Chapter 3

I snapped out of my thoughts, took down the matching aprons, and tossed them into the trash chute outside.

I'd barely gotten into a cab when a post popped up on my phone: "Avoid this place! This bakery in a luxury mall scams customers, and the owner is completely unethical!"

My stomach tightened. Lillian had posted it.

She'd completely twisted what happened. According to her, I'd discriminated against her because she had depression, refused her order, and then smashed things in front of her to intimidate her.

She'd conveniently edited out every second that showed her destroying my cake. All that remained was a clip of me coldly saying, "I'm not taking this order," followed by a shot of the wreckage on the floor.

Thousands of angry comments poured in.

[Thank God this showed up on my feed. I was about to order a dessert table for my engagement party.]

[Probably some bitter single woman who can't stand seeing anyone else happy. Someone should sue her.]

My account was flooded with hateful comments and DMs.

[Hope your shop shuts down soon.]

[Get out of this industry!]

Then the mall manager messaged me directly and ordered me to close the bakery while the mall investigated. He also warned me that the mall might terminate my lease.

Meanwhile, Lillian went live, crying as she swallowed some pills. "I just wanted to make a special memory with the person I love... I never thought this would happen. My depression is getting bad again. I can't stop shaking. Please don't attack her. It's my fault. I shouldn't have gone out today."

The more she cried, the more sympathy she got. Her followers were furious, and some even threatened to come trash my shop themselves.

I was shaking with rage, but my mind had never been clearer.

I opened my laptop and gathered everything I had: proof of our eight-year relationship, records from our engagement party, and the unedited security footage showing Lucas protecting Lillian in my shop. Then I posted it all online.

After that, I joined Lillian's livestream.

"Let me tell you why I refused your order. I'm the fiancée of the perfect boyfriend standing next to you. We've been together for eight years, and our wedding is next month. The only reason I didn't expose you both at the shop was because I didn't want you two making the place any dirtier than it already was!"

The internet exploded. My post went viral almost instantly.

The comments flipped in seconds.

[Oh my God! He brought his side chick to his fiancée's bakery to order an anniversary cake? What kind of psycho does that?]

[And she's still livestreaming and playing the victim? She's the other woman! Disgusting!]

Lucas called me almost immediately.

"Sophia! I told you Lillian has depression and can't handle this kind of stress! Why would you put our private business online? Are you trying to kill her? Delete that post right now!"

I gave a cold laugh. "She attacked me online and nearly destroyed everything I've built. Why should I protect her?"

A scream suddenly came over the phone.

On the livestream, Lillian broke down. She smashed a glass, pressed a shard against her wrist, and made a shallow cut.

Lucas panicked. "Lillian, don't do anything stupid! I'm calling an ambulance!"

The livestream cut off in the middle of the chaos.

But Lucas was still on the line. When he spoke again, his voice was ice-cold. "Sophia, I've never been more disappointed in you."

He hung up. I leaned back in the cab, strangely calm.

His furious words kept replaying in my head.

Once, a minor burn left a tiny blister on my finger. That alone was enough to make his eyes turn red. He'd driven across town at midnight just to buy me the best burn cream he could find.

Another time, when my bakery lost power, he'd walked away from a contract worth millions because he worried I'd be scared there alone.

Now all that care belonged to someone else.

I watched the city slide past the window. I had no anger left. Only emptiness.

The next morning, I had barely checked out of the hotel when Lucas caught up with me in the lobby.

His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked exhausted.

"Sophia, haven't you done enough? Lillian had to have her stomach pumped last night. I spent all night at the hospital with her. I'm exhausted. Your shop's reputation is ruined anyway. Stop making this worse. Delete the posts and come home."

I looked at him, my face blank.

"Lucas, are you delusional? I don't want the shop, and I don't want you."

Lucas clenched his jaw and stared at me for a moment before storming off.

I was on my way to the airport when Lillian posted another video.

Lucas sat beside her and held her pale hand as he faced the camera.

"Lillian and I fell in love six months ago. Sophia is my ex. We broke up a long time ago, but she refuses to let me go. Lillian isn't the other woman. This is all my fault. Please stop attacking her. She has depression."

I laughed so hard my eyes watered.

To protect Lillian, he'd publicly branded the woman he'd loved for eight years as a crazy ex.

Then I got a call from an unknown number. When I answered, Lillian said, "Sophia, now you see how far Lucas is willing to go for me, don't you? He's made his choice perfectly clear. He loves me. Those eight years with you were nothing but habit. Take the hint and leave. Stop embarrassing yourself."

The smugness in her voice killed the last bit of mercy I had left for Lucas.

I hung up and posted one final piece of evidence: the entire chat where Lucas admitted he was only pretending to be Lillian's boyfriend to keep her stable, along with a screenshot of the $6,000 he'd transferred to her. I didn't edit a thing.

Then I turned off my phone and boarded a flight to the other side of the country.

This time, I cut Lucas out of my life for good.