Seven Years a Shadow: The Stand-In's Escape novel Chapter 85

Lucas had greatly underestimated me.

After everything I'd gone through in my past life, I was no longer someone driven by love alone.

Now, I had my own career, my own dreams, and I didn't need to rely on any man.

When I got home, I told Ethan about Lucas coming to see me.

When he learned that I had helped Lucas out of goodwill, Ethan didn’t show any signs of displeasure. Instead, he looked worried and asked, "Did you ever get threatened by criminals when you were in college?"

That was indeed a nightmare from my past.

Not long after I started college, one evening after a late class, I went to a supermarket off-campus to buy some groceries. On my way back, I was followed by two unemployed men.

They cornered me in an alley outside the school.

That night was especially dark, with no moon in the sky.

I was terrified and begged for mercy, thinking that if I gave them the money on me, they would let me go.

But to my horror, the two men grew bolder and started touching me, covering my mouth.

Just when I thought all hope was lost, Lucas came out of a nearby internet cafe and witnessed the scene.

He shouted loudly for help and claimed that he had already called the police, scaring the two men off.

He draped his jacket over my shoulders and escorted me back to my dorm.

For the next week, worried that the criminals might seek revenge, he accompanied me every time I left campus.

It was during this time that I started to like Lucas.

He was into video games, so I bought him a high-quality mechanical keyboard.

He was often late for breakfast due to oversleeping, so I bought him breakfast every morning and delivered it to his dorm.

He joined the school's basketball team, but he couldn’t afford new basketball shoes, so I used the money I earned from part-time jobs to buy him a pair.

He once mentioned he was envious of the other guys in the dorm who had scarves knitted by their girlfriends.

So, I stayed up all night to knit him one.

I thought we had a special connection, until one day he told me he wanted to pursue Isabella, the campus queen.

That’s when I realized, to Lucas, I was nothing more than his female friend.

Later, Lucas relentlessly pursued Isabella.

When he didn’t know what kind of gift to get her, he asked me for advice.

When he didn’t have money to buy her a present, he asked me to lend him some.

After much effort, Isabella finally agreed to date him, and I naturally distanced myself from him.