He'd politely turn them down, but shaking them off was another story.

Lucas treated every girl with a gentleman's charm.

At school, though, we were like ships passing in the night—barely a word exchanged.

In private, when we dated, I'd often give him the cold shoulder, stewing in silence.

But I'm a soft touch. A few pet names and sweet nothings from him, and I'd melt, forgiving him every time.

Then he'd pile on the demands, and they were always a tall order.

Our dates? Mostly just hookups, with little else on the agenda.

Eventually, I snapped out of it.

Back then, I was just a convenient outlet for the fiery, young Lucas to blow off steam.

A compliant tool, easy to fool. Lucas didn't realize how much that thrilled him.

His fingers crept around my waist, tightening bit by bit.

"Emma, I'm back, aren't I?"

He whispered in my ear, "But what's this I hear? You've been seeing another guy, letting him kiss you, talking marriage?"

I chuckled and forcefully loosened his grip.

"Lucas."

I spun around, my gaze cold and detached, "It's been eight years."

The night was pitch-black, but his features were strikingly clear and handsome.

I averted my eyes, "Don't come around here anymore. I'm about to get married. Wouldn't be good if my boyfriend got wind of this."

Lucas stayed silent but lifted his hand.

I watched him rip open his shirt, revealing a nasty scar over his heart, like a close call with a bullet.

He grabbed my hand, his face blank, and pressed it to the scar.

"Emma, tell me you don't love me anymore with your hand on my heart."

I brushed against the coarse scar and instinctively pulled back.

Lucas rolled up his sleeves once more.

The scars on his wrists were a shocking sight.

"Emma, you've been on my mind every single day for the past eight years."

"I nearly died trying to make it back to you."

Speaking, he offered a wry smile, then rolled his sleeves back down.

"Just say you don't love Lucas anymore, and I'll disappear forever, never to haunt you again."

"Couldn't you have sent a letter, made a call, or shot a text if you couldn't bring youself back?"

My voice trembled, and tears were already streaming down my face.

"I sent you a letter."

Lucas looked me straight in the eye, "But Emma, you never got back to me."

"Impossible. I didn't get anything."

Lucas frowned, then sneered, "Right, that letter must've been intercepted."

"Your parents?"

"Yeah, they've been dead set on marrying me off to some high-society gal, went to great lengths to cut me off."

"And those scars?"

"Got them trying to fight my way back to you, playing a dangerous game with my life as the stake."

Lucas mocked himself, his eyes tinted red, "Sounds pretty juvenile and ridiculous, huh?"

"Have you seriously thought about coming back for me, Lucas?"

"Over and over."

Suddenly, I covered my face, dropped to my knees, and cried out loud.

Emma, burdened and alone for so long, feeling like she might finally let go.

"Don't cry, I'm right here now, Emma."

"Nobody's tearing us apart anymore..."

Lucas wrapped me in his arms, patting my back with a soothing rhythm.

I cried my eyes out, and when the tears finally dried, my eyes were swollen shut.

Lucas dabbed at my tears, "Why are you still a crybaby, just like back in the day?"

"Lucas."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for letting me know."

I brushed his fingers off again, "It showed me I wasn't totally off my rocker."

"Seeing you thriving, I'm genuinely glad for you, Lucas."

"So what's that supposed to mean?"

"We're worlds apart now, and I'm not the dreamer I once was."

My eyes lingered on his face, taking it all in.

"I'm about to get married and settle down."

"I loved you deeply, but Lucas, I've truly let you go."

Lucas's expression turned stormy.

I gave him one last look, then dropped my head and walked away, "Lucas, don't come looking for me anymore."

"Think your fiancé would still walk down the aisle if he knew about your puppy love?"

My feet felt like they were stuck in cement.

Lucas's voice was soft but hit me like a ton of bricks.

The tension I'd bottled up for eight years just shattered.

I spun around, tears flooding, and my bag smacked him hard across his body and face.

Lucas took it on the chin, letting me vent my rage.

"Lucas, how could you even go there?"

"Who was it that promised the moon only to pull a fast one?"

"I was just a kid, Lucas! All I cared about was acing tests, how could you play me like that?"

"I'd been on pills for two years, did everything you wanted—what did I get for it?"

"Lucas, you dropped me first. You're the one who let me down."

I slowly caught my breath, clutching my bag, glaring at the mark the chain had left on Lucas's face.

"Go ahead, tell him. If he's gonna dump me over being conned and pushed around when I was young and dumb, then he ain't the man I thought he was."

Lucas touched the red mark on his face.

His eyes were red, blood surging.

And it added a wild charm to his striking looks.

"Emma, that's just how I roll. You pushed me to it."

He propped himself against the car and whipped out his phone.

"Find Emma Bennett's boyfriend for me."

Lucas flicked a cigarette into his mouth and bit down, "Dig up his info and hit me up, stat."

He finished, "And ring up my old school pals. I'm throwing a reunion and I've got news to share."

"Lucas, cut it out!"

At my wit's end, I whirled around, tears streaming, "What's your endgame?!"

"I'm not up to anything, just gonna spill some tea with the old gang about you and me."

Lucas hung up nonchalantly. He eyed me like I was prey in his trap.

"Lucas, what do I gotta do for you to cut me loose?"

I murmured, "I'll quit my job tomorrow. Better yet, I'll leave town and you'll never see me again, deal?"

Lucas cast his eyes down and fired up a cigarette.

As he neared the butt, he got serious. "Emma, remember how you used to chill me out when I was ticked off? Slipped your mind?"

I snapped my head up, startled.

Lucas stamped out his cigarette, fiddled with his cufflinks, and suggested, "Emma, it's been ages—how about inviting me up for a bit?"

That's how it was when Lucas first waltzed into my life.

He held all the cards, easily pulling my strings.

Naive and gullible eight years back, I fell right into his trap.

After he ghosted, I was still there, holding the bag like a chump.

Until my college bestie, Jessica Morris, couldn't take it anymore and laid into me.

"Emma, hit up anyone at school. Does anyone's long-distance thing look like yours? Ever think Lucas has been playing you since day one?"

Why hadn't that crossed my mind?

I was just kidding myself.

The first guy a girl falls hard for, the kind everyone can't take their eyes off.

Unbelievably, he picked a nobody like me.

I figured I was living the dream and didn't want the wake-up call.

But when reality hit me woke, and Lucas popped up again,

I realized, whether it was eight years ago or now,

I was just a pawn in Lucas's game.

Maybe my dazed look was what he found amusing.

He sauntered over and casually brushed the hair from my forehead, "Emma, how about we hit the reset button?"

His voice low, soothing, like those times when I was secretly upset and he'd smooth things over.

"You've always been a good girl, Emma, right? Dump that guy, and let's pretend this is all water under the bridge."

Lucas moved in to kiss me, his tongue sliding past my lips effortlessly.

But I shoved him back hard, "Lucas, I'll say it one more time, I'm getting married."

Lucas showed no reaction, his face a mask.

I turned on my heel and left.

Lucas flipped open a cigarette case with a snap.

"Emma, remember where we did it for the first time?"

I froze, turning back to him in shock.

Lucas gave a slight smile, "Downtown, in my penthouse."

His grin widened, his eyes gleaming mischievously, "I've got the whole place wired, high-def cams everywhere, even by the bed."

I shivered, my face ghost-white.

"You were barely grown then, Emma..."

Lucas seemed lost in the memory, his eyes narrowing, "You were breathtaking back then."

"Pure as cream, sweet as a peach. When I'd taste you, it was like...the juice just spilled everywhere..."

"Stop, Lucas, just stop..."

I clamped my hands over my ears, not wanting to soak up any more of his crud.

When Lucas drew me into his arms, I was too broken down to resist.

Small-town girls like me, we don't see much of the world.

Too easy to fall for the wrong guy.

To think, a girl seen as the epitome of purity by everyone, could harbor such a sordid, secret life.

My parents are just ordinary, stick-to-the-rules people, and their circle is plain and decent.