Aurora Walton and Lucas Carter novel Chapter 1749

Because she couldn’t let herself drift into Lucas’ warm harbor, only to end up cut off from the world and burying every bit of talent she had.

If that really happened, she wouldn’t be any different from dead weight.

“You don’t have to worry. If I need help, I’ll come to you. You’ve already seen it—I’m willing to seek you out when it comes to my family. That alone shows I’m ready to take that step toward you.”

“That’s a very good start.”

Lucas lifted the corner of his mouth and leaned closer, settling down beside her.

“I hope one day you’ll rely on me completely.”

He took her hand and pressed it into his palm, his gaze softening as he looked at her delicate fingers.

“I don’t want that.”

Aurora pulled her hand free, her expression changing.

“Why not?”

Lucas genuinely didn’t understand what the problem was.

In his mind, he was only trying to help.

What was wrong with wanting to spare his wife from hardship?

She deserved better—he wanted her to stay home, rest, and take care of herself.

All the stress of making money could fall on him.

“Because I don’t want to lose touch with the world, and I don’t want to rely on you for everything. If you’re working that hard, I’ll worry about you too.”

“I already had Desmond look into it. That man really is Tessa’s father.”

“Do you have proof?”

Even though Aurora already had her own guess, hearing the truth still stung.

But once the sting faded, she felt strangely calm. Everything was still within her expectations, and she’d prepared herself for it.

“These are photos of their meetings.” Lucas pulled up the pictures Desmond had sent on his phone.

As he scrolled, he explained gently, “They meet on a regular pattern. And sometimes they even greet each other with a warm hug. The photos show everything.”

Hearing this, Aurora didn’t know how to feel. Instead, she simply asked in an even tone, “When did they start contacting each other and meeting up?”

Lucas glanced at her calm expression and felt a faint, unexpected unease.