Chapter 6 The Proposal Invitation
974 Words
After getting my bandages changed at Harborfell Central Hospital, I returned to the small apartment. Since things between Adrian and me were over and the lease expired tonight, it was time for me to leave.
Once I finished packing, I sat alone in the living room, worrying about where to go next. My eyes eventually fell on the key by the entrance, and I finally made up my mind.
Just as I stepped outside to throw away the trash, I saw Adrian leaning against the hallway wall.
His black coat made him look distant and cold. Beneath the dim yellow hallway light, his tall figure seemed outlined in gold, elegant and untouchable, still every bit the proud Prince of Harborfell.
I didn't know how long he had been standing there. The hallway lights flickered on and off, and I couldn't clearly see his expression. The only thing visible was the faint red glow at his fingertips.
Ding.
The light came on again.
Our eyes met.
The crease between his brows relaxed slightly. He crushed the cigarette under his shoe, exhaled a slow stream of smoke, and walked toward me.
He had been drinking. Even so, the heavy scent of alcohol couldn't hide the restlessness and sorrow clinging to him.
He pulled me into his arms and buried his head in my neck. Warm tears slid down my skin, stirring the calm I had tried so hard to build.
"Y-you're drunk."
Without answering, he dragged me inside. The moment the door closed, the lights went out, and his kiss came down suddenly and fiercely.
I was completely caught off guard.
"L-let go."
The more I struggled, the tighter he held me. With practiced ease, he loosened my clothes. His hand closed around my waist, drawing a soft gasp from my lips that only seemed to excite him further.
Just as I was about to lose myself, his words shattered everything.
"Vivian… give yourself to me."
The words struck like thunder. He had mistaken me for Vivian again.
"Cooperate with me," he murmured, pressing kisses along my ear and down my neck.
Humiliation flooded through me. Unable to endure it any longer, I bit down hard on his shoulder.
He gasped in pain and finally released me.
Holding back my tears, I pointed to the door and told him to leave.
Perhaps because I had never spoken to him so harshly before, he simply stared at me in shock. A deep sadness lingered between his brows.
"Lucia."
He said my name softly.
My tears finally fell.
The wind chimes by the door rang faintly. He swayed slightly and raised a hand as if to wipe my tears away, but I stepped back.
Looking straight at the door, I spoke slowly.
"Please… leave."
Reluctantly, he lowered his hand.
"Do you really have to be like this? We…"
"Yes."
"I am Lucia. I'm not anyone's substitute."
He instinctively tried to explain.
"I never treated you as a substitute. I just…"
But he couldn't finish the sentence.
Suddenly, I laughed.
Vivian's voice was like music. Someone like me wasn't even worthy of being her substitute.
After a long silence, I noticed his fists clenched tightly at his sides. In the end, he said nothing.
At the door, he paused.
"Tomorrow I'm going to propose to Vivian. I hope you'll come and witness our happiness."
He handed me an invitation.
I didn't take it.
So he placed it on the entry table instead. His gaze lingered there for a moment before he added, "After the banquet tomorrow, I'll give you the letter of reconciliation. If you miss it, that's your problem."
He had calculated everything carefully.
When the elevator doors finally closed downstairs, I collapsed onto the floor and cried. Perhaps everything had been wrong from the very beginning.
If I hadn't insisted on helping him escape back then and had waited for the police instead, Tessa wouldn't have lost an ear, and I wouldn't have become like this.
Or maybe when the Hartwell family removed my name from their records, if I had left with Tessa instead of staying with Adrian, everything might have turned out differently.
After staying awake the entire night, I still went to the proposal banquet.
The hall was filled with the most powerful figures in Harborfell City, and Adrian gave Vivian all the attention and respect she deserved.
In the past, whenever I attended events like this with him, he arranged a separate suite for me and told me to wait there. For five years, aside from his circle of friends, he had never allowed me to meet the city's elite.
I used to think he was protecting me. Now I understood the truth. I simply wasn't worthy. Suppressing my disappointment, I found a quiet corner and sat down.
Soon Adrian entered the hall with Vivian on his arm.
Vivian wore a black evening gown, and the delicate crown on her head made her look like a graceful black swan. As she stood beside Adrian, they looked perfectly matched.
After stepping onto the center stage, Adrian glanced around the room. His gaze eventually landed on me.
Perhaps I imagined it, but although he was smiling, there seemed to be pain and unease hidden in his eyes.
A man about to marry the woman he loved shouldn't look like that.
"Lucia."
I read my name from the movement of his lips.
The banquet began soon after. Amid the cheers and blessings of the crowd, Adrian caught the ring that descended from above and dropped to one knee.
"Vivian, will you marry me? I promise to give you happiness."
The lights were too bright.
I finished the wine in front of me in one swallow and turned my gaze away.
Just when I thought everything was about to end, I clearly heard Vivian's voice.
"I won't."
- Writer
