Chapter 5

Episode 5

POV Lyra

I slowly backed away, hurrying to distance myself from the bathroom door before the sound of my footsteps or the creak of the hinges could make Casian realize I was outside. My breathing came in ragged gasps, my chest rising and falling as I struggled to contain the overwhelming wave of anger and disgust raging inside me. Without wasting another second, I snatched the handbag from the dressing table, hurried out of the house through the side door, and immediately got into my car.

The engine roared to life with a harsh growl. I slammed my foot down on the accelerator, letting the tires screech sharply as I sped away from the house I had spent the past ten years protecting with nothing but sincerity and devotion.

Only after the car was speeding down the increasingly quiet highway did my trembling left hand reach into my bag for my phone. I opened WeChat and quickly typed out a lie to protect my position.

[Darling, I have to stay with Jenny. I'm sorry I only just told you. She suddenly came down with a high fever, and there's no one to take care of her at her apartment. I think I'll be home a little late.]

I typed the message and pressed send.

Less than a minute later, my phone vibrated, signaling an incoming reply.

[Yes, darling... I've been home since four this afternoon,] Casian replied, without the slightest hint of hesitation or guilt in his words.

The tears I had been holding back finally spilled down my cheeks. I smiled bitterly behind the wheel, a hollow laugh escaping from my trembling lips.

How calmly that man could lie.

The husband I had trusted had just spent his passion in front of a phone screen with his mistress only minutes ago.

I gripped the steering wheel tightly. Throughout the drive, muffled sobs broke through the suffocating silence inside the car.

I was completely lost. It felt as though fate itself was playing me for a fool.

For ten years of marriage, I had never once demanded a luxurious life. I had never complained about my increasingly fuller figure, and I had devoted my entire life to taking care of my husband and our son. I had loved him unconditionally.

I had hidden my true identity as the sole heir of the Stevans family so Casian would never feel inferior. I had even financed every step of his business from the very beginning until it grew into a major company.

Then what was wrong with me?

What reason could possibly make that man betray me with another woman disguised as his sister-in-law?

Was it because I was no longer attractive in his eyes?

Was it because my plus-sized body failed to meet the shallow standards of beauty imposed by the outside world?

The questions slammed into my mind one after another, leaving an unbearable pain in my chest.

Yet amid the storm of emotions raging through me, Bill Davidson's cold voice echoed clearly in my memory once again.

Don't act recklessly. Find all the evidence quietly. Make sure he loses all his wealth and his future.

My determination returned instinctively.

My trampled dignity could not be allowed to destroy me so easily.

I drew a deep breath and wiped the remaining tears from my face with the back of my hand. Then I hardened my gaze until it was as cold as ice.

If Casian wanted to play with fire and toy with me on top of the suffering I had endured and built my life around, then I would play along with this filthy charade until the very end.

And if my suspicions and the evidence truly pointed toward a fatal betrayal, I swore on my son, Calvin, that I would bring down the entire Pettel Group until not a single stone remained standing.

Then I would seize every asset belonging to that company under my own name and give it all to my son someday.

Casian would get nothing except absolute destruction.

Just as I was about to accelerate and head home to calm myself down, a small problem suddenly brought me to a halt.

Earlier at the club, with everything so chaotic and my emotions completely out of control, I hadn't had the chance to exchange phone numbers or business cards with Bill Davidson.

I didn't even know where my childhood friend's law firm was located now.

I pulled the car over to the side of the deserted highway.

With my fingers still trembling slightly, I opened the search engine on my phone and typed in the name of Bill Davidson's law firm, which was renowned as the most elite firm dominating the country's corporate legal arena.

The screen displayed all the information I needed: a magnificent skyscraper with minimalist modern architecture standing in the heart of the city's main financial district, bearing the name Davidson & Partners Legal Empire.

I stared intently at the building's address before shifting my gaze back to the road ahead.

The hour hand of my luxury watch pointed precisely to eight o'clock when my black sedan pulled up and stopped in front of the lobby entrance of the Davidson & Partners Legal Empire skyscraper.

The lights from the minimalist modern architecture reflected against my car windows, still damp with traces of evening dew.

With determined steps tempered by the remnants of my emotional exhaustion, I got out of the vehicle, straightened the wool coat wrapped around my body, and walked through the towering automatic glass doors of the main lobby.

A tall, broad-shouldered security officer in a neat uniform immediately blocked my path as I approached the black marble reception desk.

The woman behind the desk looked at me with a polite but somewhat stiff smile before delivering the standard refusal that instantly crushed the tiny bit of hope remaining in my chest.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. Our law firm's operating hours ended at five this afternoon. We no longer accept visitors or legal consultations without a prior appointment," the receptionist said politely but firmly.

Disappointment struck my chest immediately.

My breath caught.

I had come all this way with unwavering determination, carrying the burning wound of Casian's betrayal, only to be turned away by the building's bureaucracy as the night grew increasingly late.

I bit my lower lip, preparing to turn around and leave with my frustration reaching its peak.

"What is all this commotion about?"

A deep, cold, and unmistakably familiar voice shattered the silence of the lobby.

I immediately turned toward the source of the voice.

From the private executive elevator at the far end of the corridor, a man in a dark gray suit with the top of his shirt collar slightly undone stepped out, accompanied by two neatly dressed staff members.

His features were sharp, his jaw strong, and his piercing eyes behind thin-framed glasses immediately caught sight of me standing frozen beside the reception desk.

It was Bill Davidson.

The receptionist and security officer immediately bowed respectfully to the owner of the law firm.

But Bill paid no attention to their greetings.

His steps stopped instantly, and his eyes narrowed as he stared at me from several meters away.

"Lyra...?" Bill called out incredulously before taking long strides toward me. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

Hearing him say my name, the defenses I had been desperately holding together finally collapsed.

My voice trembled violently as I looked into the eyes of my childhood best friend.

"Bill, I need your help," I whispered, my voice barely audible amid the echoes of the empty lobby.

Bill stopped directly in front of me.

He studied my tear-stained, swollen face before waving a hand toward his staff, silently ordering them to leave him alone.

Once the two of us were standing together in the quiet corner of the lobby, Bill folded his arms across his chest, his gaze sharp and serious.

"What kind of help, Lyra?" he asked flatly, his voice carrying the absolute authority of the most dangerous lawyer in the country.