Chapter five

Lucas Pov

I watched the Gala on the screen and noticed she seemed different. It wasn’t just the wealth; there was something else about her. Elena had left just three years ago, completely broken, but the woman I saw wasn’t the wife I divorced. How had she managed to build so much wealth in just three years? I had been too hurt and devastated to think straight. I had questioned my decision to let her go over and over again. I felt I had been too harsh, but the reality of the DNA result staring at me stopped me from excusing her and running after my wife as she left the house that day, completely devastated. I had been conflicted, and my heart ached when my family humiliated her, but she caused it. She betrayed me. She betrayed our love. There was no way the DNA result was a mistake. It came from one of the best labs in the city.

Since she left three years ago, my life has not been the same. Mia and Max were already a part of me, and it hurt to let them go. But I had to move on. She was the one who betrayed me—at least, that’s what I told myself anytime her memory crossed my mind.

“She probably slept her way up the ladder of success…” Sabrina’s voice cut through my thoughts from behind me.

“Once a slut, always a slut,” Isabella added, her tone biting.

I turned and saw my sister and Sabrina, who was now my PA. They had become incredibly close—maybe too close. I didn’t respond. I remained quiet. Mother came in after them. They were like three musketeers..They did everything together. They were leaving for Paris in the next two hours, a girls' trip according to them. The trip was fully funded by my mother.

“How are you, Lucas?” she asked, giving me a quick peck on the cheek. Her gaze fell on the television, and she took the remote, turning it off without asking for my permission. “I can’t believe you’re watching that betrayer. Her wealth reeks of harlotry.”

“I came here to discuss important matters…” she continued, gently pulling me to sit on the sofa. “We’ll be in the other room,” Isabella noted. It felt like they all knew what the discussion was about, but I remained silent and waited for Mother to speak.

“It’s been over three years, Lucas. You need a woman in your life. I know she hurt you… It must have been very devastating, but it’s about time you get a wife.”

It was exactly what I had anticipated. My jaw clenched, my muscles tight.

“Mother… I will get a wife when I am ready.”

“When will that be, Lucas? Is it going to be when you’re old and gray? Don’t you know the presence of children solidifies your position in the Sterling Empire? Your uncles have been eyeing your position since your father died… Lucas…”

“Mother… I will find a woman when the time is right…”

“You’re surrounded by enough women, Lucas… you can just pick one.” She pressed, her tone insinuating.

“Mother… being surrounded by women is different from being surrounded by the right women.”

“Oh, come off it, son. I’m tired of beating around the bush. What about Sabrina? She’s been good to you… If not for—”

“Mother... She is Elena’s sister.”

“Half-sister.”

“It doesn’t change anything, Mother. They are still sisters.”

“If not for her, you would have still been stuck with that liar… She saved you from—”

“And I am grateful. You asked me to make her my PA. I accepted out of courtesy for you. You made me sack my loyal PA… Isn’t that enough?” I said, trying to keep my anger at bay.

“Son… she will make a good wife…”

“You don’t get to determine who will make a good wife for me, Mother. I know how to pick.”

“Well, you picked Elena, and she betrayed you. You’re not exactly good at making—”

“Mother…” I shouted.

“Don’t tell me you’re still in love with her…”

“That’s not your business. When you’re done, you know how to find your way out. Your flight to Paris leaves in two hours,” I muttered, getting up.

Fighting my raging emotions, I hurried out of the living room, with no specific destination in mind. I got into my car and zoomed off. My phone beeped, and I picked it up. It was a message from an unknown number.

(“Elena didn’t cheat on you… It was all a lie. Max and Mia belong to you.”)

I slammed the brakes on my car, and it came to a complete halt. The impact jarred me back against my seat, but I didn’t care. I stared at the message, completely confused.

My head hurt from the impact, but I ignored it. Was this some prank to mess with my emotions?

(“Meet me at Sag’s cafe in one hour. I have all the details…”)

My heart pounding, I pressed the pedal. My speed was dangerous, but I didn’t mind. I sat at Sag’s restaurant, patiently gazing at the door. A man with a dark face cap walked toward me. My defenses were suddenly up. What if this was a setup?

“I am Jake…” he said as soon as he sat down.

“What do you want?” I asked, looking at him suspiciously.

He threw a brown envelope in front of me. “Elena never cheated on you. It was a set up…”

I opened the envelope immediately. Inside were photos, emails, and another DNA result.

The photos showed Sabrina meeting with the same doctor I had gone to see at a cafe. The emails revealed the back-and-forth between Sabrina and the doctor.

Lastly, there was the real DNA result. It was indicated in bold letters.

“This can’t be true…” I whispered, my voice shaking.

“It is…”

“No…oh no!!!…”

He brought out his phone and played a recording. It was Sabrina's voice. She was thanking the doctor for a job well done, and they both laughed, saying dirty words to each other. She told him how she couldn’t wait to see the shock on my face and Elena’s humiliation. The next sounds were kisses and moaning. They were in a room.

“Why are you showing me all this now… after three years?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do…”

“Who are you, Jake? How did you find all this?”

“I’m a journalist who sees all and knows all…”

I nodded. I was numb. Jake walked out, but I didn’t move. I couldn’t. I clenched the brown envelope tightly, and memories flooded back. Her humiliation, the backlash from the press, from my family.

My harsh words. I had called my own children bastards. I had hurt the woman I love. Elena wasn’t the one who broke the promise. I was. The painful reality almost knocked me out.

Furious, I dialed Sabrina’s number, but there was no response. She had probably boarded. Everything made sense now—her sudden closeness to my family, her niceness. I felt stupid. I should have known.

I should have repeated the test, as Elena had requested, but I was too blinded by rage. My dear wife. My Elena. Desperate, I went to her website to book an appointment with a different name. I needed to see her, to plead for her forgiveness, to see my twins.