Chapter 21 & Chapter 21 20 vouchers Lucas , swayed by Olivia and Noel's advice , decided to wait for Natasha to apologize first before forgiving her . But as he stared at his silent phone day after day , it suddenly hit him - over half a month had passed . They'd never gone this long without contact before . Regret crept in . He knew Natasha was stubborn . ' Why did I have to pick a fight with her ? ' And then ... he thought of grandma's burned - down courtyard . Though the Clark family tried hard to hide it , fearing Olivia might get upset in her fragile state , Madeline had to come clean when Olivia brought up transferring the property . Without the emotional weight of the courtyard , it was just a piece of remote wasteland . The so- called " lucky charm " the fortune - teller once mentioned no longer held water . Olivia was heartbroken . " That was Grandma's most treasured place . How could Natasha be so cruel ? " Madeline comforted her endlessly , promising to find her an equally meaningful antique . " It's not about me . I'm just sad that now there's no Grandma ... and no her home anymore ." Lucas watched Olivia , wrapped in Madeline's arms , lost in sorrow , but his mind wandered . Having grown up with them , he knew Natasha's bond with Grandma ran deeper than Olivia's . ' If Olivia was this devastated ... what about Natasha ? What was going through her mind when she lit the fire ? How had things gotten so bad for her ? ' He suddenly regretted not being there when she needed him most . But his calls went straight to voicemail , and no one answered the door at her place . Lucas panicked . If Sadie hadn't chewed him out over the phone - at least confirming Natasha was okay - he'd have called the cops . With all worst - case scenarios ruled out , only one possibility remained : Natasha was truly done with him . Lucas spiraled into anxiety . Lately , he'd been camping outside her building like a stalker , watching her lights turn on at night . But Natasha never opened the door . When he knocked too long , she'd just call security . 1/4 4:29 pm PS Chapter 21 In just a few days , Lucas looked like a wreck . His mom , Margot was not happy about it . 20 vouchers She watched those kids grow up . Natasha was adorable as a child , the apple of the Clark family's eye , so naturally , she doted on her a bit more . But after Olivia came into the picture , Natasha drifted apart from her family , and she grew dissatisfied too . One day , seeing her son come home defeated again , she blurted out in frustration , " Might as well swap the engagement to Olivia . " But her son's terrifying expression scared her . " Olivia and I have nothing . The only one I'll marry is Natasha . " Lucas snapped . " Then why do you always pick Olivia over Natasha ? " Margot scoffed . She only brought it up because she sensed her son and husband's true feelings - one cared more about a foster daughter than his own girlfriend , the other preferred a daughter - in - law who could milk more benefits from the Clark family . She was just poking at the festering wound , yet somehow ended up the villain . Lucas's heart ached . Even his parents could see how the Clark family favored Olivia. His Natasha grew up in that environment , while he , out of guilt toward Olivia , kept siding against her . ' What had I even done ? ' he asked inwardly . Leaving home , Lucas returned to Natasha's place . He really wanted to talk to her , to hold her , but she seemed genuinely angry , dead set on giving him the cold shoulder . ' No big deal . Natasha was always softest on those she cared about . I'd win her over eventually , ' he thought . But to others , his persistence painted a very different picture . ' Disgusting ! Like a bug drawn to someone else's rose , shamelessly buzzing around . Lower than a cockroach in the gutter . Should I chop off his legs or gouge out his eyes ? ' Alexei pondered darkly . He wasn't unfamiliar with Lucas . Back when he was investigating Natasha , this name popped up frequently in the records . Not long ago , the guy had just been dumped by Natasha for picking the wrong side . 2/4 4:29 pm P Chapter 21 L ' ' Like , seriously , how blind could he be ? Oh , and let's not forget the failed proposal . 20 vouchers ' Even though he kept insisting there was nothing between him and Olivia , well , you know what they say - where there's smoke , there's fire .' Alexei had already judged him guilty inwardly . Between squashing this annoying bug and rushing home to feed his little rose , Alexei didn't hesitate to choose the latter . Sure , he'd never been in a relationship , but he'd heard the saying - a corpse of a first love would always wreck you harder than a breathing human . Not that he was planning to date Natasha or anything . But he sure as hell wasn't gonna let his pet keep pining over someone else . Instead of letting Lucas die a quick death , peeling back his fake , hypocritical layers to expose his rotten , fickle heart - now that would be satisfying . Making sure Natasha felt nothing but disgust every time she thought of Lucas ? Perfect . With malicious glee , Alexei ran through 108 different ways to tear them apart . Standing by the greenery , Lucas suddenly felt a chill running down his spine , like some unseen murderous intent was aimed at him . But when he looked up , all he saw was a car speeding past , nearly brushing against him . ' Probably just a resident nearby , but damn , that driver had zero manners . No apology , nothing ! Lucas frowned . ' Once I made up with Natasha , I'd move her to a new place . No way am I letting her live next to such trashy people . ' Though ... Thinking back to that fleeting glimpse of a profile in the car , he shook his head . ' No way that guy would be here . Wasn't he missing ? This kind of neighborhood was way beneath someone like him . Even if it was him , so what ? It had nothing to do with me or Natasha He lifted his gaze , staring dreamily up at the top floor of the building . Oblivious to him , more and more neighbors were glancing at him , intentionally or not . Alexei parked the car in the garage and dashed home with a full grocery bag . Natasha had already threatened to order takeout if he didn't hurry back . Stepping into the elevator , he bumped into the elderly couple from downstairs . As Alexei's injuries healed and he no longer needed to hide his identity , Natasha had occasionally dragged him out for evening walks when she overate . 3/4 4:29 pm PD Chapter 21 20 vouchers Their looks were too well - matched , and since they lived together , the neighbors naturally assumed they were a newlywed couple . The residents even unofficially crowned them the " face of the neighborhood . " Though the guy seemed a bit intimidating , the kind - hearted old lady still gave him a heads - up . " Young man , did you see that Benz downstairs ? Do you know the owner ? You better keep your wife safe - we've seen him knocking on your door multiple times . " Once , when your wife went down to take out the trash , he pestered her for ages until a neighbor called security . And he's still at it , lurking downstairs every day . " The couple kept saying " your wife , " and Alexei didn't correct them . In fact , he kinda liked the misunderstanding . Hearing them out , he smirked and deliberately smeared Lucas , " Yeah , I know him . That guy's a shameless homewrecker , obsessed with my Natasha's looks . " Even after we told him wè're married , he won't back off . He even threatened to steal her from me . Cops can't do anything . Oh , and he's already married . His own wife's in the hospital right now ." 4/4