Lethal Temptation (by Michelle Ray) novel Chapter 184

<184 The Picture Over The Bed-1

184 The Picture Over The Bed-1

Lucian

I followed his scent, half-expecting it to lead me to his office. But it didn’t. It led me somewhere I had

never been.

His bedroom.

Martha never allowed me near it when I was younger, and over the years, I simply stopped trying. Now, standing before the door, slightly ajar, I realized this was my first time seeing it from the inside.

The space was larger than mine, with a sitting area that mirrored the design of my own wing. But it was

the bedroom that stopped me.

He was there, standing by the open closet, pulling out clothes and items, stuffing them into a suitcase. The man looked like he was already halfway out of this life.

I stepped further in, and my eyes caught on the framed picture above the bed. My mother.

I stared at it for a moment. The elegance in her smile. The grace she always carried. And I realized,

Martha had been sleeping in this room, under that picture, for over two decades. That wasn’t marriage.

That was penance.

“Get the fuck out,” my father growled, not even turning around.

I didn’t move.

“I’m sorry, Father,” I said, voice quiet but steady. “I’m sorry I insinuated you had anything to do with her

death.”

He paused, then looked up. His eyes were red, swollen, raw. The man had been crying long before I ever walked in. He studied me for a moment, trying to see if my apology was real.

Then his shoulders sank. He sighed.

“I’m not over it, Lucian,” he said. “It still feels like yesterday. Every day, I wake up and… I expect her.

Sometimes, I wish I had eaten that damn meal with her.”

He wiped his face with the back of his hand.

“She was so full of life. So smart. I loved her. We eloped, you know? Not for wealth or status, I wasn’t rich then. I was just running my family’s little business. She had more money than I did, but none of that

mattered.”

He sat heavily on the edge of the bed, lost in memory.

“When we got married, we merged our companies. She held the majority shares, it was her name on everything. I insisted. I wanted her family to know I wasn’t with her for money. I loved her for who she was.

184 The Picture Over The Bed 1

His voice cracked.

“I was never going to give Darian anything except Mooncrest. That was his. He’s my son too, I couldn’t leave him with nothing. But Driftwake? Steel Corp? That was yours. Always.”

He looked up at me.

“I already made the transfer before Lydia wrote me that letter. Go check the records if you don’t believe

1. The dates are all there. I put your name on the documents when you were ten.”

I blinked.

“Natasha left you her share in her will. And I gave you mine. All of it. I only said she owned everything so

Martha wouldn’t start making demands. You know how she is.”

He let out a breath, shaking his head.

“Natasha was the reason the Nighthorn business survived. We built Steel Corp together. I couldn’t let another woman touch it. I couldn’t let it be tarnished. I… couldn’t let go.”

He went quiet, then patted the space beside him.

I crossed the room and sat down.

For a moment, we just sat there, side by side. Two men linked by grief, legacy, and a love neither of us had truly been able to put into words.

He hadn’t been perfect.

But neither had I.

And somehow, this quiet moment felt like the first time we had truly seen each other in years.

“I loved your mother,” my father said, his voice soft, his gaze distant. “We met in Neev. Fell hard. She was…

everything.”

He looked over at me.

“Mara reminds me of her. Strong. Opinionated. But kind, nurturing. Wise. That was why I chose her for you. Everything I told her parents the day we arranged the marriage, I meant it. It had nothing to do with

Martha.”

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He exhaled, slow and heavy.

“I wanted the best for you, Lucian. And Mara was the best. I don’t regret it. I’ve never seen you this happy before.”

There was a pause, then a confession that dug deeper.

“I first spoke to the Thornridges about it when she was seventeen. Aiden said no. But I waited. Watched. I

hated every second she spent with Darian. I thought she’d go down the same path as those other girls…

but she didn’t. She held on to herself. She’s loyal. She’s strong. And you’re better with her.”

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“Yes, she challenges me. Sometimes she’s blunt. Disrespectful even. But I see the way she looks at you. I see how you are with her. And I love you enough to be glad, even when I disagree.”

I looked at him for a moment, then asked the question that had sat in my chest since I got back.

“Then why did you cheat?”

His shoulders dropped.

“I didn’t.”

He met my gaze, unwavering.

“Katya has always been… poison. Paranoid, bitter, and always waiting for me to slip. From day one, she made Natasha question everything, my motives, my love, my loyalty. Being married to the last of the Redlocks wasn’t easy, Lucian. Especially with that woman around.”

He rubbed his forehead, the memories weighing him down.

“Your mother and I were struggling to conceive. I was willing to wait, but she was determined. She wanted a child, desperately. She brought up the idea of a surrogate. I didn’t like it. We argued. A lot.”

Then he looked at me. “She wanted to go to Neev. She said the women there would do it for money.”

I interrupted, uncertain. “But… Aunt Katya said you pressured her. That she only agreed because of you.”

His face twisted, a mix of pain and disgust.

“Katya said whatever suited her narrative. I never pressured Natasha. I swear to you, it was her idea. Katya promised she’d find someone in Neev. I didn’t want to go, but I went, for Natasha. But when we got there…”

He shook his head.

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