He Betrayed Me, I Left With Dignity

Chapter 3

I lay in bed pretending to be asleep. Before long, Lucas came home.

At this hour, he should have been at the bar fooling around with hostesses. I had no idea who he was putting on this act for.

Keeping my eyes shut, I remained absolutely still. Lucas stepped softly toward the bed and lay down behind me, bringing in a gust of cold night air.

My muscles tensed instantly. I had to use every ounce of my strength to suppress the raging fury inside me so I wouldn't snap right then and there.

"Sarah, are you asleep?"

I remained silent.

He gently wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, his voice soft and tender. "I'm sorry. I had to work late at the office tonight. Don't be mad at me, okay?"

He tightened his embrace. "I missed you so much. Did you miss me?"

Even at this point, he was still spinning lies to deceive me.

I couldn't take it anymore. Sitting up abruptly, I shoved him away.

Caught off guard, he tumbled backward onto the bed, staring at me in utter confusion. "Sarah, what's wrong?"

I switched on the bedside lamp. He had already changed out of his flashy, expensive shirt from the bar and washed off his makeup, returning to his usual innocent, harmless self.

He really went through so much trouble just to maintain his sweet, naive persona in front of me.

I glared at him with fury, barely holding back the urge to slap him. I desperately wanted to grab him by the collar and scream, demanding to know why he had to trample on my love like this.

Is playing with someone's heart really that much fun?

"I know I was wrong. I'm sorry for making you upset by working overtime. Don't be mad, okay? I had such a long day." He softened his tone, reaching out to hug me like a spoiled child.

"Overtime? Where?" My voice was icy as I exposed his lie. "As it turns out, I passed by the bakery where you supposedly work on my way home, and it had closed early. Lucas, where exactly were you working overtime?"

Suppressing the stinging pain in my chest, I stared at him blankly. Somewhere deep down, I still clung to a shred of desperate hope, hoping he would come clean, hoping that everything I saw and heard tonight was just a terrible misunderstanding.

Lucas's face paled instantly, his eyes darting around in panic. But after a few seconds, he forced another easy smile.

"Oh, so that's why you're mad. I was actually trying to surprise you, but I guess the cat's out of the bag now."

He pulled a scooter key from his pocket and held it out to me. "Here, your birthday present. You've been riding that beat-up old scooter for three years and refused to replace it, so I saved up to buy you a brand-new one in cash."

He leaned closer, his eyes curving into crescents as he put on a cheerful front. "I was going to wait until your actual birthday, but since you're throwing a tantrum, I might as well give it to you now! I can only afford a scooter for now, but I'll work harder and buy you a car in the future."

I stared at the key in my hand, then at his rehearsed, acting face. Raising my arm, I hurled the key straight out the window.

Lucas's pupils dilated. He rushed to the window, looking back at me with a deeply wounded expression. "Sarah, are you crazy? That's a gift I bought you with several months of my savings! Even if you don't like it, you didn't have to throw it away!"

His eyes grew red, and his voice cracked with emotion. "Do you have any idea how many night shifts I had to pull, how long I had to save just to buy that? How could you trample on my feelings like this?"

I stood up and quietly gazed at the face I had once loved so fiercely, the face I would have given my life to protect. All the confrontations I had prepared dissolved in my throat.

I already knew how ugly the truth was. There was no need to tear off the mask and make things even more pathetic for both of us.

I had given him a chance to confess, but he chose to keep acting, continuing to make a mockery of my feelings.

My voice was flat, devoid of any emotion. "Lucas, let's break up."