Chapter 3

Luke stood behind Vespera, his presence exuding an icy chill. Sensing the shift in the room, Vespera glanced over her shoulder. So, he had been here all along. She quickly turned back, her gaze landing on the short-haired woman sitting in the corner of the couch. Earlier, Tina had been lounging smugly, one leg crossed over the other, absentmindedly twirling her hair around her finger. But now, her expression had completely soured. Her smile was gone, replaced by a murderous glare. It was clear Luke and Tina had been meeting up with the rest. Judging by their friends' casual tone, this wasn't just a one-time occurrence—it had happened enough times that they no longer bothered to hide it. Luke took a step forward. The group, as if suddenly released from paralysis, sprang into action. "We're sorry! We were just talking nonsense." "Mrs. Munoz, nothing is going on between Luke and Ms. Sowle!" "Mrs. Munoz, please don't take it seriously." Luke grabbed Vespera's wrist, intent on dragging her away. But before he could, she turned and threw her drink straight into his face. The room fell into a dead silence. Everyone watched, their scalps tingling. Did she really just do that? Then, Vespera flashed a wide smile and said, "Enjoy your time with your sweetheart. I wouldn't want to spoil the fun." She lowered her head, attempting to pry his fingers off her wrist. Luke's expression darkened. Without a word, he scooped her up, slung her over his shoulder, and strode out. The room fell silent. Out in the hallway, Vespera struggled fiercely against his hold. Just then, the elevator doors slid open. As Luke stepped inside and turned around, her eyes were drawn to the sleek black leather shoes, the straight legs clad in tailored black suit pants, and the pale, slender hands resting at his sides. His fingers were long and elegant. The atmosphere was thick with silence and unease. As they exited the elevator, Vespera couldn't resist looking up. She saw a pair of deep, piercing eyes staring down at her. Vespera was speechless as she lowered her head, covering her face. Outside the club, Luke tossed her into the car's back seat before getting in himself. Dizzy and disoriented, Vespera sat up. After being upside down for so long and then thrown into the car, she felt like she might have a concussion. Luke pulled a wet wipe from the car's compartment and began wiping his face. Out of the corner of her eye, Vespera caught a glimpse of something behind the tissue box—it looked like a condom. Before she could say anything, Luke demanded, "Why did you come here? To catch me cheating?" Disgusted, she reached for the door handle, ready to get out. The car was filthy. "Vespera!" Luke yanked her back inside, his voice filled with irritation. "Where do you think you're going? Are you done yet?" Her breathing was unsteady. She pressed her fingertips and murmured, "I want to go home." Luke called Osbert, who was waiting outside the club, and told him to drive. The ride was silent. Vespera sat as far from Luke as possible, her complexion pale as if she might throw up at any moment. When they finally arrived home, she wasted no time getting out of the car. Vespera hurried to the kitchen and gulped a full glass of ice-cold water. Finally, she felt slightly better. When she returned to the living room, Luke was already seated. She walked over and sat down as well. Another suffocating silence stretched between them. Finally, Luke spoke. "I was there to discuss a project. You stormed into the club and made a scene. I'm so humiliated. Do you have any idea how foolish, how repulsive you looked? You behaved like a shrew." "Okay. Anything else?" Vespera asked calmly. "If you still want this relationship to last, stop these unnecessary suspicions. I don't have time to cater to your emotions." "Alright. Anything else?" Luke frowned and replied, "Do you have any idea how annoying you are right now?" Vespera smiled faintly as she stood up. Soon, he won't have to be annoyed anymore. With that, she turned and headed upstairs. Luke's irritation grew at her smile. After sitting in the living room for a while, he went upstairs to their bedroom, only to find that she had already gone to bed. He showered and lay down beside her. In the darkness, Vespera turned away from him, shifting toward the edge of the bed to avoid any contact. Luke turned and embraced her, forcefully pulling her from the edge into his arms. His movements tinged with anger. His tall, strong frame easily overpowered her, holding her so tightly she couldn't move. So, she spent the night rigid in his embrace. The next morning, Vespera only prepared breakfast for herself. When Luke went downstairs, he found her eating bread alone. As he was about to leave, he changed directions and approached the dining area. Leaning close to her ear, he said gently, "Let's go out to the sea this weekend, just the two of us." Vespera hummed in response while drinking her milk. Unsurprisingly, the day before the weekend, he canceled on her again, saying he needed to fly to Holsword. Vespera felt nothing. Perhaps Luke hadn't even realized how long it had been since they last shared a meal or truly spent time together. He warned her against entertaining thoughts of divorce, yet in reality, he treated her like she was invisible, as if it made no difference whether she was there or not. That weekend, Vespera packed the books from her shelf and moved them to her new home. As she was arranging them, her phone rang. It was her mother-in-law, Felicia Jensen. Vespera answered and politely said, "Hello, Mrs. Munoz." Felicia's voice carried its usual condescension. "Come over. We need to finalize the document we discussed earlier." "Is that really necessary?" "It is if I say so." "Okay. I'll come by this afternoon." "No, come at noon." "Fine." Vespera agreed, as she had no other plans. Meanwhile, Felicia stood by the window, watching with satisfaction as Luke and Tina strolled in the garden. She wanted Vespera to see what a truly perfect couple looked like.