Chapter 3

The next morning, Lucas drove over to pick me up.

“Lily, come home with me.”

“It’s fine. Your mother doesn’t want me there.”

Instead of listening, he grabbed my wrist and forced me into the car. “Stop making a scene. Mom has forgotten all about yesterday.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “Your mother may have forgotten all about it, but I still remember.”

I couldn’t forget the disgust in her eyes when she looked at me or the dismissive words she spoke, but I couldn’t beat his stubborn persistence. Or perhaps, deep down, a tiny sliver of hope remained within me.

When we returned to the Karevs’ house, Alison was, sure enough, acting as if nothing had happened. However, she still failed to recognize who I was. When Tate introduced me as her best friend, Alison simply nodded with a smile.

At the dining table, the conversation suddenly switched to the wedding, and Alison asked if I would be Tate’s bridesmaid.

I shook my head in refusal. “I’m busy with work and won’t have the time.”

Lucas’s younger sister scoffed, “You just wish you were the bride instead.”

I froze.

Lucas, too, frowned. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

His sister pointed at me with a wounded look and said, “Yesterday I saw her on the balcony, throwing herself into your arms–”

Tate quickly chimed in to explain, “Lily is my best friend. She would never do something like that.”

Even so, Alison’s face instantly turned grim, and for the rest of the meal, she didn’t say a single word to me.

After lunch, I was just about to leave when Alison suddenly called out to me. “You’re Lily, aren’t you? Tate and Lucas are getting married soon. Didn’t your parents ever teach you to stay away from a taken man?”

Parents? I had no family.

I took a deep breath and said bitterly, “Don’t worry, Mrs. Karev. I won’t ever come back here again.”

Hearing that, Lucas stared in shock and was about to step forward, but Alison held him back. In the end, Tate walked me to the door.

“Lily, Alison was betrayed in the past, so it’s only normal that she gets triggered easily. Please don’t take it to heart.”

She was supposed to be my best friend, the one standing by my side. Yet now, even her tone mirrored that of the Karev family.

I didn’t respond. Instead, I opened an app on my phone and booked a one-way flight out of the country.

Lucas and Tate stayed in his hometown for two days. Following Alison’s wishes, they went to get their pre-wedding photos taken.

Alison even posted photos on Instagram showing Lucas accompanying Tate while she tried on wedding dresses. The gowns were gorgeous, and the two of them truly looked like a perfect match.

Tate sent me several photos, wanting me to help her pick out which dress looked best. Right after sending them, she added an explanation.

[Since our body shapes are pretty much the same, you can take this as me trying out wedding dresses for you. It’ll save you the trouble later.]

I didn’t reply to her as I used to.

When Lucas finally returned home, I was packing my luggage. Assuming I was going on another business trip, he helped me pack my clothes into the suitcase.

“How long will this trip be? When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow.”

Lucas stopped what he was doing. “The wedding is set for three days from now. If you can’t make it… that’s actually for the best.”

I clenched my fists silently. He wanted to talk more, but Alison suddenly made a video call to discuss the wedding details with him. I instinctively stepped away, walking behind him in my sleepwear, which ended up being caught on camera.

Alison immediately panicked. “Why is Tate’s best friend at your place? Are you two together?”

Lucas quickly covered the camera. “Mom, you’re mistaken. That was Tate…”

“I refuse to believe you! Take your hand away!”

Unable to win the argument, he made up an excuse. “Mom, Lily came over to drop off some work documents. It’s not what you think.”

He then motioned for me to change out of my sleepwear. Faced with the urgency, I had no choice but to comply.

Yet, when Alison saw the dress I was wearing, she scolded me anyway, “I knew you were up to no good! Dressing like that to seduce Lucas? Just as I thought, you’re a slut–”

My suppressed emotions burst at that instant.

I snatched the phone right out of Lucas’s hand and said, “Mrs. Karev, I’m Lucas’s real girlfriend! They’ve been lying to–”

“Enough!” Lucas cut me off sharply, grabbing the phone back and disconnecting the call immediately.

He looked at me with disappointment. “Lily, are you crazy? You know how unstable my mother’s condition is. Why would you provoke her?”

Tears welled up in my eyes as I asked, “Lucas, can you swear that you two were just putting on an act and never crossed the line with each other?”

His eyes flickered, showing a brief moment of panic. Then, he wrapped his arms around me.

“Lily, I know this has all been very unfair to you. Just wait for me, and I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

He only spoke of making it up to me, yet he never denied his relationship with Tate. I finally had an answer to the question that had tormented me for so many years.

I pushed him away and walked back into the bedroom alone. Lucas didn't follow me. Through the door, I could hear him on the phone with Tate, discussing how to soothe Alison again.

With my ear against the door, I bit my lip to keep myself from crying aloud. Looking at the flight reminder on my screen, I knew leaving Lucas was the best decision I had ever made in my entire life.