CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Lucas's POV

I walked into my house, my mind still filled with thoughts of Claire. Her smile, her laugh, the way she felt in my arms. God, I missed her already and it had only been an hour since I left her office. My fingers itched to call her, just to hear her voice again.

I pulled out my phone, ready to dial, when a sharp voice cut through the quiet. "And what the hell did you do to Chloe?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin, whirling to find my mother perched on the couch, arms crossed and eyes cold. "Jesus, Mom! You scared me."

She stood, mouth pinched tight. "Answer the question, Lucas. What did you do?"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Look, Chloe needs to accept that she and I were never going to work. We're just not right for each other."

Mom's face reddened. "How dare you say that? Have you lost your mind?"

Frustration filled me, hot and sharp. I was so tired of this same old argument. "Enough, Mom. I'm not marrying Chloe and that's final. The sooner you accept that, the