Chapter 4

The door slammed shut behind me, as I walked into the vale residence. the sound echoing through the marble halls like the final note of something dead.

“I’m not marrying Raphael.”

My voice was calm.

Mrs Evelyn didn’t look at me. She simply took a shallow breath before replying coldly.

“Really?” she said flatly, scrolling as if I had just commented on the weather.

Evelyn Vale didn’t even look up from her phone.

“Didn’t you hear what I said?” I demanded, my fingers tightening around the torn fabric of my wedding dress. “Or do you just pretend not to hear the things I say?”

That immediately got her attention.

Her gaze lifted slowly, sharp and cold, assessing me like I was something unpleasant she had just discovered on her shoe.

“And what exactly is that supposed to mean, Lucy?”

A bitter laugh escaped me.

“Isn’t this the part where you pretend to care?” I shot back. “Or at least ask why I just called off my wedding?”

She leaned back, unimpressed and scoffed coldly.

Aren't you getting ahead of yourself here? At what point have you ever been my responsibility?

“You were the one desperate to get married,” she said. No one forced you. If you’ve suddenly changed your mind, that’s your problem. It has nothing to do with me.

Her response made me speechless. The pain that rippled through me at her words felt like someone brutally slashed my heart with a blunt knife.

“You really don’t care, do you?” I whispered, my voice trembling despite myself. “Not about the wedding. Not about anything that happens to me.”

Her expression didn’t change.

Why should I? she replied coolly. “You’ve never been my responsibility.”

The last thread of something fragile inside me finally snapped.

I opened my mouth to speak—to scream, maybe—but footsteps cut through the tension.

That moment Raphael walked in behind me.

“Lucy!”

I stiffened.

He rushed in walking towards me, breathless, his voice filled with urgency.

“Lucy Please, I can explain” It’s really not what you think.

I didn’t even turn to look at him.

I didn’t have the energy to argue with both of them anymore, There was nothing left to say, Nothing left to feel.

My mind was already made.

They would all pay for this. Every single one of them. Even if it’s the last thing I do.

Without another word, I turned and walked away, ignoring the way Raphael called my name, ignoring Evelyn’s sharp gaze burning into my back. I went straight to my room and slammed the door shut behind me.

My chest rose and fell rapidly, but the storm inside me was no longer wild.

It had a sharper, colder edge. Rage and determination coursed through my veins.

The next morning came too quickly.

My phone buzzed endlessly on the nightstand—calls, messages, all from Raphael.

I didn’t read a single one.

Instead, I switched it off.

He didn’t deserve my attention anymore.

Not even a second of it.

I dressed quickly, needing air, needing space—anything to clear the suffocating weight in my chest.

Just as I reached the staircase, soft voices drifted from the living room, light and filled with excitement—as though they had just received the best news of their lives. I paused, hidden in the shadows, curiosity rooting me in place, Mrs. Evelyn Cole sat beside Vivian, their hands clasped tightly, smiles glowing with anticipation.

“Vivian, get ready,” she said warmly. “You’re meeting Mr. Andre Cole tomorrow.”

My body went rigid.

The name echoed in my mind like a sudden thunderclap. My breath hitched, my fingers tightening around the railing as a strange, uneasy feeling settled deep in my chest.