Chapter 3

I stared in disbelief, unable to comprehend the depths of malice Zoe had sunk to.

I could see the conflict in Lucas's eyes, and I prayed, with every ounce of hope left in me, that he'd remember our years together and not be so cold-hearted.

"Luke, Mrs. Bennett's been sick for so long, just a day or two won't make a difference. Nothing will happen."

Zoe continued, her voice smooth and persuasive, like a snake coiling tighter with each word.

I couldn't understand why she hated me so much that she would go this far, even targeting my mother. But what happened next felt like a plunge into an abyss.

Lucas hesitated for a moment, then looked at Zoe with a cold determination in his eyes. His voice was low, almost unrecognizable.

"Alright. It's time to teach her a lesson."

And just like that, Lucas made the call, stopping the payments for my mother's medical care.

I fell to my knees, my body trembling as I begged him silently, my eyes full of desperate tears, but he couldn't see me. He couldn't hear me. He couldn't even feel the weight of my pain.

Desperation gripped me like a vice, a darkness filling every inch of my soul. My mother had just been given a critical diagnosis, and only days ago, we had barely managed to stabilize her. She needed peace and rest more than ever. But Lucas? He was oblivious, wrapped up in Zoe, lost to everything else.

I had stayed by his side for so long, not just out of love, but because I depended on the Sinclair family's support for her medical bills. I never dared to take a risk, always walking on eggshells, afraid to lose everything. But now, the pain of his betrayal felt sharper than any wound.

Hatred swelled in my chest, and my heart cracked under the weight of it all. The Bennett and Sinclair families had once been close, my mother had treated Lucas like her own son. I had never expected him to be this heartless.

Zoe, having achieved her goal, flashed a self-satisfied smile. She gently coaxed Lucas toward my bedroom, her eyes gleaming with triumph. As she moved past him, she quietly took down our wedding photo from the wall and tossed it carelessly into the junk room.

But none of it mattered to me anymore. My mind was a storm, only one thing consuming me, my mother's safety.

I watched numbly as Lucas and Zoe reveled in their happiness, the raw pain from deep within me preventing me from finding any peace. It felt like the world had moved on without me, and Lucas seemed to have completely forgotten about me, and about my mother, who was desperately ill in the hospital.

Day after day, he and Zoe basked in their love. Today, they were in a bridal shop, picking out a wedding dress.

The shop was under the Sinclair Group, so when the staff saw Lucas, they rushed over to greet him.

"Mr. Sinclair, are you here to choose a dress for your wife? We haven't seen Mrs. Sinclair in a while. Is she feeling any better?"

Their words made me bitterly smile. Even a random shop assistant knew about my illness, but my husband still thought I was lying to him. It was almost laughable.

Everyone in the shop knew who the "Mrs. Sinclair" was. Zoe's face shifted, but before she could say anything, Lucas's brow furrowed in irritation.

"Did Ava Bennett tell you to say this to me?" he snapped, his voice laced with anger.

The shop assistant looked puzzled, clearly caught off guard. Before she could respond, Lucas cut her off.

"No matter what she's done to convince you, you'd better remember who the CEO of Sinclair Group is."

He grabbed Zoe's hand, pulling her away in a huff. As they walked out, I stood there, my heart numb with the weight of it all. I had never felt so worthless. But with my mother in the hospital, I had no choice but to rely on others.

Just as they were about to leave the shop, Lucas's phone rang. His expression softened, as if he thought I had finally decided to come clean.

But when he saw the caller ID, his face fell into disappointment. It was his mother calling. He answered the phone with a sigh and pressed it to his ear.

His mother's voice came through, furious and panicked.

"Lucas Sinclair, what's going on at the hospital? Ava's mother's doctor just called me, saying you stopped paying for her medical bills."

The doctor must have failed to reach me and had no choice but to contact his mother.

Lucas chuckled, completely unfazed by her anger.

"So what if I stopped? How long are they going to use that old favor to try to blackmail me? Marrying her daughter wasn't enough? Do they expect me to support them forever?"

I stood there, frozen, my heart shattering as I realized how little I truly knew the man I had loved. His mother's voice came through the phone again, sharper and angrier.

"You heartless monster! Ava's mother is in critical condition. You need to get to the hospital right now."