Chapter 5

Lucas had prepared a thousand rebuttals for his mother, but the moment she spoke, they all disappeared.

He stepped forward, wanting to comfort her, but only then did he realize he was still holding Tessa's hand. He didn't even let go.

Wiping away his mother's tears, his voice trembled. "Mom, what are you saying? Are you confused? Did that Aria woman come talk to you?"

"No matter what you say, Aria and I are over. Letting her be Mrs. Evans is the most respect I can show her. It's my duty to you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with Tessa," he said, trying to convince himself as much as his mother.

He couldn't believe his mother. After all, he'd verified this years ago.

As he looked at his mother, tears in her eyes, a memory flashed before him: that night, eight years ago, on their wedding night.

He'd asked Aria the one question that had been on his mind as they lay in bed, her face flushed with shyness beneath the red sheets.

"Aria... is it true your father wouldn't have helped Evans Corp if we hadn't gotten married?"

Aria had hesitated, her eyes darting around before she finally nodded.

Lucas could still feel the sting of humiliation from that moment.

But Evans Corp had been barely hanging on at the time. As much as he hated the situation, he couldn't do anything about it. So he swallowed his pride, holding back the rage bubbling inside.

"I don't understand," Lucas had pressed. "Why was my mother so insistent on this marriage? Did your father force her?"

Aria had lowered her head, not answering, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. It was the silence that spoke volumes.

That was all Lucas needed to know. She didn't deny it, which meant it was true.

The more he thought about it, the more his hatred for Aria and her father grew. It burned in him like a constant flame.

On their wedding night, he had taken out his frustration on Aria, violently. By morning, she had been rushed to the hospital, bleeding heavily. But she said nothing.

For the first time, Lucas had tasted revenge, and it was intoxicating.

In the following years, he channeled his anger into his career, clawing his way to the top. Evans Corp thrived again, and with the support of the Newman family, Lucas became more ruthless than ever.

His hatred for Aria only deepened. He didn't even try to hide it anymore. He had affairs just to rub it in her face. At first, he'd let her catch him in the act, but soon, he was sending her pictures just to humiliate her. He'd even call out Tessa's name when he was with Aria, deliberately.

But what frustrated him most was that Aria never fought back. At first, she'd cry in silence, but after a while, her tears stopped. She became numb to it all.

Every time Lucas saw her cold indifference, it drove him mad. He convinced himself that this was her way of regretting the past, of wanting him. So, each time, he pushed her further. The cycle repeated itself for eight long years.

And now, his mother was claiming that Aria had something to do with it all.

His anger flared again. He pulled his mother into his arms, speaking gently, too gently, almost as if he were comforting a child.

"Mom, maybe it's like it was eight years ago. There are things we can't talk about. But don't worry, today's Lucas is not the same as the one from back then. If the Newman family is pressuring you again, I'll take care of it."

He expected his words to calm her, but the next thing he knew, his mother violently pushed him away.

Slap!

The sound of her hand meeting his face echoed through the room. Lucas stood frozen, shocked.

His mother had never laid a hand on him in all his life.

"How could I have raised such a monster?!" she cried, her voice cracking with pain. "If you still care about me, then come home with me now! I'll show you what that woman did to our family eight years ago!"

The slap stung, but the look in his mother's eyes, the utter betrayal, was what truly shook him.

His mother had always been his rock, her love unconditional. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her like this, so broken, so desperate.

His mind raced. His mother had heart problems, serious ones. He had been careful around her ever since his father passed away, always worried about her health. The last thing he wanted was to make her collapse under the stress.

He sighed, deflating. "Alright, Mom, I'll come with you. Please, don't get so upset."

He turned to Tessa, trying to soften the blow. "Tessa, I'll take my mom home. I'll be right back. Stay here, okay? Don't worry."

And with that, he left with his mother, the weight of the conversation, of the truth, bearing down on him.