?<strong>Chapter 1005:</strong>


    “Why are youparing yourself to others?” Lucas asked. “Isn’t it enough to just be yourself?”


    “But…” Molly’s voice faltered as she lifted her head, her face flushed with a mix of frustration and embarrassment. “I just want everyone to notice me.”


    “How do you know they haven’t noticed you?” Lucas responded.


    “I just know,” Molly insisted. “I feel it. You wouldn’t understand. You’re an only child, but in a big family, it’s hard to keep things bnced. I always feel like I’m the one who gets overlooked. That’s why I like to draw—when I’m drawing, no one bothers me. It’s the only time I can truly be myself.”


    Lucas couldn’t help butugh. “If you say that, your parents are going to feel hurt.”


    “I know they love me so much,” Molly paused, her eyes darkening as she met his gaze. The bitterness from earlier thickened. “But when I’m with Aurora, you always look at her.”


    Lucas was momentarily frozen. He had thought Molly was just being unreasonable, but now, seeing the hurt in her eyes, he realized how wrong he had been.


    As he opened his mouth to speak, the nurse entered, breaking the moment. “Time to change the dressing.”


    Molly quickly turned away, a flush of embarrassment creeping over her face as she silently left the room.


    They never had the chance to revisit the conversation before Lucas boarded the ne.


    As the ne neared Bristania, Lucas’s phone finally picked up a signal. It hit him all at once—the meaning behind Molly’s aggrieved expression.


    “Lucas, what’s wrong?” Allie asked, startled by the turbulence that had woken her.


    Lucas shook his head, brushing it off. But as soon as theynded, he dialed Molly’s number.


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    It was 4 a.m. on her side. She picked up the call groggily.


    “Hello? Who’s this?”


    “Molly, it’s me.” Lucas’s breath was uneven, his heart racing with a nervousness he couldn’t shake. “Some things aren’t exactly as you see them. You’re still young, so there are things I’ll tell you when you’re older. But I want you to know—I look at you so much more than Aurora. In my eyes, you shine brighter than anyone else. The moment you entered my life, I haven’t been able to look away.”


    “Okay.” Molly pressed the phone against her cheek, but she hadn’t really heard a word he said, already slipping back into a peaceful sleep.


    When Rnd ran away, he didn’t think much about where to go. He just wanted to find a quiet ce to end his life. If he had known the all-consuming grief and rage of being left alone, he would have rather died with Wade, to save himself from this misery.


    The sound of the front door opening and clicking shut pulled Rnd out of his somber thoughts. He stubbed out his cigarette and walked out onto the balcony to see Dunn entering.


    Carrying a bag of takeout food, Dunn removed his shoes and slipped into his house slippers in the foyer. The lingering smell of nicotine in the air wafted into his nose.


    “You’ve been smoking?” he asked.


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