Bathed in dim light and soft music, with candlelit flowers adorning the table, the private room of a renowned city restaurant breathed an air of quiet intimacy.
The staff had gone to great lengths to create the perfect atmosphere for a romantic evening between a well-known figure in the business world, Lucas Arden and his fiancée.
Unfortunately, things turned out quite the opposite. The staff attending to them could only exchange uneasy glances as the romantic dinner dissolved into a heated argument.
"I didn't do that!" Lyra denied. Her brows furrowed as she looked at him.
"I saw it with my own eyes. You went into his house at night!" Lucas said, his voice heavy with accusation.
"You saw? When did I ever step out on you?" Lyra shot back.
Lucas slipped a hand into pocket and flung a stack of photographs across the table—images of Lyra, unmistakably, stepping into stranger's house under the cover of night.
"What do you say to this?" Lucas demanded.
Lyra's gaze darted to the photos, and she picked them up one by one. She slapped her forehead as soon as she recognized the place.
"Oh, Lucas. You're making wild assumptions again," she sighed.
"What? That's the proved, could you see that?" he insisted.
"That's Mrs. Lancaster's house," Lyra said, her voice steady as she explain the situation.
"I'm the family doctor, and as for Mr. Roger, the neighbor—he waited outside because he was worried…"
"There… you just said it," Lucas hissed, jabbing a finger toward her.
"Said what?" Lyra blinked, confused.
"Mr. Roger was there…" Lucas's voice rose. "Don't tell me nothing happened, Lyra!"
"Enough, Lucas!" She rose abruptly, the chair falling with a dull thud. "I won't stand here and be insulted."
"Lyra!"
She walked away without looking back.
Their wedding was only two days away. People often said it was normal for couples to quarrel before such a big day. But Lucas was really starting to get on her nerves.
Lyra strode out of the restaurant and headed to the roadside, quickly hailing a taxi.
From afar, Lucas came running, his coat flaring as he clutched it with one hand.
"Lyra!" he shouted. Just as the taxi rolled to a stop, he caught her hand before she could slip inside.
Just then, her gaze lowered, and everything around her blurred.
Lucas froze.
The sight of her tears stole his breath. He drew the woman he loved into his arms.
Yet Lyra, her heart torn, pushed him away.
"Lyra, I—"
Lyra lifted her hand, cut his word. "I'm tired. So please… let me go." and slipped into the waiting taxi.
As the door shut, the car pulled away, disappeared into traffic. Lucas cursed under his breath and flung his coat to the ground in frustration.
From a distance, an office-clad woman cheerfully watching scene before her. When the taxi drove away, she quickened her pace towards him.
"Mr. Arden," she called. It was none other than his PA, the one who reported every move his fiancée made.
"Ms. Klein, what are you doing here?" Lucas exclaimed, startled by her sudden appearance.
"I'm worried… Was she upset?" she asked softly, full of concern.
Lucas assumed she meant Lyra.
"Yeah… I crossed the line," he admitted, regret coloring his voice as he thought about what he done.
"Definitely not," Nadia said, her lips curling into a faint smile.
"As her future husband, what you did was right. But look at her…" She stopped abruptly when Lucas's frown deepened.
"...Don't worry—she'll be fine by tomorrow," she quickly added, trying to cover up her words.
Lucas didn't respond, lost in his own mental turmoil.
A romantic dinner he specially arranged after a week apart was now in ruins.
Earlier, Nadia had handed him a stack of photos, claiming that Lyra had entered a man's house in the dead of night.
One of the photos captured Lyra in a man's embrace, but Lucas had torn it up out of anger.
He had lied, saying he'd seen it with his own eyes, because Nadia feared Lyra would be furious at her if she ever discovered the truth.
He retrieved his coat from the floor and moved toward his car.
"Let's go. I'll send you home," Lucas said. Nadia cheered silently in her heart at his offer.
His flawless looks and gentle manner had ensnared her heart, but Lucas never looked at her the way he looked at Lyra.
She could not bear the idea of her beloved boss marrying another woman and began to act—spinning lies, sowing doubts, and casting Lyra in the worst light she could imagine.
And with Lucas's jealous nature, her poison took root, growing until he could no longer see the truth.