
“Luke, I-”
Luke interrupted her and asked,
“Is he Jan?”
Her eyes widened. Was she too obvious?
She looked away from him.
She felt a hand reaching out for hers. Luke held her hands and said,
“Ava looked at me.”
She returned her gaze at him. He took a deep breath and said,
“Listen, you are talking about your past. I know you don’t love him anymore, not after the rejection.”
There was no doubt that she did not love him anymore. In fact, she believed that she hated him from the core of
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her heart.
“Yes, I don’t love him anymore. I have hated him from the day he rejected me as his mate. It is not just the rejection; it is also how he treated and insulted me after discovering I was his mate.”
Luke exhaled and nodded his head. “I trust you.”
Ava averted her gaze away from him when she saw him looking at their hands.
She glanced at their hands. He rubbed her hand gently and muttered,
“He is a bad boy, Ava. I have known him since middle school.”
She looked at him, intent on listening.
“He was arrogant from his childhood. A spoiled rich brat. He is not spoiled by his parents. But this is the way he made himself.”
She frowned at him. “This is the way?”
“He not only sleeps with girls, but he also smokes, consumes excessive alcohol, and attends car races for money. That is why he does not care, even if his dad cuts him off from anywhere. He has his own way to live his life.”
Ava’s lips trembled. It seemed that Ian was worse than she had thought.
She pulled her hand away from Luke’s. She got to her feet and uttered,
“I think we should leave now.”
As just she turned around to leave the coffee shop, Luke stood up and said,
