Lucas hesitated for a mont, then pushed the door open fully.
The room was quiet, everything in its place.
His bed was neatly made, his desk clear except for a few personal items.
Nothing seed out of the ordinary, but the open door still nagged at him.
He wheeled himself further inside, glancing around, searching for anything that might explain the strange feeling crawling up his spine.
But everything appeared untouched.
Still, Lucas couldn’t shake the sense that sothing wasn’t quite right.
He exhaled slowly, his thoughts returning to the odd flashback he’d experienced in the car.
Tossing docunts onto a bed—why had that image resurfaced?
And what was it trying to tell him?
Lucas’s hand gripped the arm of his wheelchair as he tried to push the thought away.
Whatever it was, it could wait until morning.
For now, all he wanted was rest.
Lucas wheeled his chair toward the door, ready to close it and finally let the day lt away behind him.
Just as his hand reached for the doorknob, the door swung open.
Standing there, frad by the hallway light, was Julia.
Lucas scoffed, his eyes narrowing as he took her in.
"Of course," he muttered under his breath.
He had no patience left for her tonight, or ever, really.
Julia stood by the door, wearing a mask of fake surprise that didn’t fool Lucas for a second.
But her acting was flawless enough that, to anyone else, she might have looked genuinely startled.
"Oh, Lucas," she said, her voice soft and sugary, "I didn’t realize you were here."
Lucas’s eyes darkened with annoyance. "Do you want to pretend like you didn’t see my car from your room window?"
He leaned back in his wheelchair, arms crossed. "I could see you staring down at Gabriel."
Julia blinked, her feigned innocence not faltering. "What? ? Staring? I have no idea what you’re talking about."
Lucas hissed in frustration. "I’m not in the mood for gas, Julia. I’ve had a long day, and I don’t have ti to waste."
He turned his head away from her, already tired of the interaction. "Go to your own room so I can get so peace."
Julia’s face twitched, the carefully maintained facade cracking just slightly.
Ever since her first pathetic attempt to seduce Lucas after their engagent, he had made sure to distance himself from her as much as possible.
He’d insisted that they wouldn’t share a room.
She could have her own space—far away from him.
He had made it clear that she was never to co near his door, and yet, here she was.
The effort she put into trying to catch his attention always went to waste.
She could be as alluring, as coy as she wanted; it didn’t matter.
Lucas wasn’t interested.
Her annoyance finally broke through the cracks of her fake smile.
Julia clenched her fists at her sides. "Don’t you think you’re being a bit aggressive toward , Lucas? I am your wife."
Lucas sneered, the sound low and sharp.
"Unwanted wife," he corrected, his voice cutting through the air like ice.
The words landed hard, and for the first ti, Julia seed genuinely stunned.
Lucas saw the flicker of shock in her eyes, but he felt no remorse.
He wheeled himself toward her, moving closer, his gaze firm.
"You’re terrible, Julia," he said quietly, his voice laced with a disdain that had been simring for years. "If there’s anyone deserving of the word, it’s you."
Julia crossed her arms, her expression hardening into confidence, but she said nothing.
Lucas continued, his voice calm, asured, but filled with a lifeti of frustration. "You never cared for . Not once. As soon as I was conscious in that hospital bed, you were already blabbering on about so pregnancy and a long-term romantic relationship."
He shook his head, disgust evident in his tone. "You trapped in this marriage. This family—it’s nothing more than being trapped."
Julia’s face flushed with a mixture of anger and disbelief.
She stepped forward, her voice wavering with emotion, though it was unclear if it was real or just another performance. "But I loved you, Lucas."
Lucas turned his face away, unable to even look at her.
"You loved my money," he said coldly. "You loved my status. My power. But ? No, you never cared about ."
His eyes darkened, and he stared her down, daring her to deny it. "Now you’re the wife of Lucas Rossi, just like you always wanted. You’re the mother of the famous Rossi child, just like you wanted. Congratulations, Julia."
His voice dropped lower, his words pointed and cruel. "Now, leave alone and let have peace."
Julia’s face contorted, the last shred of her fragile heart breaking under the weight of his words.
But behind that heartbreak was anger.
Of course, Lucas was right. She loved his money. She loved the lifestyle that being Mrs. Lucas Rossi afforded her.
Her love for him had faded long ago—if it had ever existed at all.
Especially now, with Lucas confined to a wheelchair, her attraction had completely dissolved.
A man who couldn’t walk?
A man who couldn’t move without help?
That wasn’t the man she had signed up for.
But she would never admit it.
All she wanted now was to keep up the facade of their perfect, happy family.
The idea of sharing photos of their life—especially if they had a baby girl—made her giddy with the thought of the attention and fa it would bring.
The idea of living a life with a broken, disabled man, though? That was intolerable.
She clenched her fists tighter.
Her nails dug into her palms as she forced herself to calm down.
"Is that what you really want, Lucas? To be in peace?" Her voice was low, seething with barely-contained rage.
Lucas didn’t bother to answer. His silence only further infuriated her.
"Fine!" she snapped, her voice rising in anger. "Be in peace, Lucas Rossi."
Without waiting for a reply, she spun on her heel and stord out of the room, slamming the door behind her so hard that it rattled in its fra.
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