CHAPTER NINE

Claire’s pov

My feet pounded against the pavement as I ran, tears blurring my vision. The ache in my chest felt like a gaping wound, one that wouldn't stop bleeding no matter how hard I pressed against it.

How could Lucas do this to me? After everything we'd been through together, how could he have another woman waiting in the wings? A fiancée, no less? The betrayal cut deeper than any knife.

Part of me didn't want to believe Chloe's nasty words. Lucas had seemed so sincere, so vulnerable when he asked about my relationships. There was a tenderness in his eyes that made me think, just maybe, he still cared.

But then that ring appeared, glittering like a poisonous viper poised to strike. The denial on Lucas's face couldn't erase the sting of seeing such blatant proof of his deceit. My mind spun with a whirlwind of doubts and insecurities.

Did he ever really love me at all, or had it all been a game, a ploy to get close for some nefarious reason? The thought made me shudder, my heart g