CHAPTER 34

Estella braced herself and tried not to cry, but it was useless. "Sorry," she said, her voice breaking. "I know that you're struggling now because of me. You were able to disobey your mommy because of me, and you were able to let go of your dreams because of me. I hindered the good plan of your parents for you.." She cried because of the tears in her eyes and the lump in her throat.

She tried to hide her feelings from the young man, but Lucius could see her sadness. His two hands caressed her face and gently wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I'm so sorry," he said softly, eyes full of compassion. "Estella, you don't need to worry about those. I'll make the way clear."

"No, I don't want to. I'm the source of all of your problems, so I should be the one to disappear from your life so you don't have to suffer through this anymore."

The young man sighed heavily, then stared in disbelief into her eyes. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want to fix this on my own. It's up to me to clean up