Secretly Mine-Chapter 163: Sanctuary

Lucas led me to his company’s parking garage and walked me over to his car. It was a white, luxury car that felt very ’Lucas’ with its brown leather interior. He opened the door for me with a smile, and as soon as I sat down, I felt a pleasant coffee scent inside the car.

He wasn’t kidding about enjoying his coffee.

The interior of the car was clean, but still had signs of Lucas’s hardworking personality. There were a few folders, filled with paperwork, in the back seat, along with a few small boxes that I didn’t recognize.

"I live on the outskirts of the city, so it’ll be about a twenty-five-minute drive," he said as he entered the driver’s seat. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

I smiled and nodded, "I look forward to seeing your house. I imagine that it’s very bright and airy."

Lucas turned his head and looked at me with a stunned look. "How did you know?" he asked with a genuinely curious tone.

I finally broke out into laughter. "Oh, I don’t know, just a wild guess," I teased.

Lucas blinked at me like I’d just spoiled a surprise.

"No, seriously," he said as he merged into traffic. "How’d you guess? The living room’s got, like, floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s kind of my favorite part."

I grinned, amused by how earnestly he asked. "Just a lucky guess."

He glanced at me, skeptical. "No way. You said ’bright and airy’ like you’ve been there."

I finally raised my hands slightly, "You caught me. I’ve actually snuck in a few times before," I said, laughing.

He looked at me and shook his head, laughing along with me. "It all makes sense now. That’s why all of my socks have recently gone missing! You’ve been breaking in and stealing them!" His hand gently tapped the steering wheel as if he’d just figured it all out.

"Hmm, you caught me! I’m the famous sock thief that’s been terrorizing this city," I giggled. By the time we passed the city limits, the atmosphere in the car had grown warm and easy, like sunlight through windows, which, now that I thought about it, was exactly the vibe Lucas gave off.

"Here we are," said Lucas as he drove up a cobblestone driveway. His place was exactly as I imagined it. Rustic yet luxurious. It looked like a historic manor from the outside, matching the park-like yard around it.

Though the stone façade gave the house a timeless, almost historic charm, the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows revealed its true, modern origins.

"It’s beautiful," I said softly. Everywhere I looked, I found something interesting to look at, and we hadn’t even made it inside yet.

Lucas’s face brightened. "Thank you, I’m delighted to hear that from you."

He led me over to the large, oak double doors and unlocked them, revealing a very charming yet luxurious interior. Natural wood floors, soft linens, and beautiful landscape paintings greeted me as I entered.

Everything was designed to make the interior feel warm and inviting.

"Please, make yourself at home. Could I offer you a cup of tea?" he asked, leading me to the sofa in his living room.

"Sure, I would love a cup. Thank you," I replied while I looked around the room. There was an incredible sense of peace, like a cup of hot cocoa on a cold winter morning.

Lucas came back a few minutes later holding two mugs of tea. He smiled at me as he handed one of the mugs to me. "You have good eyes. That’s my favorite spot to sit in the entire house. I often sit there after long or stressful days at work. No matter how bad my day was, sitting there helped pull me out of my head."

I was sitting in the corner spot of his large sofa that gave a direct view out of both windows. A warm light filtered through, lifting my spirits.

"It’s a wonderful spot. The large windows make it feel like I’m sitting outside while retaining the benefits of sitting indoors," I agreed.

Lucas sat down beside me and took a sip of his tea. We sat in silence, simply enjoying the peaceful atmosphere between us. The herbal tea in my hands comforted me even further, breaking down the stress from earlier.

After we finished our tea, Lucas took my empty mug and brought it back to the kitchen. "Would you like to start painting?" he asked once he came back into the living room.

I quickly nodded my head, "Yes! I’ve been looking forward to this!"

"Perfect, then come with me, I’ll bring you over to my studio," he said softly.

We went upstairs, passing by a few rooms that he introduced as guest rooms, and down to the end of the hall.

"You’ll be the first person who’s ever stepped foot in here," he said mysteriously. I could tell that this fact was important to him, which made me feel important to him..

"You’ll probably think it’s weird," he said quietly, hand resting on the knob.

Then he pushed it open.

The air changed the moment I stepped inside. Gone were the soft neutrals and open spaces. This room was very different from the rest of the house. It felt like an attic with its tall, slanted walls and exposed beams. Cloth tarps were hanging from the walls, covering a few large canvases.

A single window at the back of the room allowed the warm light to filter in and highlight the scattered sketchbook pages that covered the floor. It felt as if the flow of time didn’t exist in this space.

Various paints and brushes, accompanied by the scent of linseed oil, brought life to the still atmosphere of the room.

Lucas stepped inside ahead of me, giving off the sense that he was showing off something very private. This wasn’t a room meant for guests. It was a sanctuary—the one place in his perfectly managed life that had been left untouched by the world.

"Lucas, this place... I didn’t expect it to be so professional..." I said, finding it difficult to find the right words. It was such a stark contrast to his company and job that I even doubted if he was actually serious about painting.

I looked down, glancing at the few uncovered paintings by the entrance. They were all landscape paintings, reminding me of the ones I saw in his office earlier. There was something about them that gave me a sense of familiarity.

I bent down and studied the closest one to me. It was a beautiful meadow with blooming wildflowers. It was only when I closely studied the brush strokes that I realized why it felt so familiar.

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