Chapter 3

3

Honestly, regardless of Dominic's threats, I had already planned to divorce Vivienne.

Everyone said I was just a substitute. They thought I was a toy Vivienne used to soothe her heartbreak after losing Dominic.

What they didn't know was that Vivienne was also a substitute for me.

A long time passed. Lyra sent another message: 【Do you want to get back at them?】

I walked into the bar.

Before I could find the booth Lyra mentioned, a warm hand grabbed my wrist. "Over here."

A second later, I lost my balance and was pulled into a warm embrace.

"How long do you plan on holding me?" Lyra's voice rang out as soon as I steadied myself.

I quickly pulled my hand away and looked at her familiar face. Because we were so close, the coldness in her eyes was even more obvious in the dim light.

But years ago, Lyra wasn't like this.

Around me, she was always passionate and devastatingly sincere.

Every time she clung to me, she would make me promise over and over that I would never leave her.

I gathered my thoughts and tried to keep my voice steady. "I'm sorry."

Lyra led the way after that.

She navigated the dark corridors with ease, leading me to a secluded booth on the second floor.

Vivienne and Dominic's group was right below us. I glanced down and saw someone egging Vivienne on to feed Dominic a drink.

I looked away and asked Lyra, "How do you plan on getting revenge?"

"Kieran, you dumped me for someone like that?" Lyra asked, glancing down. "Your taste is even worse than I thought."

"You already know the truth, don't you?" I replied.

I knew that with her current status, it wouldn't be hard for her to find out what happened back then. She was only saying this to humiliate me.

"I know what happened years ago was painful, but I don't regret my decision," I added.

"You don't regret it?" Lyra laughed coldly. "Then why are you afraid to look at me?"

"Since we met tonight, you've been avoiding my eyes. Are you scared of me? Do you think I'm going to hurt you?"

She stepped closer, pinning me against the railing. She tilted my chin up, forcing me to look into her eyes.

"Kieran, do you really hate me that much?"

"If I hadn't used Vivienne as an excuse to get you here, would you have even looked at my messages?"

"Right. You were always so good at this game. To you, I'm probably not even worth Vivienne's little finger."

Lyra narrowed her eyes. Her thumb brushed over my lips for a few seconds.

She smiled and said, "I wonder what Vivienne would do if she saw you like this right now."

As Lyra's lips drew closer, a loud noise from downstairs snapped me back to reality. I pushed her away.

"Lyra, I know you're not this kind of person. If you're angry and want to hurt me, I have nothing to say. But you don't need to…"

Before I could finish, she grabbed my shoulders and kissed me.

She bit my lip with a force that felt like pure aggression. It wasn't until I tasted blood that she finally pulled back.

"You think you know me? Kieran, you're still so full of yourself."

Compared to years ago, I really didn't understand the woman standing before me.

I was the one who pursued her, and I was the one who abandoned her without a word when things got hard. She had every right to hate me.

Her hot breath brushed against my neck. A moment later, the weight of her body lifted. Her voice was ice-cold and filled with rage.

"Kieran, your mind is wandering even when you're with me. What, are you thinking about your cheating wife?"