CHAPTER THREE
1699 Words
CHAPTER THREE
Alice's heart stopped.
For one terrifying second, she forgot how to breathe.
Lucian Hale.
He was standing right in front of her.
Not on a television screen.
Not in one of the countless memories she tried so hard to bury.
Not in the dreams that still haunted her some nights.
He was here.
Real.
Alive.
And looking directly at her.
The medicine bag nearly slipped from her fingers.
Four years.
Four years of separation.
Four years of convincing herself she had done the right thing.
Four years of pretending she had moved on.
Yet the moment she saw him, every wall she had carefully built around her heart cracked.
Lucian had changed.
The sickly young man she remembered was gone.
Gone was the pale face and weak body.
Gone was the gentle smile that always made her feel safe.
Standing before her now was a powerful man.
A dangerous man.
A man who looked like he owned the world.
The expensive black suit hugged his broad shoulders perfectly.
His sharp features were colder than she remembered.
Harder.
Older.
And those grey eyes...
Those eyes that once looked at her with endless love now held nothing but frost.
Neither of them spoke.
The airport continued moving around them.
People hurried past.
Announcements echoed overhead.
Suitcases rolled across the polished floor.
But somehow, it felt like the entire world had frozen.
Lucian took a step forward.
Then another.
Alice instinctively wanted to retreat.
Her feet remained rooted to the ground.
Finally, he stopped in front of her.
Close.
Too close.
Close enough for her to recognize the faint scar above his eyebrow.
The one he got years ago while trying to repair the leaking roof of their tiny house.
The memory hit her unexpectedly.
She remembered panicking.
Remembered crying more than he did.
Remembered him laughing while she fussed over the tiny cut.
Back then, he had looked at her as if she were his entire world.
Now?
Now he looked at her like a stranger.
"Alice."
Her name left his lips quietly.
Yet somehow it carried enough weight to make her chest ache.
She swallowed.
"Lucian."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
But it wasn't a happy smile.
It wasn't warm.
It was the kind of smile that made people uncomfortable.
"So you still remember my name."
Alice looked away.
How could she forget?
She had spent four years trying to forget him.
And failed every single day.
The guilt returned instantly.
She had no right to call him by his name anymore.
Not after what she had done.
Not after the way she left.
Slowly, she lifted her head.
"Mr. Hale."
The smile disappeared.
Immediately.
His jaw tightened.
The air around them seemed to grow colder.
"Mr. Hale?"
The way he repeated it made her nervous.
Still, Alice forced a small smile.
"Congratulations. I heard your company has been doing very well."
Lucian stared at her.
His expression unreadable.
Then suddenly, he laughed.
A cold laugh.
A bitter laugh.
Alice felt her stomach twist.
That sound hurt.
More than anger would have.
More than shouting would have.
Because there was pain hidden beneath it.
Pain she had caused.
"I see."
His voice was calm.
Dangerously calm.
"You really have changed."
Alice frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"What do I mean?"
He tilted his head slightly.
His eyes swept over her elegant clothes.
The expensive watch on her wrist.
The confidence she carried.
Then he laughed again.
"I mean you finally got what you wanted."
Alice's brows furrowed.
"What are you talking about?"
"Money."
The single word hit her like a slap.
Her face paled.
Lucian noticed.
But he continued.
"Wasn't that why you left me?"
Alice's heart clenched painfully.
"No."
"No?"
His eyes darkened.
"Then what was it?"
His voice grew sharper.
"You told me I was poor."
Every word carried years of resentment.
"You told me I couldn't give you the future you wanted."
Alice lowered her gaze.
Because technically...
She had said those things.
Even though every word had been a lie.
"You walked away."
Lucian took another step forward.
"You left me when I had nothing."
His gaze hardened.
"So tell me, Alice."
A cruel smile touched his lips.
"Was he worth it?"
She froze.
"What?"
"The man you left me for."
The words made her chest ache.
"There wasn't another man."
Lucian laughed.
This time, there was no humor in it.
"You expect me to believe that?"
"There wasn't."
His eyes narrowed.
"Then why leave?"
Alice couldn't answer.
Because the truth was impossible.
She couldn't tell him she left so he could live.
She couldn't tell him she spent countless nights crying after abandoning him.
She couldn't tell him she had given birth to his children.
Not here.
Not now.
Not like this.
Her silence only fueled his anger.
"Look at you."
His voice dripped with bitterness.
"Living well."
His eyes scanned her appearance again.
"You don't look like someone who struggled."
Alice felt a spark of anger.
She had worked day and night.
She had raised twins alone.
She had built everything from nothing.
Yet he thought another man had handed it all to her.
"Believe whatever you want."
The words escaped before she could stop them.
Lucian's eyes darkened dangerously.
"Oh, I do."
Before she could react, he stepped closer.
Much closer.
Alice's pulse immediately quickened.
His familiar scent reached her.
The same scent she remembered from years ago.
The same scent that once comforted her.
Now it only made her heart hurt.
"Tell me."
His voice lowered.
"How rich was he?"
Alice stared at him.
"What?"
"The man you chose over me."
His eyes locked onto hers.
"Did he buy you expensive gifts?"
Alice clenched her fists.
"Stop."
"Did he spoil you?"
"Lucian."
"Or maybe he was simply richer than I was."
"Enough."
A mocking smile curved his lips.
"You always did like nice things."
Alice stared at him in disbelief.
He couldn't possibly believe that.
Could he?
Then she realized something.
He did.
For four years, he had truly believed she left him for money.
The realization shattered her heart.
Because she could hear the pain hidden behind his cruelty.
The wound had never healed.
Not even a little.
Lucian leaned closer.
"If I offered you thirty million dollars right now..."
Alice's eyes widened.
"...would you agree to be my mistress?"
Silence.
Her brain stopped functioning.
For a second, she wondered if she had heard him correctly.
Then the humiliation hit.
Followed by anger.
Pure anger.
"You've lost your mind."
His expression remained cold.
"Haven't I?"
"How dare you?"
"Why?"
His lips curved mockingly.
"Is it too little?"
The slap landed before Alice realized what she was doing.
Smack!
The sound echoed loudly.
Several people nearby turned to look.
The bodyguards froze.
Shock filled their faces.
Alice froze too.
The moment her palm connected with his cheek, she regretted it.
Not because he didn't deserve it.
But because she had never imagined herself hitting him.
Not once.
Not ever.
Lucian slowly turned his head back toward her.
Disbelief filled his eyes.
"You slapped me."
It wasn't a question.
It was a statement.
Alice's hand trembled.
But she refused to back down.
"Yes."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then she straightened her shoulders.
"Lucian Hale."
Her voice shook slightly.
"But both of us have moved on."
His expression hardened.
"We have nothing to do with each other anymore."
Every word hurt her.
"We're strangers."
The moment the word left her lips, she wished she could take it back.
Lucian's face went completely blank.
A terrifying blankness.
He stared at her for several seconds.
Then released a low laugh.
Not angry.
Not amused.
Broken.
"Strangers."
He repeated the word quietly.
Alice felt tears threatening to form.
She forced them back.
She had no right to cry.
Not after hurting him.
Not after leaving.
Lucian slipped both hands into his pockets.
His posture became relaxed.
Yet somehow, he looked more dangerous than before.
When he finally spoke, his voice was ice cold.
"You're right."
The words made her stomach drop.
"We're strangers."
Something inside her shattered.
Because she had wanted him to move on.
But hearing him actually say it hurt.
More than she expected.
Lucian looked at her one last time.
His gaze empty.
Completely empty.
"As strangers..."
He paused.
"Do yourself a favor and stay out of my way."
Alice felt her nails digging into her palms.
His eyes met hers.
Cold.
Unforgiving.
"If I see you again, don't expect kindness."
Then he turned around.
Just like that.
Without another word.
Without looking back.
His bodyguards immediately followed.
Alice stood frozen.
Watching him walk away.
Watching the man she still loved disappear into the distance.
One black car drove away.
Then another.
Then another.
Until finally they were gone.
Only then did her body give out.
The pain she had been holding back came crashing down.
Her chest tightened painfully.
She couldn't breathe.
Couldn't think.
Couldn't move.
It felt like someone had reached into her chest and torn her heart apart.
She hadn't expected forgiveness.
She hadn't expected understanding.
But hearing the hatred in his voice...
It hurt.
God, it hurt.
Strong arms suddenly caught her before she fell.
"Alice."
Charles.
Concern filled his face.
"Are you okay?"
Alice quickly wiped her tears.
She forced a smile.
"I'm fine."
The lie sounded weak even to her own ears.
Charles clearly didn't believe her.
Before he could say anything, two familiar voices interrupted.
"Mummy!"
Alice looked up.
Louis and Emily were running toward her.
The moment she saw them, her heart softened.
She dropped to her knees and opened her arms.
The twins immediately threw themselves into her embrace.
"Mummy, are you crying?" Emily asked softly.
Alice shook her head.
"No, sweetheart."
Louis wrapped his tiny arms around her neck.
"We'll protect you."
That was all it took.
The tears she had been holding back finally escaped.
Alice hugged them tighter.
As if they were the only thing keeping her together.
And maybe they were.
Because at that moment, while the man she loved walked farther away from her—
Her children were the only reason she could still stand.
- Writer
