as a novel reader......no one forgets abt lucas and it hurts so much, he haunts the narrative, Paula will never forget or stop a part of her from loving him, even if what she and Vincent have is deep and truly real love...Lucas was someone all of them loved.
Unrelated but this romance reminds me of pandora heart character Sharon who’s in love with Xerxes but after he died he married Reim because (they also kinda fell in love? The manga unfortunately didnt focus on their romance) they hold precious memories of Xerxes, they loved him and he wanted them both to be happy.
Honestly, this part is what I absolutely adored. Hands down to the author for showing that and going against the stereotype knowing the risks of hate involved.
Most authors just complete try to erase the other love interest after the main couple gets together. But this author truly loves their character and realistically depicted that the love you had for someone doesn't fade just cause they're dead. Moving on ≠ Forgetting.
It's similar to how even if a widow or widower dates another, it doesn't mean that they suddenly forget about the one they were with and loved wholeheartedly.
rightttttt, i acc loveeee it. i love your analogy and i wanna add, even if Lucas is 'dead' their love for him keeps his memory alive. Its heartbreaking but also so heartwarming. What Lucas ment to Paula isn't squashed or trivialized. it reminds me of this qoute from genshin or somehtig that goes 'though i may be gone, i will forever shine like gold in your memories' tbh i dont know where im goign with it but this story just inspired so many f e e l i n g s in me. i would give anything to be able to experience this story again for the first time
i know i shouldn’t but i still think of lucas ┗( T﹏T )┛
goddd he was so innocent ╥﹏╥