Chapter 3

I followed them down the hallway to the guest room. Lucas pushed the door open with his shoulder, still cradling Victoria against his chest, and laid her gently on the bed like she might shatter.

He sat on the edge of the mattress, his hands immediately going to her ankle, touching it carefully, his brow furrowed with concern. "Does this hurt? What about here?"

Victoria winced. "A little. I'm so sorry for being such a burden."

"Don't say that." His voice was soft, soothing. His fingers moved along her calf, checking for swelling.

I stood in the doorway, watching. He didn't even notice me, he continued fawning over her in ways he never did to me.

"What happened?" I asked.

Lucas glanced back, seeming surprised I was there. "She twisted her ankle. I'm just checking it."

"You're not a doctor." I stepped into the room. "Don't touch her like that. I studied sports rehabilitation in college. I can take a look."

“Be gentle.” Lucas said in a tone that made me cast a weary glance his way.

I moved to the bedside and knelt down before he could protest. I took Victoria's ankle in my hands, examining it with practiced movements. I pressed gently around the joint, checking for heat or swelling. There was nothing. The skin was cool, no inflammation, no tenderness. I tested the range of motion carefully.

The ankle was completely fine.

"It hurts." Victoria let out a soft cry, her face crumpling.

I'd barely applied any pressure. I opened my mouth to say so.

Lucas's hand clamped down on my wrist and yanked me backward, hard enough that I stumbled.

"You're hurting her." His voice was sharp, cold. "If you don't know what you're doing, don't touch her."

I stared at him, speechless. The Lucas I knew was always controlled, always measured. I'd never seen this anger directed at me before.

"I was just examining—"

"I said don't touch her, ." His eyes were hard.

I pulled my wrist free and left the room. There was nothing else to say. Nothing that would make him listen.

I lay in our bedroom alone, staring at the ceiling in the darkness. The house had gone quiet. I kept waiting to hear Lucas's footsteps on the stairs, the familiar sound of him getting ready for bed.

My hand rested on my stomach. I'd wanted to tell him tonight about the baby. I'd imagined it would bring us closer, that maybe he'd finally look at me the way he'd looked at Victoria tonight.

I must have fallen asleep waiting, because when I opened my eyes, pale morning light was seeping through the curtains. I reached across the bed automatically.

The sheets beside me were cold. Undisturbed.

He hadn't come back all night.

Unease settled in my chest like a stone. I got up and went downstairs, following the smell of coffee.

Lucas was in the kitchen, already dressed in one of his tailored suits. There was a plate on the table with toast and eggs, even a small bowl of fruit. He never made breakfast.

"You didn't come back to sleep," I said.

He looked up from his phone. "I was taking care of Victoria. It got late, and I didn't want to wake you, so I slept on the couch."

The knot in my chest loosened slightly. He'd stayed up helping her because she needed it. That was just who Lucas was. Responsible. Dutiful. And he'd made me breakfast. He was trying, in his own way.

"I waited for you." I sat down at the table. "Next time, just come back. It's okay."

He nodded, already checking his messages. "We should leave soon. There's a meeting at nine."

"I'll get ready."

Twenty minutes later, I came downstairs with my bag and laptop. Lucas was already outside by the car. I could see him through the window, checking something on his phone.

I walked out and reached for the passenger door handle.

Victoria was already sitting in the passenger seat, adjusting the visor mirror.

I stopped, confused.

She turned and saw me, her eyes widening. "Oh, I'm so sorry, sister-in-law. I'm used to sitting in my brother's passenger seat. My foot isn't healed yet, so it's hard to switch." She gestured vaguely at her ankle.

“But this is where I always sit. Why didn’t you take the back seat?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry it didn’t cross my mind. I was in so much pain that I didn’t take note. Also, I didn’t know you would be coming.” She said, an innocent smile plastered on her face.

I gasped as I looked at Lucas who was settling in the driver’s seat.

“And why won’t I come along?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I am really sorry sister In law, my ankle just hurts too bad.”

"Lucas," I said.

He glanced up, impatient. "It's just a seat. Stop fussing. We're going to be late."

Victoria smiled sweetly, before she continued. "Mom asked me to come to the company to observe and learn. If I don't understand something, you'll have to teach me, since I’ll be joining the company soon."

Her words filled me with unease but before I could speak further, Lucas’s impatient voice reached me.

“Get in, Lillith, we are running out of time”.

The words died in my throat. I walked around to the back door and got in, setting my bag beside me.

The drive to the office felt longer than usual. Victoria chatted easily with Lucas about people I didn't know, places I'd never been. She laughed at something he said, then reached forward and opened the glove compartment without asking, pulling out a compact mirror.

I stared at the back of her head. I'd been in this car hundreds of times and never knew there was a mirror in there.

She touched up her lipstick, then tucked the compact back exactly where it had been. The movement was casual, automatic. Like she'd done it a thousand times before.

My unease deepened. How long had she been sitting in that passenger seat? How many drives had they taken together before I ever came into the picture?

The easy familiarity between them, the way she knew exactly where things were, the way Lucas accommodated her without question. It wasn't new. This intimacy had been there all along.

And I was an outsider.

At the office, I went straight to my desk and opened my laptop. I pulled up the project management system to check on the Riverside development project. I'd been working on it for months, and it was nearly complete. Just a few final details to tie up.

The screen loaded. My name was gone from the project file.

I stared at it, confused. Transferred to the new manager, the status read. I clicked on the assignment details, but it just showed a user ID I didn't recognize.

"Looking for something?"

I turned. Victoria was standing behind my desk, and my stomach dropped.

Her arm was hooked casually through Lucas's.

They stood there together like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like she belonged there at his side. Like I didn't exist.

"Everyone, I want to introduce our new project manager," Lucas said to the room, his voice carrying that flat, professional tone. "Victoria Smith will be taking over the Riverside development project."

My project. The one I'd spent countless late nights on. The one I'd restructured from the ground up when the original plan had fallen apart.