Chapter 2 002

Who was he talking to? Why did it sound like some twisted joke she was the only one excluded from?

Her hand flew to her mouth to stop herself from making a sound.

Questions attacked her from every direction, wild and frantic.

Was he drunk? Cheating? Pretending? Talking nonsense? Had she misunderstood everything? Her chest tightened until breathing itself hurt. Inside, the bathroom door handle rattled.

Panic surged through her body. She stumbled backward on unsteady legs and rushed to the bed, climbing beneath the sheets just as the door opened. Lucas emerged, fully composed. As if nothing had happened. As if he had not just shattered the air around her.

He walked over calmly, buttoning his shirt cuffs. "Ele... I need to go now, baby. Something urgent came up at the office." A lie. She knew it now. Yet she forced herself to look confused rather than broken.

"But you promised to stay with me until New Year," Eleanor said softly. "It's only a few hours away."

Lucas crouched before her and took her face gently in his hands. The tenderness made her stomach twist.

"I know, baby. But it's important." He kissed her slowly, lovingly. "I promise I'll make it up to you, hmm?" How many lies had those lips spoken to her? How many times had she thanked him for deception?

She swallowed the scream clawing at her throat and nodded. "Okay." He smiled, relieved by her obedience. Then he kissed her once more, rose, and left the room.

The second the front doors closed downstairs, Eleanor sprang into motion.

Her hands shook so badly she could barely dress herself. She threw on clothes, grabbed her purse, and rushed outside into the cold December night.

She flagged a taxi before Lucas's car could disappear entirely.

"Follow that black sedan," she said breathlessly.

The driver glanced at her through the mirror, then nodded.

Rain-slick streets reflected city lights as they sped through traffic. Eleanor stared ahead, heart pounding, mind spiraling.

Switch back. Bro. She won't notice. Every word replayed like torture.

Lucas's car finally pulled into the grand entrance of the Luxe Hotel, one of the city's most exclusive establishments. Eleanor paid quickly and followed him inside, keeping her distance.

He entered the elevator alone.

She rushed after another lift and managed to reach the VIP floor through a mixture of charm, urgency, and a lie to hotel staff about forgetting something in a friend's suite.

Her legs felt numb as she tailed him down the hallway.

He entered a private room at the far end. No loud music. No party noise. No crowd. Just silence. Confused, Eleanor approached the door cautiously. She expected laughter. Instead, she heard voices. Male voices. She leaned closer.

"How's Eleanor, your soon-to-be wife?" one man asked playfully. Her heartbeat stumbled. They were talking about her. Maybe this was a misunderstanding. Maybe the phone call had sounded worse than it was. Maybe...

"She's still as stupid as ever," Lucas said coldly. "I can't stand her." Everything inside her went still. The words struck harder than any slap ever could.

"Aren't you guys tired of fooling her? It's been four years," another man sighed. "You don't need to take it this far."

Fooling her?

Eleanor gripped the doorframe so hard her fingers ached.

"She needs to learn her lesson, Gavin," Lucas replied icily. "She deserves it." The room blurred.

"Don't you pity her?" Gavin asked quietly.

Lucas scoffed. "No." Then another voice spoke. A voice identical to Lucas's. Perfectly identical. Eleanor's eyes widened.

Her hand shook as she pushed the door open a fraction wider. And saw him.

Another Lucas. Same face. Same build. Same eyes. Twins. The breath left her lungs.

Lewis looked away, jaw clenched. "Maybe we should let her go..."

"Are you going soft?" Lucas snapped. "Did you forget what she did to Vanessa?"

Vanessa.

The name hit Eleanor like ice water. Her college tormentor. The woman who made her life miserable.

"Of course not," Lewis said darkly. "How could I fall for a cheap girl like her?"

Cheap girl. Eleanor's lips trembled violently.

"She's just a tool for my desire," Lewis continued with a shrug. "She's your fiancée, but since you won't let her go, I might as well enjoy her."

Her knees buckled. The truth finally crashed down in full. The man in her bed. The man she loved. The man she trusted. Sometimes... had not been Lucas.

"But do you really need to go as far as marriage?" Gavin muttered uneasily.

"Yes," Lucas said without hesitation. "I'll give her everything she dreams of... then take it all back. I want her to feel how cruel the world can be. She shouldn't have messed with Vanessa." Eleanor staggered backward.

Four years. Four years of love, loyalty, trust, devotion. All of it was staged. All of it revenge.

And she had unknowingly shared her body, her heart, and her future with two brothers playing a sick game. Her vision blurred with tears. She wanted to scream. To storm inside. To demand answers.

But she was no longer steady enough to survive the truth face-to-face. So she turned.

And walked away on shaking legs, each step sounding like the collapse of the life she thought she had.