Don’t Fall for the Billionaire Lover
Chapter 53

In the evening, Chloe walked back into Moncada Estate. Joshua was in the study, practicing his calligraphy. Tara had just returned from the spa, and Antonio was in the garden, trimming the flowers and bushes. Everything seemed normal.

Like always, Chloe headed to the study first to keep Joshua company for a bit, chatting casually. After a while, she went to her room and began packing her belongings. She was planning to move out. Truth be told, Chloe hadn't lived at Moncada Estate every single day. She often stayed elsewhere, and they were used to it. But this time, she intended to leave for good.

After living there for three years, she felt a pang of sadness. The Moncadas had treated her like their own daughter, giving her a safe haven during the darkest times of her life. Sometimes, she thought that if Lucas hadn't come back, living with the Moncadas forever wouldn't have been so bad.

But ever since Lucas returned, everything seemed to go off course. Connor was right: Lucas would never change, and she and Lucas had become like parallel lines - never to come together again. What was the point of holding onto this hopeless belief?

Maybe it was time to let go and start a new chapter in her life.

She was lost in her thoughts and was startled when the door to her room was suddenly thrown open. Lucas stood in the doorway, fuming. He stormed in and grabbed Chloe's arm, shoving her hard. Chloe, who had been crouching down and packing, fell to the floor.

"Lucas, what the hell is your problem?" Chloe shouted, not holding back.

"Chloe, you've got some nerve asking me that. What did you do to Linda? She almost had a miscarriage because of you!"

The word "miscarriage" made Chloe flinch. Lucas glared at her innocent expression and let out a cold laugh. "Don't play innocent. You stole Linda's interview and even slapped her in public. Chloe, how did you become so cruel? If anything happens to Linda's baby, I'll never forgive you."

Chloe finally snapped out of her shock. She stood up and calmly fixed her hair. "Did Linda tell you I stole her interview?"

"She didn't need to. I know you. You've always been competitive. When we were kids, whatever I did, you had to do too. You were always trying to outshine me, always stealing the spotlight." Lucas' lips curled into a bitter smile. "You treated me that way, so why wouldn't you treat Linda the same?"

Chloe had always been like that. When Lucas picked up golf as a kid, she joined in and always outplayed him, earning everyone's praise. When he switched to chess, she followed and ended up winning awards and becoming the grandmaster's prized student. His frustration drove him to quit chess altogether. Then he took up taekwondo, and she did, too, reaching the black belt level while he was still at a lower level. Throughout their childhood, he could never win against her.

It seemed like he had always lived in her shadow.

Chloe was taken aback by Lucas bringing up their childhood. Yes, she had always followed whatever Lucas did as a kid. She just wanted to spend more time with him, so she took an interest in what he liked. She never intended to outshine him or take anything from him. She never cared for titles or glory.