Chapter 3

Gia had a long dream where she was back to when she was 18.

She was cornered in a narrow alley by a gang of thugs, and Lucas charged in without a second thought. He shielded her when one of the thugs thrust a knife toward her.

The thugs scattered in fear. She clung to him, his body covered in blood. Tears streamed down her face.

He gently wiped her tears with a bloodstained hand and said, "Gia, it… breaks my heart to see you cry."

He was clearly in pain, but somehow, his smile was blissful. He confessed, "Gia, I never dared to say this before, but… I like you. I like you so much that I'd die for you."

The blurry dream wavered. His face then twisted and became cruel.

He yelled angrily, "I'm in love with Cecelia now! You took what's hers, so why don't you just die?"

She jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat.

The bedroom was pitch dark. She breathed hard, forcing herself to calm down, until faint sounds coming from outside broke the silence.

It was the muffled noise of someone retching, mixed with a low, soothing voice of a man.

Gia got out of bed as if drawn by an unseen force, and she quietly opened the door to peek. A door stood half-open down the hallway, and Cecelia could be heard sobbing.

"I feel awful…" she sobbed.

"Hold on a little longer. Have some warm water. Pregnancy is supposed to be like this. You'll feel much better in a few weeks," he said, his voice full of tenderness and concern.

Gia felt heartbroken. She took a few unsteady steps forward like a puppet, and she saw everything inside the room.

Cecelia rested in his arms, his hand gently stroking her back while the other held a cup of water. They leaned into each other like a married couple.

"Lucas, will you tell me a story? Like you used to when we were kids…" she said.

His expression visibly softened. His fingers brushed through her hair, and his voice was warm.

"Once upon a time…" he began.

The room seemed to spin around Gia.

She placed a hand over her mouth to stop any sound from escaping.

She remembered a time when she too had leaned against his chest like that. His expression had been gentle then as well, but his words were different.

He had said, "Don't start this again. I still have experimental data to analyze tomorrow."

She never heard him finish a story.

"You're so good to me, Lucas," she said sweetly. Then, she suddenly tilted her head up and kissed him.

Lucas went rigid at first, but he did not push her away. He said in a raspy voice, "Don't, you need to take care of yourself right now…"

However, his hand pressed firmly against the back of her head, pulling her into a passionate kiss. The sound of it was breathless and intimate; it filled the air as their figures melted together.

Gia fled.

She stumbled back into her bedroom, leaning against the door before sinking to the floor. Tears had blurred her vision. A wave of nausea hit her hard, and she rushed to the bathroom, retching until her body shook.

It was so disgusting to her, and she was more heartbroken than before.

She did not know how much time had passed before she emerged. Her legs were numb, each step feeling like it landed on pins. She opened a drawer and pulled out a heavy photo album.

Every page was filled with pictures of her and Lucas. Each one with his gaze fixed on her affectionately made her heartbroken.

The affection in his eyes had never been fake, but it had never been hers alone.

She cut every photo to pieces with a pair of scissors before she threw them into the trash.

She carried the garbage bag downstairs at dawn, only to find Lucas busy in the kitchen.

"Up so early?" he asked. His gaze flicked to the bag in her hand, and he continued to ask, "What's that?"

"Trash," she replied.

Her voice was steady as she brushed past him.

He did not press her for answers. He plated the breakfast he had been preparing and set it on the table. He said without turning around, "Cecelia's stomach has been acting up. I made her something easy to digest. I didn't have time to make yours, so you'll have to sort breakfast out yourself."

Her steps faltered. She felt her chest tighten, making it hard to breathe.

She replied calmly after pausing for a moment, "If I go out alone…"

The sound of something crashing cut her off.

It was followed by a pained moan, "Lucas…"

His face changed instantly. He dropped everything and rushed toward her. He yelled, "Cecelia? What's wrong?"

Cecelia clutched her throat as if she could not breathe, her face pale and strained.

Lucas panicked. He swept her into his arms without a second thought and headed for the door.

Gia barely had time to react, so she was still standing there. He shouted furiously, "Move!"

He promptly shoved her out of the way.

A cabinet crashed to the floor, its contents spilling everywhere, striking her painfully. She felt a sharp sting on her forehead as something warm and sticky slid down the side of her face.

However, Lucas had left, and he never once looked back.