When Brooke woke up, the night outside was still dark, proof that her sleep hadn't lasted very long. She was lying in her bed at the inn, several blankets covering her. She got up slowly and saw Lucas dozing in a corner of the room. The chair he was sitting on seemed very uncomfortable, yet his breathing was quiet. So she got up slowly and went to the adjacent room to change. Her clothes had dried, but she wanted to get rid of them as quickly as possible. So she put on a simple dress she had brought in her bag. Looking in the mirror, she noticed heavy circles under her eyes. She was tired. From running, from fleeing, from being afraid every second of her life. Her adult life had been filled with danger, and it would probably never end. At least, not while she was alone. A breath left her lips, unstoppable. So she tied her hair into a loose braid and walked back into the bedroom.

As she walked through the door, she found herself face to face with Lucas, wide awake this time. He was standing in front of her at his full height, glaring at her with a look of concern and anger. The faint glow of the breathless fireplace couldn't hide his injured hands from hitting his attacker too hard. They remained silent for a long time, looking at each other. Then, too exhausted by her life's setbacks and the lies, Brooke grabbed Lucas's hand and sat him down on the bed without saying a word. He let her, following her with his eyes as she rummaged through her bag. She took out a small flask of alcohol, a handkerchief, and a white scarf. She pulled out the chair and sat down opposite him, taking his hand.

Brooke : This is going to sting, I'm sorry.

Lucas flinched a little as she poured the contents of the bottle but didn't open his mouth. She was busy cleaning the wounds when she broke the silence.

Brooke : As I've told you before, my father was violent towards my mother. When I was younger, I didn't notice it. My mother was very good at this game, of hiding the truth from me. My father was my hero. He behaved towards me as if I were a princess, then a strong young woman from whom he was teaching so many wonderful things. But as I grew up, I overheard arguments, more aggressive gestures between my parents. I, who believed my father to be the most adorable man on earth, his image began to take on a dark tinge. Until that fateful day when, returning from a horseback ride, he branded me on the wrist. He was mad with rage, like I had never seen him. I never believed my father was a saint again. Never. After that, his behavior changed. He no longer hid his violent outbursts with my mother, and I finally tried to intervene. So he laid his hand on me for the first time. It never stopped after that. A slap, a whipping, a burn... My mother was distraught and, in secret, she began trying to find a home for me to leave, to keep me safe, and she turned to Lady Lee. She had told me her plans for my escape, explaining that I would have to find the right moment, because my father had never allowed me to leave the ship alone again after the poker incident. As for me, now that I saw my father for who he was, I began to want to know more. I realized that I knew nothing about his business. We followed him around the world because he was in the cattle business. That's what he always told me. Yet, on reflection, it wasn't the few animals on the ship that could have given him the fortune he possessed. So I snooped. Until I dared to go into a remote part of the ship's hold. The one that had been forbidden to me since my early childhood. I forced the lock, I pushed the door, and I understood what a monster my father was.

Brooke paused for a moment. Lucas could tell she was gathering all her courage to tell him what happened next. He already thought her story was awful, but he certainly hadn't expected what came next. She grabbed the flask of alcohol and took a swig. When she put the bottle down, her hands were shaking.

Brooke : There were about twenty young girls inside the room. The livestock were women he collected from all over the world and then sold as slaves. Each one had the same brand as me on her wrist. They were crammed into this hold, completely unsanitary, wearing rags. They were his property because he had kidnapped them for himself. I was in deep shock when I realized this and didn't hear my father coming up behind me. His rage erupted when he realized I knew everything, and he beat me. I thought I would die that day. He locked me in my room and decided I would be part of the next shipment of young girls to be sold. He was going to make me a slave. After all, I was already branded since he had said I belonged to him. It took me several days to recover from my injuries. And by the time we docked in the south of France, I was feeling better. I managed to escape from my room by grabbing a few things. I retrieved my horse and ran away with the sole aim of reaching London. It came back to me that my mother had an ally for my escape in Marseille. After several days of riding, I found this man, this captain who took me on his ship bound for London as my mother had told me. You know the rest of my story.

Brooke couldn't hold back her tears any longer. In truth, the drops had been rolling down her cheeks for a while. Yet, she remained dignified, staring only at Lucas's hand, which she had long since finished healing. Lucas, for his part, was petrified. He had wanted to uncover the secrets of Brooke's existence from the first glance he had laid on her. But he could never have imagined the suffering and the life she had led.

Brooke : I didn't get to say goodbye to my mother, Lucas... And my parents aren't dead. At least, I hope my mother isn't. That he didn't blame her for my running away. I can't imagine what he did to her after that. Because of me. I have nightmares about it every night. I see him in my dreams, I feel his fists on my face, the pain of his blows. I imagine what he might have done to my mother since I left. In my nightmares, I also see the faces of all those girls in the hold of the boat. Their terrified eyes, the marks on their faces, and the smell that emanated from the room where they were locked. I ran away because I was afraid for my life, but I know it will never stop. He will look for me, I'm sure of it. And I know he will find me. So there was no way I was going to put anyone in danger because of me. I thought not getting attached to anyone would protect me and others, but I met you. At Aubrey Hall, I realized I had to leave to protect you. I had to leave so he would never find me and come after you. Because I would never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you because of me. But I'm tired of running away from Lucas... Just now, when that man laid his hands on me, I knew what he would do, and I no longer had the strength to fight. I managed to run away once, while all those girls never had the chance to do so, never had the chance to experience all the happiness I was entitled to. Why me and not her? Why should they suffer and not me? This man was going to do the same thing to me that all those poor girls are going through. A just return of things when I did nothing to help them. I turned a blind eye for so many years. And when I had a way out, I didn't turn to them. I was selfish.

Her voice had fallen, weary of all the pain and guilt. She no longer held back her sobs, and Lucas felt his heart break. How could he be angry with her now that he knew everything? And above all, how could a man like his father have given birth to a woman as beautiful, courageous, and strong as Brooke? There was no worse crime than the one he was perpetuating by trafficking these young women and enslaving them. In theory! Because he had succeeded in wanting to reduce his own daughter to the same fate. Only a monster of the worst kind could do that. Lucas was beside himself. Rage and anger boiled in every limb of his body. He didn't know this man, but he knew he could kill him if he ever crossed paths with him. And seeing Brooke's distress plunged him into a feeling of pain more intense than he had ever felt before. As for the guilt she felt, he couldn't tolerate it. She couldn't blame herself for having worked for her survival, not after everything she'd been through. She had given up on the man who had attacked her tonight, not because she lacked the ability, but because she thought she deserved this fate. No woman in the world deserves this. It's vile, infamous men like them who deserve more than death for daring to touch a woman.

When Lucas had arrived at the inn the night before, he had felt a tension throughout his body. It was there, he was sure of it. He couldn't explain why he was certain, but it was. He hadn't cared less about the rain pouring down on him. Then he had heard a scream and recognized it immediately. He had run faster than ever until he arrived at this patio. When he saw this man trying to abuse her, a fury had seized him and he had thrown himself at this scumbag without any qualms. He had been so worried and tormented all day that his anger had unleashed itself on him, his fists falling on his face without restraint, leaving him unconscious on the ground, face down in the mud. He then looked up at Brooke who was collapsed on the ground. All his fury had flown away as if by magic just by seeing her. She had a way of doing that to him. He had approached her delicately and knelt down to face her for a moment before she collapsed in his arms. Even though it was pouring rain, feeling her safe against him had given him an inexplicable feeling of warmth. So he had taken her in his arms and guided her to his room. And when she was asleep against him, he had the impression that the world was turning again.

But Brooke's story had him in a daze. He stood up abruptly, pacing the dimly lit room, running his hand through his hair. He needed to calm down.

Brooke : I'm sorry I kept the truth from you, Lucas... But I did it to protect you. Yet, I put you in danger today, and I'm truly sorry. That's all I feared. That my life would hurt you and put you in danger. I promised myself I would keep you safe when I realized I was in love with you.

He stopped in his tracks and turned back to her.

Lucas : What?

She shifted in her chair, wringing her hands, embarrassed by his request.

Brooke : As soon as day breaks, I'll be on my way, and you'll be on yours. Thank you for your help last night. Thank you for everything you've done for me. I owed you the truth, and so much more, really. But you have to go, turn around. Run away from me, Lucas...

She looked at him with such strength and pain that Lucas's heart broke. He understood that he had hurt her. That his silence in the face of her story had hurt her. Did she think she disgusted him now? How could that be the case? This young woman stood before him, looking at him with such kindness and goodness that it was unsettling. She was as beautiful as day. Or rather, Lucas thought, as beautiful as night. He had always found the night more beautiful than the day. More mysterious, more enchanting because beauty was much more discreet than when it was ardently revealed by the burning sun. At night, it was the moon that gently illuminated everything, making it more magical, more charming, more enviable. The moon was Brooke. Gentle and strong at the same time, making every darkness less dark, more brilliant. She lit his path. And he loved her. Oh God only knew how much he loved her. It hit him so hard he almost had to sit down.

He couldn't tolerate for a single moment what she had been through. He loathed anyone who had hurt her or treated her with such cruelty. She was a being of light, a woman of worth and power like nothing he had ever encountered. Every fiber of his being drew him towards her, and seeing her so vulnerable before him, he knew he could never run away from her. She was his everything. He knelt before her and grasped her hands.

Lucas : Marry me...

Her eyes widened as she searched his gaze for answers.

Brooke : Lucas?

Lucas : Marry me, Brooke... Become my wife. I won't bear another second without that. You are the light of my existence. I don't care about your past, or at least, it's far from being a barrier to everything I feel for you. Brooke, I love you.