Chapter 3

[Something came up, Clara. I’ll be home later. I bought the medicine. Wait for me at home.]

And then the final message: [Ariana is showing signs of a miscarriage. She’s alone, and I can’t ignore something this serious. I’ll come home as soon as things settle down. Please, don’t overthink this.]

Troy's face was filled with anger as he read the messages, and I stood there, frozen in place.

Ariana was having a miscarriage? Didn’t she have anyone else?

But when my asthma attack hit, I was alone too. My child is gone now...

I lowered my head, and at that moment, Lucas called.

Troy reached out to answer, but his hand hovered in the air before he pulled it back and turned off the phone instead.

I don’t know why he made that choice, but I was too overwhelmed by helplessness to question it.

Silently, I followed him home.

When I learned that Lucas had been with Ariana, I realized how much of a fool I had been. A year’s worth of waiting and hoping had crumbled in an instant.

If I could go back and do it all over again, I would never have fallen in love with Lucas.

When my mom, Irene Sivan learned the harsh truth, she cried uncontrollably. It was only thanks to Troy’s presence that she didn’t collapse.

Tears filled my eyes but it was too late.

Just then, a knock echoed through the house.

Lucas’s anxious voice called from outside, “Mom, is Clara with you? Did she come back?”

Troy paused, then strode forward, yanked the door open, and dragged Lucas inside.

Without a word, he slammed Lucas to the ground and began beating him mercilessly.

Lucas was confused but didn’t fight back. He lay there, taking the punches and kicks until his face was bruised and bloodied.

I stood by, frantic, powerless to intervene, watching helplessly as Troy battered him.

“Troy! Tell me, where’s Clara? Where did she go?”

At the mention of my name, Troy froze. Then he shoved Lucas aside with cold contempt.

The two men locked eyes for a few tense seconds before Troy turned away, his voice sharp with anger. “I don’t know. Go find her yourself.”

Panic flickered across Lucas’s face as he scrambled to his feet. “She didn’t come here? I just went back to the house, and she wasn’t there. I thought she…”

“You thought what? Get out!”

At Troy’s unwavering hostility, Lucas turned to my mom, his voice filled with desperation.

“Mom, I think I upset Clara today. Where is she? Please, just tell me.”

Mom stood still, her face devoid of emotion.

In a last-ditch effort, Lucas rushed to my room, only to find everything neat and untouched. No one had been there recently.

He stood frozen in the doorway for a couple of seconds before frantically searching every room in the house, but still, there was no sign of me.

“How could this be? Where did you go, Clara?”

Watching him in his panicked state, I almost allowed myself to believe the illusion that he truly loved me. But deep down, I knew that was not the case.

Lucas glanced around the room one last time, knowing full well that Troy, always protective of me, would never reveal where I had gone.

Defeated, Lucas left, closing the door behind him.

Mom sighed heavily, her voice breaking, “Why didn’t you tell him that Clara has already…”

Troy clenched his fists, his tone harsh.

“I won’t let Clara have anything to do with him again. If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have been alone during her attack. I should have never let her marry him.”

I sat there in silence, my head bowed, unable to find the words to express my feelings.

Even now, I could not let go of Lucas.

After much hesitation, I found myself returning to our marriage home.