Chapter 6

The man leered at Chelsey. "Come with me, pretty little thing. I'll buy you any bag you like, whether it's from Gucci, Dior, or Chanel."

The liquor on his breath fanned over Chelsey's face. She almost puked. She frowned and backed away.

Lucas furrowed his brows and dragged her behind him. He said, "You've got the wrong idea, Mr. Cooper. She's my … friend, and I'm gonna send her home now."

With that, he turned and left, dragging Chelsey with him.

Adam Cooper used his liquid courage to shout, "Friend? What friend? Don't lie to me, Mr. Yates! I was the one who saw that chick first! You're breaking the rules here …"

Lucas stuffed Chelsey into the passenger seat of his car. She sneered and asked, "Why didn't you tell him I'm your ex-wife?"

Lucas glared at her. "We're not divorced yet!"

His expression was frostier than ever. He slammed the door shut.

So what if they weren't divorced yet? It would happen sooner or later!

Chelsey didn't harbor any more delusions toward Lucas. She opened the door and jumped out. Lucas followed her. "Where are you going?"

She didn't even bother turning around as she said, "It's none of your business. Stop following me, Lucas. You have no right to boss me around."

After a moment of hesitation, Lucas still ran after her. "Who are you trying to seduce with a dress like that, Chelsey?"

He grabbed her by the wrist and tugged her hard. She lost her balance in her heels and fell backward, landing against his chest.

The familiar scent and warmth enveloped her. They belonged to a man that she longed for.

Tears filled Chelsey's eyes; she widened them so the tears wouldn't roll down. "I can seduce anyone but you. The sight of you disgusts me!"

At that moment, her phone rang. It was a call from her best friend.

Chelsey turned away from Lucas to answer it. "Where the hell have you gone, Chelsey? Don't tell me you ran away with some bastard while I was in the restroom!"

Chelsey lowered her voice and said, "I'll be right back, Sandra. Don't go anywhere!"

"Wait, did you really run off with a bastard?"

"No, I didn't. It's a long story. I'll tell you about it when I see you."

"Alright, then. Hurry up. I'm waiting for you."

Chelsey hung up and ran back into the nightclub without another look at Lucas. He watched her icily, flames of fury vaguely visible in his eyes.

Inside the nightclub, Chelsey met up with her best friend, Sandra Scott. She told the latter about running into Lucas.

Sandra snarled, "He's a jerk, that Lucas. Why is it that he can be all lovey-dovey with his first love while you can't even come out for some fun? Who does he think he is? Fuck off, scumbag!"

"Yeah, that's exactly what he is. Fuck off!" Chelsey downed her beer.

She felt like the past three years of her life were a joke. From today onward, she would no longer suffer silently. She wanted to be herself.

Chelsey drank beer after beer until it became too much for her. Her head spun as Sandra helped her out of the nightclub.

As soon as they stepped outside, a tall figure stood in their way. When Sandra saw it was Lucas, she growled, "Get out of our way, scumbag. Don't block us."

Lucas frowned and asked reproachfully, "Why did you have so much to drink?"

Chelsey reeked of beer.

"She's happy to be free of a bastard like you. She has to drink more to celebrate, of course."