Lyra's fork clattered against her plate. "I didn't do that."
The staff exchanged uneasy glances as the romantic dinner turned into a heated argument.
Lucas shoved a hand into his pocket and tossed a stack of photographs across the table and they scattered like evidence from a crime scene.
Each one showed her profile slipping into a stranger's house under the cover of darkness.
"What do you say to this?" Lucas demanded.
Lyra's eyes flicked to the photos. She picked them up, one by one. But after she realize, she pinch the bridge of her nose as she recognized the place.
"Lucas…"
Once again, his overly jealous nature made him unable to think straight.
"You're jumping to conclusions again, aren't you?"
"What? That's proof! Don't you see it?"
"That's Mrs. Brown's house, I'm the family doctor, and Roger is the neighbor.
He's the one who called me during the emergency, so of course he was there. Besides—"
"There… you just said it," Lucas hissed, jabbing a finger toward her.
"Said what?" Lyra blinked, confused.
"Roger was there…" Lucas's voice rose. "Don't tell me nothing happened, Lyra!"
Her eyes widened, disbelief flickering across her face.
"You can't possibly think I—"
"You're having an affair with that man!" Lucas spat the words, anger spilling before he could stop himself.
"Enough, Lucas!" She slammed the photos back onto the table. "I will not stand here and be insulted."
She rose abruptly, the chair falling with a dull thud.
"Lyra!"
She walked away without looking back.
Their wedding was only two days away.
People often said it was normal for couples to quarrel before such a big day. But Lucas was really starting to get on her nerves.
Lyra strode out of the restaurant and headed straight for a cab she spotted waiting by the roadside.
Not far behind, Lucas came running, his coat flaring as he clutched it with one hand.
"Lyra!"
He shouted, sprinting after her, and caught her before she could reach the cab.
Her gaze fell, the world around her blurring, and shame washed over her.
She felt as if she'd hit rock bottom under his accusations.
Lucas froze at the sight of her tears. He pull her into his arms, tried to console her.
But Lyra, her heart torn, broke free, her hands trembling against his chest.
"Lyra, I..."
Lyra raised her hand, refusing to listen any longer. "Please… just let me go."
She quickly turned around and ran to the waiting cab without a second thought. As the door shut, the car pulled away, disappeared into traffic.
Lucas cursed under his breath and flung his coat to the ground in frustration. The romantic dinner, now lay in ruins.
From a distance, an office-clad woman watched the scene before her. It was none other than Nadia Klein, Lucas's secretary.
"The plan worked," she said softly, her smile sweet but eyes sharp. "Now let's see how long love can survive a little chaos."
Nadia watched Lucas grabbed his coat from the floor and headed for his car. She felt a quiet thrill rise within her.
She had fallen for him long ago, but Lucas had never once looked at her the way he looked at that oh-so-righteous Dr. Lyra Ashford.
And so she acted, weaving lies, feeding his doubts, twisting every truth. With his jealous nature, her poison took root, growing until he could no longer see the truth.
…
Lyra jumped into the car and gave the driver directions to Mistvale Government Hospital as she struggled to catch her breath.
Her tears slipped down and were quickly wiped away with a trembling hand.
The partition between the front seat and the back made her fail to notice another passenger sitting ahead of her.
And the man lifted a finger, silently telling the driver to do as she said.
The cab lurched forward, speeding into the night, while the man's lips curled into a cold, amused smile as he watched his long-time rival fling his jacket to the ground in frustration.
Rowan Pierce, dressed in a suit, sat quietly as her soft sobs drifted through the cab like a mournful song. He said nothing, having already witnessed the entire scene unfold.
After a moment, the glowing sign for Mistvale Government Hospital came into view, and the cab screeched before easing into a smooth stop.
She paid the driver, adding a little extra, whether out of gratitude or because he had no choice but to listen to her quiet sobs the entire way.
She was lost in her own thoughts and didn't even notice that Rowan had been there the whole time. She slipped out of the cab, still wiping away her tears, and rushed toward the building.
Then, the cab pulled away, heading toward the Pierce family's towering office building.
When they arrived, Rowan stepped out immediately, but the driver hurried after him, holding something that caught the dim glow of the streetlights. "Sir, you dropped this."
It was a small, gleaming object, clearly valuable.
Rowan frowned. It wasn't his, but perhaps it belonged to that woman. He took it anyway and thanked the driver before striding into the building.