I’m Always His Second Priority Novel

Lucas was released . The investigation confirmed he hadn't known the truth . He was just unbearably foolish . Afterward , he came to see me once . It was right outside my apartment building . That day , Adriel had come to pick up me and Jason . We had just stepped out of the front gate when I saw him . Lucas stood under a tree , thinner than before and older too . His hair had gone noticeably gray . He looked at us - at Adriel holding Jason in his arms . His lips trembled as if he wanted to speak . Adriel immediately stepped in front of me , shielding us .

" Is there something you need ?" he asked coolly . Lucas ' eyes shifted past him and landed on me . " Julia , I ... " He couldn't get the rest out . Tears spilled down his face . A man nearing 40 was crying like a lost child in front of me . " I'm sorry , " he said in a broken voice . " I ruined everything ... " I lost you too ... " 0.00 % 11:02 He kept talking in fragments , voice shaking . I looked at him and felt nothing . There was no hatred or pity , just a quiet detachment as if I were watching a stranger I used to know . " Lucas , " I said softly . " It's over .

" That made him ery harder . " It's not over for me ... Julia , it's not . Every night I dream about Jason's birthday celebration . If I hadn't walked out and stayed , maybe we ... " " There's no ' maybe , " I cut him off . " Even without Oliver and Isabelle , we still wouldn't have lasted . " Because in your heart , there was always something more important than me . " Your cases . Your guilt . Your savior complex . " And I only ever wanted to be my partner's first choice . The one and only , without a single doubt . " Adriel's fingers tightened around mine .

Lucas looked down at our intertwined hands . The light in his eyes went out completely . He knew , finally , that he had lost me for good . Without another word , he turned and walked away . His figure stretched long and thin in the fading sunlight . He looked lonely . Adriel drove me to the river after that . We stood by the river , the wind soft against our faces . " Do you still love him ? " Adriel asked suddenly . I thought about it for a long time . " Maybe ... I loved the boy he was at 20 , who stood so confidently in the mock courtroom .

The man 16.80 % 11:02 at 30 , who won his first acquittal and held me afterward , promising he would use the law to protect me for the rest of my life . " But I don't love the man who let guilt crush him , who forgot what was right and wrong . " That man died the day he walked out on Jason's birthday celebration . " Adriel pulled me into his arms . " Yeah . " he murmured . " He's gone . And the one standing next to you now is me . " I rested my head on his shoulder , watching the sun sink behind the water . I knew then that my new life had begun . Adriel and I got married .

It was a simple ceremony , just close family . There was no chaos or spectacle like the birthday celebration , only peace and warmth . During our vows , he looked straight into my eyes and said , " Juliana , from this day on , you are my first choice . My only choice . Beyond any doubt . " I smiled through tears . After we married , we had a daughter - a sweet , lively little girl . Adriel was a wonderful husband and an even better father . He said he never wanted to miss a single moment of our children growing up . Life felt like a dream . I heard about Lucas from Zachary .

We hadn't seen each other in years and ran into each other by chance at a gathering . He told me Lucas had lost his law license . His parents had fallen ill , one after the other , unable to bear the shame . He sold his house and his firm to pay their medical bills , but in the end , they both passed away . Now he lived alone , taking odd jobs to survive . 41.59 % 11:02 288 ( Vouchers He refused help from anyone . He had also remained single ever since . That whole fiasco destroyed everything he had . Zachary sighed . " His life is basically over . " I said nothing .

Both Oliver and Isabelle were convicted on multiple charges and sentenced to life in prison . Justice , finally , had its say . But Lucas hadn't broken any laws . Still , it was as if he had been sentenced to a life sentence handed down by his own choices . He was trapped forever in that same tragic past . Once , Adriel and I took the kids to the park . From a distance , I thought I saw a familiar figure . A man was sitting alone on a bench , feeding pigeons . He had gray hair and hunched shoulders . Adriel followed my gaze . " Is that him ? " I nodded .

Just then , our daughter , Deborah Gibson , dropped her ice cream and burst into tears . I turned quickly , crouched down , and wiped her face . Adriel scooped her into his arms . " I will get you another one , okay ? No more tears . " She giggled again . The four of us laughed , teased each other , and walked away together . I didn't look back . 69.29 % 11:02 But I knew the man on the bench was still watching us . His eyes would follow us for a long , long time until we disappeared completely from his sight . It was just the same when I once watched him walk away without hesitation .

We had both stood at the crossroads of our lives . He chose his ideals , and I chose myself . Now , everything had finally settled . We had gone on to live entirely different lives . In the end , it was all just about choices - each of us made our own and lived with the consequences . That was all there was to it . The end . 89.57 %