Chapter 6

“Damon?”

My mother’s voice broke through my paralysis as she hurried over, her eyes wide with panic.

“Damon, what is she doing here? Why is she with your Uncle Lucas?”

I couldn’t answer her. My tongue felt heavy, glued to the roof of my mouth. Before I could even take a step back, Mr. and Mrs. Larson walked right past me with broad, glowing smiles and headed straight toward the couple.

“You took your time, sweetheart,” Mrs. Larson said warmly as she pulled Junia into a loving embrace before turning to Lucas with a smile. “Lucas, thank you for taking such good care of her. She even looks healthier now. You’re such a wonderful husband.”

“Always, Mrs. Larson,” Lucas replied.

His deep, commanding voice carried effortlessly through the suddenly quiet ballroom. He reached out and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind Junia’s ear, the small gesture so intimate that a sharp, unexpected pain stabbed through my chest. My husband? What was really going on? I needed answers, but no one was willing to give me any.

Junia’s eyes slowly swept across the room until they landed on me.

There was no anger in them. No heartbreak. No desperation. There was only a calm, amused indifference that chilled me to the bone. She held my gaze for one agonizing moment before looking away as though I were nothing more than a stranger. Then she smiled ever so slightly.

That smile terrified me.

My mother and I exchanged the same stunned expression.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please?”

Mrs. Carol Sinclair’s voice echoed through the microphone as she stepped onto the stage at the front of the ballroom. Although this was our family’s annual banquet, everyone knew the Sinclair family held greater influence.

The music faded, and the conversations gradually came to a stop.

“Tonight is a very special evening for both our families,” Mrs. Sinclair announced with a warm smile. “As many of you already know, my eldest son, Lucas Sinclair, recently married the Larson family’s only daughter. Unfortunately, many of you couldn’t attend the wedding, so tonight we would like to formally introduce them as husband and wife. Please raise your glasses for my daughter-in-law, Junia Larson Sinclair, and my son, Lucas Sinclair.”

The ballroom erupted into applause.

Champagne glasses were lifted into the air as congratulations echoed throughout the room. Everyone admired the union of two of the most powerful families in the country.

I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

Husband…

She had actually married him.

She had married my uncle.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

Without thinking, driven by humiliation, rage, and desperation, I pushed through the crowd.

“Junia!” I shouted, my voice cutting through the applause.

The room instantly fell silent.

Lucas didn’t even flinch. He simply turned around and subtly moved Junia behind him, shielding her with his broad frame as his expression turned cold.

“Damon, don’t,” my mother whispered nervously as she reached for my arm, but I pulled away.

Stopping only a few feet in front of them, I clenched my fists and stared at Junia.

“What kind of game is this?” I demanded. “You signed the divorce papers four months ago, and now you’re standing here on my uncle’s arm? Is this some pathetic attempt to get my attention? To get revenge on me?” My breathing became heavier. “Or were you cheating on me before our divorce? Were you really that cheap?”

Soft gasps rippled through the crowd.

“So he divorced her?”

“Isn’t she the Larson heiress?”

“How could he throw away such a woman?”

Junia slowly stepped out from behind Lucas, a faint mocking smile resting on her lips.

“Get back at you, Damon?” she asked calmly. “You seem to overestimate your importance in my life.”

“You lied to me!” I snapped, my embarrassment turning into anger. “You pretended to be a poor woman for seven years while hiding your identity. You betrayed me!”

Before Junia could answer, Lucas took one slow step forward.

It was only one step, yet the pressure radiating from him forced me to instinctively take one back.

“Watch your tone, Damon,” Lucas said quietly, his voice carrying a dangerous edge that silenced the entire ballroom. “You are speaking to my wife, and more importantly, to a woman who owes you absolutely nothing.”

“Uncle Lucas, you don’t understand—”

“I understand perfectly,” Lucas interrupted coldly. “I understand that you failed to recognize the value of the woman who stood beside you and helped build your company from nothing. I understand that you threw her away like she meant nothing. And I understand that you’re currently standing in front of hundreds of guests making an absolute fool of yourself.”

He casually reached out and straightened my collar before leaning in just enough for only me to hear.

“You lost every right to question her the moment you signed those divorce papers.Walk away before you force me to remind you why no one challenges a Sinclair.”My blood turned cold.

Lucas Sinclair never made empty threats.

At that very moment, the ballroom doors opened once again.

“Damon, honey!”

Ann hurried inside wearing an extravagant maternity dress, smiling brightly as she searched for me.

“I’m so sorry I’m late. The traffic was—”

Her voice died instantly.

Her eyes landed on Junia standing beside Lucas, surrounded by Mr. and Mrs. Larson.

The color drained from her face.

She realized her lie had just fallen apart.

Junia looked at Ann, then shifted her gaze back to me.

A small smile curved her lips.

“Enjoy your evening, Damon,” she said softly as she slipped her hand into Lucas’s arm. “After all… you worked so hard for this.”

Together, they turned their backs on us and disappeared into the admiring crowd.

I sighed angrily, then my eyes fell on Ann; I wanted to go and confront her for making me look like a fool in front of the Larsons, but when I looked at her clearly she was shaking nervously, blood slowly trickling down her legs and staining the hem of her maternity dress , my heart nearly stopped as I whispered “Ann…?” wondering if something was wrong with the baby, just then her knees suddenly gave way and she collapsed.