A chuckle spilled from my lips. "What makes you think that the relationship will fall apart?" I took a step towards him, keeping my eyes on him the whole time. "And let’s say it did...what makes you think that I’ll go back to you?"

My question left him speechless. His mouth opened, then quickly closed as he carefully contemplated his next few words. For a while, we were only staring at one another, a smirk slowly spreading across my face.

"I—I—" he stuttered, stumbling over his own words as his cheeks turned red from the stares and murmurs that filled the space.

His ego had definitely taken a hit, and I couldn’t be happier thinking about it. I wish I could somehow capture this moment and rewatch it every now and then.

"I would rather die single than to be with you again."

His eyes narrowed. "You are lying." He was now glaring at me when he spoke. "What’s so funny?" He questioned, and it only widened the smile that was already plastered across my face.

"Nothing," I replied lightly, though the amusement dancing in my eyes said otherwise. "I’m just realizing something."

Lucas narrowed his eyes. "And what’s that supposed to mean?"

I tilted my head. "That you’ve spent so much time assuming I’d always be there waiting for you that it never occurred to you I might actually move on. Even though you see it right in front of you, you still refuse to admit that I have found someone else."

Silence stretched between the two of us for a while before I broke it. "Someone miles better than you are," I announced, lacing my fingers with Rhys’.

A ripple of whispers swept through the lobby.

His jaw clenched, his nails digging into his palms. "No. I know deep down you still love me. You haven’t moved on."

"No?" I challenged.

"You don’t just stop loving someone overnight."

"You are right..." my voice trailed off. Relief immediately flashed across his face. And for a moment, I almost felt bad watching the way his eyes lit up and the smile that started to spread across his face upon hearing my response. "If..." I began.

"If what?" Lucas muttered under his brow, and a frown settled between his brows, confusion evident on his face.

"That’s if I actually loved you."

The silence that followed was deafening. I could practically hear the collective gasp from the people who had gathered around us.

Lucas stared at me as though I’d slapped him. His eyes looked as though they would actually pop out of their sockets if he continued staying like this for another second longer.

He gritted his teeth. "What are you trying to say?"

"I think you know." A breath left my lips. "We both know that neither of us wanted this marriage."

"You schemed your way into my bed, and now you are saying that you didn’t want this marriage? Do you take me as a fool?"

Loud gasps echoed in the huge lobby, but I didn’t let their whispers or speculation bother me. My conscience was clear. I would have never done something like this intentionally. I would have never ruined my stepsister’s engagement like this. That was just not the type of person I was.

A cold chuckle erupted from my throat. "That’s what you think. I had told you many times that I didn’t know anything, and it had nothing to do with me. But you never believed me."

Unlike the other times, today something felt different. The look on his face almost looked as though he believed me, even if it was only for a second. I had successfully planted a seed of doubt in his mind. Maybe he could even be helpful in revealing the truth one day.

Suppressing the smile that was threatening to form on my lips, I leaned in and murmured next to his ear. "Just between you and me, I think we were both victims. Someone intentionally set us up."

A small gasp rose from his throat as he stumbled back with a flustered look etched onto his face. "No, there’s no way. How...why would anyone do that?"

Cathy grabbed onto her son’s arm, a puzzled look evident in her eyes. "Lucas, what’s going on? What did she tell you?"

I smiled at him. "That’s the same question I am wondering too."

"Evelyn..." His voice was quieter now. Uncertain.

I simply stared at him.

Cathy’s eyes darted between us anxiously. "Lucas, what did she mean by that? What is she talking about? Tell me."

"I..." He swallowed hard. "I don’t know."

Of course, he didn’t know, he had never cared enough to find out. The moment that incident happened, he had already decided I was guilty. No matter what I said to defend myself, every word fell on deaf ears.

"Come on, Cathy," I said calmly, my eyes fixed on hers this time. "Surely you’ve wondered about it before. I had never interacted much with Lucas prior to that, why would I do something so extreme?"

She stiffened.

"Why was I conveniently the one who ended up in that room? And isn’t it convenient how this happened right when Smith Enterprise was on the verge of bankruptcy?" I continued and watched as a crease appeared between her brows. "Or perhaps a better question would be this..." I smiled faintly. "Who benefited the most from what happened?"

Lucas’s eyes widened.

The seed of doubt I’d planted moments ago was growing.

Good.

Very good.

Because once people started asking questions, the truth had a funny way of surfacing.

"Evelyn." Cathy shook her head sharply. "Are you trying to imply something about Jessica?"

I shrugged. "I’m not implying anything." I let the words hang deliberately. "I’m just suggesting that perhaps not everything is exactly as it seems."

Cathy opened her mouth. Then closed it. For once, she had no immediate defense ready. I could practically see the gears turning inside her head as the silence stretched on.

"No, no," Lucas was shaking his head as he muttered to himself. "I don’t believe you. Jessica loved me, she wouldn’t do anything to ruin our relationship, so don’t you dare slander her name and accuse her."

I almost laughed out loud. He wouldn’t believe that she would do something like this, yet I was immediately painted as the bad guy when this scandal broke out. How funny.

"I never asked you to believe me. But whether or not I am accusing her, we will find out one day." I glanced down at the watch that glinted on my wrist before lifting my gaze to meet Lucas’ eyes once more. "Well, this was fun, but Rhys and I have a meeting to attend."

I turned to the side to look at Rhys, who had been quietly watching and supporting me the whole time. "Right, babe?"

The smile he flashed me almost melted my heart. "Yes, my love," he replied sweetly before his expression hardened as he turned to look at Lucas and Cathy. "I trust that we don’t have to see you two out, right?"

He gestured at the large glass doors that led into the building, the polite smile still lingering on his lips. "The exit is that way. Do you need the guards to escort you?"

I snickered, watching as the mother and son lowered their heads and left in a hurry. But this wouldn’t be the last time I would see them.

Because I would be coming for the house that belonged to me.

***

I didn’t waste any time. That same night, I decided to pay them a visit. Clutching the drafted documents in one hand, I made my way over to the familiar front door that I had come home to for the past seven years.

All I wanted was to throw the prenup and title deed in his face before making him officially sign the divorce papers. But Jessica was already standing outside the door with another man dressed in what looked like a uniform.

Realisation dawned upon me, and it clicked in my head the next second.

A locksmith.

Of course, they would be changing the lock after knowing that I was coming for the house. Classic Lucas. Telling me one thing yet doing another thing. I couldn’t even say I was surprised.

I would have stopped her, but I was already too late. But it didn’t matter anyway. A lock wasn’t going to change the outcome. A lock wasn’t going to stop me from taking my house back. They didn’t deserve to keep it.

It was only when the locksmith walked away that she noticed me standing in front of her. Her eyes were still trained on mine when she took a tentative step backwards, her hand resting over her belly. It hadn’t been that long, but somehow her belly seemed to have grown quite a bit by now.

"What...what are you doing here?" She asked, shock written all over her face.

I let a smile form on my lips this time. "I’m here to take back what belongs to me."