How I Became His Unforgettable Ex

Chapter 5 Fine by Her (Luzie's Perspective)

Out of all 365 days, why did I have to choose tonight to go to the bar?

Out of the 187 high-end bars in the city, why did it have to be that one?

And with a hundred different routes home, why did I end up fleeing right back here?

Of all places, why did I run into Allyn here, in the Garden Cottage that no longer had my dad in it?

And his uncle. My near-mistake. The fake lawyer... no, fake boy toy, Franklin.

This was just too much. 'God, please, just take me to my dad already!'

"And you are..." Allyn asked, raising an eyebrow.

He and Franklin shared some striking similarities in their appearance. Standing face-to-face, their captivating handsomeness seemed suddenly magnified, as if doubled in intensity.

But now wasn't the time to get flustered. I quickly tried to explain, "He's... well, he's a friend of mine. He was just here to see me about something. I'll introduce you two some other time—"

I bolted from the fireplace to the door, pushing at Franklin's very solid chest. He felt good to the touch, too.

His voice hummed with energy. "I'm her attorney, hired to handle her divorce. She's already paid me in full, right, Luzie?"

He gave me a sly wink, and a shiver ran through me as I remembered stuffing a wad of cash into his hand, thinking he was some boy toy.

's**t. Not a single person in the Hall family is normal.'

"No, no, you misheard! Someone's accusing me of plagiarism, so I hired Franklin to handle the case..." I used every ounce of strength I had to keep shoving Franklin, desperate to get him out of here.

Suddenly, I didn't care about why Allyn had stopped the divorce.

"Franklin?" Allyn's gaze flicked between the two of us, finally settling on the cufflinks on Franklin's shirt.

Franklin didn't hesitate. "Yeah, that's me. I'm your uncle. Franklin Hall. It's been... what, twenty years?"

'This is making me look like a complete idiot.'

Everyone else could see right away what I never seemed to catch without first face-planting.

"Welcome back, Franklin," Allyn said politely but with an edge of caution. He stepped closer, gently removing my hand from Franklin's chest, his touch firm and unyielding. "You don't need to concern yourself with what Luzie and I do. She was just joking around."

"Yes, yes, just a joke." I nodded quickly.

Franklin, completely unconvinced, kept his eyes on me. "Luzie, I'd suggest you take this joke seriously. Five years ago, when your wedding hit the headlines, I heard no one in the Hall family congratulated you. Right?"

"So what?" I shot back, as indifferent as he was. "I don't need their blessing."

Franklin gave me a smile that was almost tender, but in an instant, his expression darkened as he turned to Allyn. "No one has blessed this marriage, and no one has opposed it either. Because, Allyn Hall, all of you married Miss Smith just to claim her fortune, didn't you?"

He said it as if it were a well-known fact, one everyone knew but nobody acknowledged.

'Allyn must be thinking he's the i***t now.'

But outwardly, Allyn kept a polite tone. "Yes, Franklin, that's exactly why Luzie and I got married. Luzie joined the Hall family, and I gained access to her assets through marriage. Luzie, you proposed that arrangement yourself, didn't you?"

The question was directed at me, but those cool gray eyes shot a mocking look right at Franklin.

Maybe that look had struck a nerve, because Franklin turned to me, frowning. "Luzie, what exactly do you want from this man, from the Hall family, from this marriage?"

I fell silent.

What I wanted was Allyn Hall.

I thought that once we were married, I would have him.

On my father’s hospital bed, he had asked me several times, "Luzie, are you sure you want to marry Allyn Hall?"

I had answered with unwavering determination, "Yes, I need to have him."

"That Hall family, they’re such high society elites. Do you think they’ll look down on you, mistreat you?" Dad asked, his hand gently brushing through my red hair, worry clouding his expression.

I grabbed a fruit knife, casually throwing it toward the wall. The new nurse, just stepping into the room, screamed and ran out, leaving only the medication cart spinning outside the door.

I raised an eyebrow at dad with a smug smile. "No one can bully me, don’t worry."

But dad still seemed uneasy. "But... Allyn doesn’t love you."

"I know."

"He's not the kind of man who's easily moved."

"I know."

"Even if he never loves you, you still want to marry him?"

I'd glared at him. He was getting weaker every day. If I didn't hurry, he might not even be there to walk me down the aisle to Allyn.

I needed him to see his daughter become part of high society. That was his dream.

So I'd told him, firmly, "Even if he never loves me, it doesn't matter. I'm going to marry him anyway."

That grand wedding, the talk of Nordhaven for years, was one high society never forgot. The venue, the guests, the food... everything was top-tier, especially the gown, luxurious with gold thread and countless diamonds, embroidered with giant golden flowers that dazzled so bright cameras couldn't even capture it right.

Under the same disapproving gaze of high society, my dad led his glowing daughter to Allyn, tears in his eyes as he whispered, "Luzie, my sweetheart, you finally have Allyn."

I still remembered his wrinkled face, tears streaming down his cheeks that day. But we were both wrong.

Even after the wedding, in the end, I still couldn’t have Allyn.

"Luzie, whether it’s love or wealth, you can’t get either from Allyn. Do you really want to continue with this marriage?” Franklin’s voice hardened, pulling me back to reality.

His pale brown eyes were fixed on me, gentle yet filled with concern, as if my inability to find love and wealth mattered deeply to him.

"I…"

I was about to speak when a familiar female voice suddenly rang out from the house. “No, they can’t divorce!”

I froze.

'Zara?! How does she get here? No, I couldn’t let Allyn see her!'

Before Allyn could turn around, I yanked the tablecloth off the table, sending everything crashing to the floor.

I rushed toward the bathroom where the voice had come from. As I reached the doorway, a white figure peeked out, and without hesitation, I covered it up!

"