Chapter 2

Lucien's POV

My lips parted, but before I could object, the young officer had already used my phone to dial my emergency contact. "Hello, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable."

After a brief silence, the traffic officer awkwardly returned my phone. "Maybe they're busy."

I forced a smile, took my ice-cold phone from him, and silently blocked the number that had been pinned at the top of my contacts for 18 years.

Eira was a woman of her word. Since she had already paid the price to buy herself a night of peace and quiet, there was no way I would be able to reach her that night.

Much like when Eira had promised to cure my eyes. Even when every hospital turned us away, even when we were penniless and had no choice but to sleep under bridges and survive by scavenging for food, she had never given up.

To keep her word, she had taken on every odd job imaginable and even risked her life in illegal street races. Her body had constantly been covered in bruises, without a single patch of unblemished skin left.

Yet, whenever she saw me cry until my eyes were red and puffy because my heart ached for her, she would always wipe away my tears with a smile and vow, "We grew up together, Luc. You're the anchor that keeps me grounded. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you!"

Later on, she made a name for herself. In a single race, aside from the prize money, her endorsement fees alone were enough for us to live comfortably for the rest of our lives.

Eira spared no expense on my treatment, and my eyes were successfully cured. On the day I regained my sight, she wore a wedding gown and slipped a dazzling, radiant diamond ring onto my ring finger, binding our lives together.

Those days were golden, so bright that I thought I'd never be abandoned again. Things were so perfect back then that even in my dreams, I refused to see the mess we had become.

Consequently, when I came to and found Eira beside my bed, my mind went completely blank. I didn't come back to my senses until she reached out and pressed down on the wound on my forehead. "Did you do this to yourself on purpose just to force me to compromise again?"

Disappointment swirled in her eyes as she sighed. "Do you really have to degrade yourself like this, Luc?"

My mind was still foggy. I stared at her blankly for a few seconds before blurting, "Have you ever loved me, Eira?"

Eira was caught off guard for a moment. Then, she casually stroked my cheek. "I know the difference between love and lust, Luc. That said, I need freedom and novelty. So long as you turn a blind eye, we can spend the next few decades together in peace."

Rising to her feet, she extended her hand to me. "Didn't you say you wanted to travel abroad to unwind? My private jet is already waiting on the tarmac. Come on. I'll take you."

Gazing at the hand stretched out in front of me, I felt like a joke. Eira had always used the carrot-and-stick approach.

For instance, when I first caught her cheating, she had cut ties with that young man without the slightest hesitation, held me as I threw a fit to the point of convulsions, and soothed me for hours; she had gone as far as to hurt herself just to make me feel better. Yet, it did nothing to stop her endless pursuit of the next thrill.

Luxury cars and sprawling estates were the explanations and compensations she had ever given me. However, we had been together for far too long—long enough that I couldn't bring myself to end this rotted relationship. All I could do was swallow the pain and forgive her, time and time again.

But it all came to a head two months ago, when I caught her naked and intertwined with a male streamer in our marital home once again. I'd completely lost it and downed an entire bottle of sleeping pills.

Right before my consciousness began to fade, Eira kicked open the bathroom door, her eyes filled with annoyance. "This is getting really old, Lucien. I've given you a title and status. What more could you possibly want? Honestly, if you're going to keep making such a humiliating scene, I'd rather you just die right now!"

At that moment, the last trace of indignation in my heart dissipated. At long last, I understood that the woman who used to be so hungry that she kept swallowing her saliva, yet still stuffed her only sandwich into my mouth, was dead and gone.

However, when I thought of the partnership invitation that had arrived from across the ocean the night before, I paused. In the end, I agreed to the trip that happened to be along my path.