Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After dinner, Xavier and the group wanted to go to a club to keep celebrating Serena's return.

Places like that were too noisy for me.

I told Xavier I was going home.

He waved me off dismissively. "Do whatever you want. You don't need to report to me."

Then, he helped Serena into the passenger seat of his supercar and slammed the door shut.

The roar of the engine echoed in my ears for several seconds before fading away.

As I started walking back alone, I realized I had left my purse and phone in the hotel's dressing room.

Whatever.

It was a good time to walk through this lonely city by myself.

As if the sky wanted to match my mood, the few stars vanished, and a torrential downpour suddenly drenched me.

In the middle of that heavy curtain of rain, I felt like I saw him again. I saw the man I loved most, Lucas.

Lucas and I were in love for ten years, from high school sweethearts to the brink of marriage.

That day was supposed to be our day to pick out a wedding dress.

Because of a sudden rainstorm, he and I were taking shelter under the awning of a coffee shop.

It was around four in the afternoon, right when the local preschool was letting out.

Cute little kids were scurrying out from under umbrellas like spilled beans, rushing to share their day with their parents.

And then, a man in a dark raincoat appeared. He looked completely psychotic, wielding a knife and slashing at the children indiscriminately.

The kids screamed and ran. Parents were shrieking in terror.

Lucas didn't even think. He charged straight at the man.

I wanted to scream, "Don't go! He has a knife!"

But the words wouldn't come out.

And he wouldn't have heard me anyway.

The sound of the rain blurred with the chaos. By the time I regained my senses, Lucas was on the ground. Blood was gushing from his neck in pulses. Even as he died, he was still pinning the attacker's legs down.

I froze where I stood.

I didn't react even when the ambulance and police arrived. I didn't react when the doctor declared him dead.

He was gone?

How was that possible?

I refused to believe it.

Later, his body was handled according to the organ donor agreement he had signed.

His heart was transplanted into Xavier Blackwood's chest.

I sent him countless messages that were never replied to.

That was when I finally realized.

My Lucas was truly dead.

I couldn't tell if the liquid on my face was rain or tears.

Over the years, I had been too afraid to revisit the memories of that day. Every time I thought of the blood spraying from his neck, I felt so much pain that my limbs went numb. I'd have to fight the urge to vomit.

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to find a bit of warmth.

Suddenly, an umbrella blocked the pouring rain above my head.

The image of Lucas vanished from my vision.

I turned around to see Asher Reed holding the umbrella.

It surprised me.

He took off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders, saying coldly, "You were acting so happy earlier. Why are you out here crying in the rain like a stray dog now?"

I pulled the jacket off and tossed it back to him.

"You're overthinking it. My sadness has nothing to do with them."

He pressed his lips together, clearly not believing me.

"You're so stupid. You've been a doormat for two years and you still haven't caught his heart. If your man gets stolen, go get him back. Why are you acting like a tragic lead in a movie out here?"

I didn't know why he was acting up again.

But I didn't feel like explaining anything to him.

I was just regretful. If Xavier and Serena really ended up together, I might never be allowed to get close to that heart again. I wouldn't be able to look at those eyes that looked so much like his.

Asher practically forced me into his G-Wagon and threw a blanket over me.

"Sit still. I'm taking you back to the Blackwood house!" He started the car without giving me a choice.

I didn't want to fight him. I just closed my eyes and whispered, "Fine."

Asher seemed to be talking to himself, or maybe he was asking me. "Sometimes I really don't get you. Do you actually love Xavier? Or are you just looking for a shadow in him?"

I didn't answer.

He didn't ask again.

That night, Xavier didn't come home.

He spent the entire night setting off fireworks with Serena.

Within two days, the story of me being abandoned at my own wedding spread through the city. It seemed to prove to everyone that I was indeed a pathetic simp.

I didn't care.

My family business had failed a few years ago, and people had already been laughing at me for being a fallen socialite.

Adding this to the list was nothing new.