Chapter 2

Lucas glanced at me and nodded before continuing, "Cecilia stayed single for me all these years. Now that she's about to die, I have to fulfill her wish."

Then, his cheeks flushed a little, as if what he was about to say was hard to voice. "Cecilia… she saved herself for me; she's never been with a man. So, I've decided that I'm going to have a child with her."

Noticing how stiff my expression was, he hastily added, "I've talked it over with her. The child will take your last name. That should be enough, right?"

I stared at him in disbelief before jumping to my feet. "Do you even hear yourself right now, Lucas? You want to have a child with Cecilia, and you want me to raise it? I refuse. I won't accept this.

"I already turned a blind eye when you kept visiting her, and now you're telling me you want to cheat on me? What the hell is wrong with you, Lucas?"

My anger erupted in an instant, completely overwhelming my reason. Because I loved him, I had tolerated his lingering feelings for Cecilia. I had even accepted him caring for her.

Yet, his words felt like a hard slap to my face. It was both painful and humiliating.

Lucas froze, as if he wasn't expecting such a strong reaction from me, who had always indulged him. He came back to his senses and snarled, "What on earth are you doing, Fiona? I'm not asking for your opinion. I'm notifying you."

His brows knitted together as he looked at me, whose face was flushed crimson, with annoyance. "Besides, just because I married you doesn't mean my body belongs to you. I don't need your permission to have a child with someone else.

"Most importantly, if you hadn't forced yourself into the picture, I would've already been with Cecilia. You took advantage of me when I was at my lowest!" After saying that, he glared at me resentfully.

All of a sudden, I lost all strength to argue or question him, because it had never occurred to me that Lucas would blame me for his breakup with Cecilia.

Back then, someone secretly took nude photos of Lucas and used them to humiliate him. When his then-girlfriend, Cecilia, found out, she fled the city. His parents, who had been lifelong educators, couldn't bear the blow and fell seriously ill.

At that moment, I, who had had a crush on him for years, stepped forward. I did take advantage of the situation.

But I had no choice. From the moment I first laid eyes on him at school, I knew he was the one for me. Everyone knew about his relationship with Cecilia, and I would never have tried to come between them.

When she left, and he drowned in despair, I couldn't bring myself to look the other way.

During the two years he struggled with depression, I stayed by his side. Perhaps my sincerity reached him, or perhaps he had finally let go of Cecilia, because two years later, he asked me to marry him. I thought my efforts had finally paid off.

Even after we were married, I continued to take care of him meticulously. I didn't dare slack off, as I was afraid his depression would return.

But now, six years later, he thought all his regrets with Cecilia were my fault.

What a joke. With a single sentence, he erased all my effort and sincerity.

"What am I to you, Lucas? A disposable ATM?" I practically shouted.

My eyes were ablaze with anger. My lips trembled, and I couldn't form another complete sentence.

I couldn't understand how he could treat me like this. We had been married for six years. Did he even have a heart?

"Do you really have to make such a big deal out of this, Fiona?" He looked at me with obvious disgust. "Forget it. No matter how you feel about this, I'm going to have a child with Cecilia."

I was about to argue when his phone rang. The ringtone was distinctive, and I knew immediately it was Cecilia.

Her voice came through the line, faint and weak. "Lucas, my stomach hurts again. I want to see you… Can you come?"

Cecilia sounded fragile. I watched as concern and tenderness flashed across his eyes. It was a look he had never once shown me.

Instinctively, I grasped his hand. "I'm not agreeing to this, Lucas. You're my husband—"

He flung my hand away, irritation written all over his face. "Cut it out, Fiona. Cecilia is sick; she needs me right now. Even if you're jealous, can you not do this right now? This really isn't the time.

"Can you not make this about yourself? Cecilia doesn't have much time left."

His forehead creased, as if I were the one being unreasonable. Just then, I felt my heart shatter.