But he wasn't Lucas.
She had no intention of repeating her past mistakes.
"I don't know you. Either I help you report this to the police, or I'm going home," Aveline said coldly.
The man continued to stare at her, his eyes resembling Lucas'. However, unlike Lucas' intense gaze, his eyes were filled with a pitiable innocence, as pure as a blank slate. Aveline turned to leave. "Let's go home." Selena followed her, asking, "Are you really going to leave him there?" Aveline responded, "Why should I care?" Selena teased, "I thought you might take him in, maybe relive sold feelings. After all, situations like this don't happen every day." Aveline sighed. "Do I look like I have that much free time?" Selena chuckled, glancing back to see the man still standing there, watching them, looking every bit like a lost puppy.
"He's still looking at us," Selena noted.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAveline got into the car. "You go ahead. I'll park the car." "Okay." Once Aveline returned to her apartment, she collapsed onto the sofa, staring up at the intricate ceiling, her thoughts in disarray.
Images kept flashing in her mind-one moment, it was the first tshe met Lucas, and the next, it was the encounter at the entrance of the complex.
The scenes overlapped and intertwined, the faces of the two men merging in her mind, pushing her nerves to their limit.
Aveline closed her eyes, realizing she couldn't stay idle. She needed something to do.
She went straight to her study and started sketching.
Immersing herself in work helped her forget those unsettling thoughts, and before she knew it, the evening had arrived. Her phone rang.
"Hello?" she answered, rubbing her temples.
Lucas' deep, resonant voice cthrough. "Why haven't you cyet?" Aveline paused, glancing at the time, and realized it was already dinner time.
She replied, "Oh, I lost track of twhile sketching. Just wait a bit, I'll go make dinner now." Since he was her main benefactor, she kept her tone friendly.
She went to the kitchen, quickly prepared a couple of dishes, and then headed to the hospital.
As she left the complex, she glanced toward the roadside and saw the man still in the sspot, now sitting on the curb with his gaze lowered.
Aveline pressed her lips together briefly as her car passed by him.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmWhen she arrived at the hospital, Aveline opened the food containeret two sets of utensils, and sat by the bed, starting to Lucas watched her, his eyes deep and a rare gentle emotion flickering in their depths.
Aveline spoke, "Lately, I've encountered sstrange things! You should have someone look into it. I don't want any more trouble." "Tell me," Lucas responded.
Aveline then recounted the incident with the man she'd met.
Hearing this, Lucas frowned slightly. He took out his phone and made a quick call, giving a few instructions before turning back to her. "Don't worry. He won't bother you again." Aveline nodded. "Well done." Lucas was at a loss.
Despite their calm interaction and the unusually harmonious atmosphere, even her rare praise didn't bring him any joy. There was a heavy feeling in his chest, like a dark cloud hanging over his heart, refusing to lift. She seemed gentle, but the distance between them only grew wider.
At that moment, Aveline added, "Tomorrow is the last day. After that, I won't be coming anymore." X