A Decade’s Betrayal Chapter 03

A Decade’s Betrayal Chapter 03

After saying that, I dragged my suitcase back to my room in a rage.

Lucian seemed determined to punish me. That night, he didn’t come to my room at all.

The thought made a bitter smile tug at my lips.

I was Lucian’s girlfriend, yet I felt more like his mistress.

He could walk into my room whenever he wanted.

But if I wanted to see him, I had to knock on the door. I could only enter after he gave his permission.

If he was in a bad mood, he would not even bother replying with a simple “I’m busy.”

In a way, that worked out for me. There were only four days left until my wedding, and I had no desire to have any more contact with him.

The next morning, when I woke up, Lucian was already seated at the dining table.

He pointed at the milk on the table.

“Your stomach’s been bothering you, right? I asked Mrs. Clark to warm up some milk.”

This was always Lucian’s way of making peace.

In the past, to give him an easy way out, I would take the glass and drink it down in one go, even though I hated milk more than anything.

This time, I didn’t take the glass from him. Instead, I called out to Mrs. Clark.

“Mrs. Clark, could you please get me a bowl of oatmeal?”

Lucian pushed the milk back toward me again.

“It was just an apology to Victoria. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?”

“Victoria is my right hand. You know how crucial she is. If she leaves because of this, my entire workflow grinds to a halt.”

His gaze softened, the way it used to, and my heart gave a treacherous, instinctual squeeze.

I’d met Lucian during my internship.

He was the CEO, and I was the new hire who didn’t even recognize her own boss.

Because I didn’t recognize him at first, I once asked him to press the elevator button for me while buying coffee for my department.

After that, flowers started appearing every few days. A month later, Lucian called and invited me to dinner.

Our first official date was at the Grand Plaza Hotel.

He was all charm and sophistication—well-mannered, witty, impossibly worldly. I was captivated from that very first dinner.

Half a year later, I moved into his villa.

During the first year of our relationship, we were genuinely happy.

He would personally bake pastries for me.

When I caught a cold or fell sick, he would abandon meetings and rush home to take care of me.

Because he wanted to keep our relationship private, he would stay late at the office whenever I worked overtime.

We would sneak around like thieves, eating late-night snacks and kissing in his office.

I was certain that Lucian had once loved me deeply.

But ever since Victoria became his secretary, even a single gentle look from him had turned into a luxury.

I tugged lightly at the corner of my lips and said flatly, “If you can’t function without Victoria, then for God’s sake, marry her.”

“Put a ring on it, make it legal, lock it down. Problem solved, right?”

Lucian’s impatience was obvious. I didn’t even need to guess what he was about to say next.

He was going to accuse me of being unreasonable again.

I cut in before he could. “Lucian, we should break—”

Before I could finish, Victoria walked in from outside the villa.

“Mr. Vance, it’s already eight o’clock. We need to leave for the company now.”

Without a word or a backward glance, Lucian stood, snatched his jacket, and followed her out.

Once again, it felt like punching cotton.

It didn’t hurt, but it was suffocating enough to leave me breathless.