Chapter 7

It wasn't until Lucas left the house that he realized he had no idea where to find Aria.

After eight years of marriage, he knew her less than a stranger.

But then it hit him.

Aria had always kept to herself, rarely had friends, and was always so considerate, never wanting to burden anyone. Maybe, just maybe, she was at home, waiting for him.

With that thought, he slammed his foot on the gas pedal, speeding toward their house.

He pulled into the driveway, barely stopping before jumping out of the car and rushing inside.

But as he entered, all the hope he'd had quickly evaporated.

The large wedding photo that had always hung in the living room was gone.

Lucas hated that photo, it always felt like an unwanted reminder of his mistakes, but seeing it gone hit him harder than he expected.

He rushed through the house, his shoes still on, searching room after room. His heart sank with each empty space, each piece of their life together that had disappeared.

When he reached their walk-in closet, the cabinets were lined with only his clothes. Not a single item of Aria's remained.

Feeling numb, he made his way to the study.

That's when he noticed two thin sheets of paper on the desk.

His eyes locked onto the bold, unmistakable words: "Divorce Agreement."

His pulse quickened as he picked them up.

The document was far from a generic template. Aria had gone into meticulous detail, dividing everything, even the jewelry she'd brought into their marriage, leaving behind nothing of value except her dignity.

She hadn't asked for anything from the Evans family. She never had.

And yet, it was Lucas who had treated her without dignity.

For eight long years, how had Aria endured the torment he'd put her through with such quiet grace?

The realization hit him like a punch to the gut.

He slapped his own face twice in frustration. How could he have been so blind?

If only, on their wedding night, he'd paid more attention. If only, in those two thousand days, he'd ever stopped to notice Aria's pain.

But he hadn't.

Instead, he'd been so absorbed in his games of emotional cruelty, so blinded by his own pride. He was a fool, a beast.

The thought of it was unbearable.

Without another word, he grabbed the divorce papers and stormed out of the house. If Aria wasn't here, she had to be at the Newman family house.

He knew going there would mean facing a barrage of hostility, but what did that matter now? Compared to what Aria had endured by his side for all these years, it seemed insignificant.

His mind set, Lucas started the car again, speeding toward the Newman family villa.

When he arrived, the gates, once always open to him, remained firmly closed.

He rang the doorbell repeatedly, but a servant eventually appeared, shaking their head.

"We can't receive visitors today, sir."

Lucas didn't care. He knew Aria was inside. But he couldn't bring himself to force his way in.

Instead, he parked his car outside the gates and sat, leaning against the villa's stone wall, waiting for her.

Night fell. He stayed.

By midnight, the rain poured down in sheets. But Lucas didn't move. He wouldn't leave.

He couldn't bear the thought of missing even a second of a chance to talk to her. If she would only come out and look at him, that would be enough.

For two days and nights, Lucas sat outside the villa, enduring the rain, his heart gnawing at him with each passing moment.

Then, on the morning of the third day, as he stood to stretch his aching leg, he saw it, through the iron gates, in the window of Aria's second-floor bedroom.

He began shouting her name, desperately, his voice hoarse with emotion.

The figure by the window heard him, but before he could see her clearly, it vanished.

But Lucas had caught a glimpse, a sleeve, a flicker of her presence.

His heart lurched. He imagined her, crying behind that window.

The sharp pain in his chest was overwhelming. It was real. It was the kind of heartache people read about in novels, but it never truly hit until now.

For eight years, how many times had Aria quietly suffered like this?

In that moment, Lucas' hands slid helplessly down the gate.

He didn't know what to do anymore.

The shrill ring of his phone broke through his thoughts. He looked at the caller ID, it was Tessa.

With a moment's hesitation, he answered.

Tessa's voice was as flirtatious as ever, teasing him with the promise of their plans: "Lucas, you promised to marry me and bring me home. Why haven't you called me? Don't you know how much I miss you?"

Her words, once so sweet, now repulsed him. He could barely suppress the urge to hang up.

Instead, he forced himself to speak coldly: "I'll keep my word. Wait for me at our usual spot."

Tessa was thrilled, blowing him kisses before ending the call.

Lucas took one last look at the window, then walked away, his heart heavy with the weight of everything he had done wrong.

This time, when he returned, he vowed, he would make things right with Aria. For the pain she'd suffered. For everything.