I was on my way to my husband Lucas' office, holding tightly to two things: the hospital’s pregnancy test that showed two pink lines, and the keys to the mansion I had bought as a surprise gift for him.
All throughout the drive, I kept rehearsing how I’d break the news—should I hand him the test and the keys right away? Or wait until dinner to share everything?
But when I reached his office door, everything shifted. I lifted my hand to knock when voices inside stopped me cold.
“Liora doesn’t need to know, Leander,” Lucas was saying. “It’s over. It’s done.”
My hand froze midair. What secret were they keeping?
Then Leander’s reply crashed into me like thunder. “You used her mother’s organ to save Celeste Veyron’s sister. You lied to Liora. Her mother died because of it. What do you think she’ll do when she finds out?”
The air left my lungs. Celeste Veyron. The name itself twisted a knife inside me.
Celeste—the woman Lucas had loved first. Celeste—the one Julian, my ex-fiancé, had abandoned me for. Celeste—the ghost that never stopped haunting our marriage.
I leaned against the door, my pulse thundering in my ears.
“I did what I had to do,” Lucas answered coldly. “Celeste needed me. Her sister needed me. Liora’s mother was dying anyway.”
“So you killed her?” Leander shot back.
“I saved Celeste’s sister,” Lucas corrected without hesitation. “And I married Liora. That should be enough.”
“You’ve been lying for five years, pretending to be her perfect husband. The poor girl loves you!”
“Liora means nothing,” Lucas replied, his voice like ice. “I’ve already repaid my debt by staying with her, giving her everything. But if she ever learns the truth…” He paused only for a breath. “…I’ll cut her out of my life without hesitation. As long as Celeste is happy, that’s all that matters.”
The pregnancy test slipped from my trembling hand and clattered to the floor.
I couldn’t breathe. The man who had spoiled me, cherished me, treated me like I was his world—was it all a lie? I had believed his love. I had trusted him. Until this moment.
I turned away, tossed the mansion keys into the nearest trash bin, and ran.
Tears blurred the hallways, my chest tightening as though the walls were closing in. I didn’t stop until I reached my car, gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned pale.
But I could barely see through the flood of tears. My mind kept replaying the conversation, every word, every betrayal. My mother had died so Celeste’s sister could live. Lucas had stolen her from me.
I hit the brakes too late. The crash threw me forward—and then, nothing but darkness.
When I came to, the sharp scent of antiseptic filled the air. My head throbbed, my body ached, and the glaring hospital lights blinded me.
And there he was.
“Liora,” Lucas whispered, his voice raw, his hand wrapped around mine. His face was pale, his eyes red-rimmed from crying.
“What happened?” His voice shook. “Why were you driving like that? You could have died!”
He pressed kisses to my hand, then to my forehead, his tears soaking my skin. “Don’t ever scare me like that again. I can’t lose you.”
He looked at me as though I was his entire world, playing the role to perfection.
I forced myself to smile. “I’m fine,” I murmured.
Relief washed over him instantly. He kissed me again and again, whispering declarations of love, swearing I meant everything to him.
And I let him. I let him believe I was still blind, still his trusting, adoring wife.
But deep inside, I was already plotting.
Lucas Rosenthal had stolen everything from me—my mother, my faith, my love.
Now it’s my turn.
I’ll take everything from him.
