My eyes grew wide as saucers as I watched Rhys lean in towards me until our lips collided.

Gasps erupted from the crowd that surrounded us, their eyes all fixed on us. And for a moment, all the noise around us seemed to fade into the background, even the people seemed to disappear, as though it were just the two of us in this little bubble.

This may not have been our first kiss, but it was our first kiss in the past seven years. There wasn’t a thumb that separated our lips this time. It was real. Very real.

I could feel it in the way my heart drummed against my chest violently like it was threatening to break out any time now. I could feel it in the way all my senses were amplified, the spark coursing through my body as his hands grazed my bare skin.

I might just spontaneously combust right now if I were being honest.

But still, I let him claim my lips, my eyes fluttered shut as he kissed me like he meant it. In front of everyone here. The thought of it was enough to send heat creeping up to my neck and cheeks.

When he finally pulled away after God knew how long, a smirk was etched onto his face.

It was only then that I noticed the look of horror and shock on Lucas’s and Cathy’s faces. And I couldn’t help but feel the satisfaction of seeing them dumbfounded in the moment.

"Are you crazy?!" Lucas’ voice was like thunder striking in the tense silence. His eyes were blown wide, his cheeks flushed red with anger. He looked like he was about to go crazy, if he hadn’t already. "Did you just—"

"Kiss my girlfriend?" Rhys completed the sentence for him. The smirk on his face widened. "I had to remind you that Evelyn Hart is no longer your wife. Seeing you constantly telling everyone so only disgusts me," he snarled.

Cathy stepped forward this time, fury evident in her features. "How dare you! He’s still my son’s wife legally!" She shrieked.

Lucas’ eyes narrowed into thin slits as he pinned Rhys with a glare. "You know she could leave you anytime, right?" He sneered. "She will get bored of you eventually when she realises that you can’t give her what she wants, and she will come back to me one day."

I rolled my eyes, didn’t bother holding back the scoff that left my lips. Rhys didn’t look angry or fazed by his remark at all. But before he had the chance to speak, I let the words pour out of my mouth first.

"Rhys had given me everything I wanted and more. He doesn’t let another woman come between us, and he takes care of me." I paused, a knowing smirk tugged at my lips. "In every aspect. Could you?"

Rhys snickered beside me, his arm wrapped around my waist as he pulled me closer to his side.

Lucas let out a breath, the words stuck in his throat as he opened and closed his mouth. "What are you trying to say?"

I kept my gaze steady. "I think you know exactly what I was trying to say."

"My son worked hard to give you everything!" Cathy chimed in this time. "He gave you a roof over your head, your new clothes, your bags, and he bought them all for you, and this is what he gets in return? You are nothing but an ungrateful woman!"

Of course, she would think that Lucas bought everything for me, he probably told her that. In her eyes, he’s the best. He was the loving husband and father. He could do no wrong. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

A cold chuckle slipped past my lips, and my eyes flickered to look at Cathy. "Was that what he told you? That he bought everything for me? Just so you know, I will make this clear today. I never spent a single dime of his money. And also, the house was fully paid off by me when we got married."

She was staring back at me with wide eyes now, shock etched onto her expression. I knew it. Lucas had been lying to her this whole time, and she was too blind to even realise the truth.

"You are lying! How could you? You were merely a stay-at-home wife."

"A stay-at-home wife who is also the daughter of one of the top tech companies in the States. I was also once a well-known surgeon in my field."

"Well, I..."

"Did you forget that the Smith Enterprise was on the verge of going bankrupt when I married your son?" I retorted smoothly. "That I was the one who had to fork out the money for the house. Which reminds me...isn’t your precious son staying at the house I paid for with his mistress?"

I watched with satisfaction as the colour drained from the mother and son’s faces.

"I think it’s about time I take it back, don’t you think so?"

"What?" Cathy muttered under her breath as murmurs began to fly around the lobby.

"What did you just say?" Lucas asked slowly.

I crossed my arms over my chest and tilted my head. "You heard me."

A dangerous tension settled over the room. The people gathered around us exchanged nervous glances. Nobody dared to leave. Nobody dared to speak. Every single person here was waiting to see what would happen next. If I were them, I would too.

Lucas let out a short laugh, but there wasn’t a hint of amusement in it. "You can’t be serious."

"Oh, but I am."

His jaw clenched. "You gave me that house."

"No." I shook my head. "That house had always been mine. Don’t believe it? Check our prenup, the one you forced me to sign before our marriage. Everything was stated clearly inside, including the house."

I watched his expression darken. Beside him, Cathy looked completely lost.

"What is she talking about?" she demanded, turning to her son. "Lucas? Is she serious?"

He ignored her. His eyes never left mine. "You cannot kick me out of the house. How can you be so heartless? Jessica is pregnant, and she needs a place to rest. Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? Won’t you feel guilty?"

"Why would I be? I told you, the house is mine. Leave by the end of this week before I get an eviction notice. Then I wouldn’t be so nice anymore."

"You wouldn’t dare," he said through gritted teeth.

A smile curved my lips. "Why wouldn’t I?"

"What about our daughter? What about Kayla? Are you going to leave her homeless too?" Lucas challenged with a gleam in his cold, calculating eyes as he basked in the renewed whispers that set off among the crowd. "Is that how you are going to be as her mother?"

"You can find another place with Jessica, and she can go with you. But if you can’t, I will make sure she isn’t homeless. I know what to do."

He let out a huff. "Is that so? I can’t believe you. Taking a house away from a pregnant woman and your own daughter...how could you be so cruel?"

Rhys met his gaze without flinching. "If I were you," he said lazily, "I’d stop embarrassing myself."

Lucas looked ready to explode. "Stay out of this."

Rhys raised an eyebrow. "Hard to do that when you keep harassing my girlfriend."

"You!"

"Leave before I get security involved," Rhys warned with a low voice, threat evident in his tone. "I can give you a choice. Leave now, or I will have the guards drag you out."

Lucas and Cathy were both still staring at him.

"So..." Rhys drawled when they remained silent. "What’s it going to be?"

Lucas’s jaw flexed, his fists balled beside him. For a long moment, he simply stood there, glaring at Rhys as though he could somehow burn a hole through him with nothing but pure hatred.

Then he laughed. The sound was harsh. "You think this is over?"

Rhys didn’t even blink. "I think you’re making a fool of yourself in front of everyone."

Lucas’s face darkened instantly. Beside him, Cathy grabbed his arm. "Lucas," she hissed. "Let’s go."

"No." The answer came immediately. Stubborn as always. His gaze found mine again. "You really want to do this?"

I arched an eyebrow. "Do what exactly?"

"Destroy our family."

"The last I checked, you were the one who destroyed it the moment you chose to sleep with my stepsister behind my back."

Lucas stiffened. "You keep bringing that up."

"It bothers you, doesn’t it? I can see it on your face."

A muscle ticked in his jaw. Then his gaze dropped briefly to Rhys’s arm around my waist. The look in his eyes turned ugly. "You think he’s different? You think he’s some kind of hero? Men like him don’t stay. He will cast you aside once he gets bored, and he will get tired of you eventually."

"There you go again. Projecting. You think he would leave me when he gets bored because that’s what you did. But not everyone is like you."

His nostrils flared. "You know what?" he snapped. "Fine. Keep the house."

I blinked at his absurdity. "How generous."

He ignored the jab. "Keep everything." His gaze never left mine.

"But don’t come crying when this relationship falls apart."