Chapter 3

Lucas was drunk by the end of the meal. Everyone was worried about letting him and Rosalie leave in that condition, so they had them stay the night. Rosalie summoned a few maids to help take Lucas to the bedroom. After showering, she turned off the lights and got into bed, leaving only the bedside lamp on. Shortly after, Lucas opened his eyes blearily and pulled her into his arms. "You came back for me, Isabelle. Am I right?" Rosalie stiffened. She didn't tell him he had the wrong person. She took a while to calm down before asking in return, "How about you? Who were you thinking about when drinking the bar dry? "You, of course. It's always you, Isabelle. Don't you get that?" Though that was the expected answer, hearing it still made Rosalie's heart twist painfully. Only then did she understand why Lucas had never had a sip of alcohol before her when he'd drunk himself into oblivion after breaking up with Isabelle. He'd been afraid he would spill the truth under the influence. He'd been afraid she would discover his secret. She clenched her fists tightly, finding it hard to breathe. In the end, she broke free of his hold and headed to the bathroom, where she spent two hours trying to regain her composure. When she came back out, Lucas was missing. She opened the bedroom door to see the voice-activated light on the balcony flicker off. Rosalie silently padded over and peered through the window to see Lucas and Isabelle standing outside. The darkness of the night kept his expression from view, but she could still hear his lowered voice. "Didn't you tell me yesterday that you weren't returning to Irope anymore? Why have you now changed your mind?" "What about you? Why didn't you tell me that you married Rosie?" Lucas felt the flames in his heart burn brighter at Isabelle's calm tone. The remnants of his rationality shattered, and he grabbed her hands tightly. "Shouldn't you know best why I married her? She looks so much like you and is related to you by blood. Being with her is the only way I can see you without having to hide! "I wouldn't need to repeat what I did a few days ago—fly to Partes and wait outside your building for hours just to sneak a glance at you!" It turned out he'd gone to Partes solely for Isabelle. That explained why he hadn't answered Rosalie's calls. Her heart twisted, and she clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms. Isabelle didn't expect Lucas to really think that way. She mumbled, "You're nuts!" "I am! I lost my mind the moment you decided to dump me. Don't you know that? I wanted you by my side, and even a stand-in who looked like you was enough to keep me happy for life!" Lucas snarled. He sounded so tormented and anguished that Isabelle was stunned. After a long silence, she said, equally tormented, "Think about what you've done to Rosie, Lucas. You've been married for three years, and she's pregnant with your child. Don't you feel anything for her?" He laughed mirthlessly. "She's just a stand-in, Isabelle. How do you expect me to fall for her? Even if I did feel anything for her, it would be because I'm looking at her face and thinking of you! "Yes, we're about to have a baby. I've already come up with a name—Luis or Luisa. They're combinations of our names. That way, we'll be together forever!" A chill ran down Rosalie's spine at that, and she could no longer hold back her tears. Luis or Luisa, huh? What wonderful names. She shut her eyes and thought about how insatiated Lucas had always been after marrying her. She also thought about how anxious he'd been after she'd gotten pregnant. She had to bite her lip hard to keep her cries of despair from spilling out. The last bit of her strength left her, and she had to keep a hand on the wall to support herself as she stumbled away. The sounds of Lucas' and Isabelle's voices faded. Before the bedroom door swung shut, Rosalie heard Isabelle ask, "Aren't you afraid Rosie will find out about this?" Lucas answered, "She never will. Anyway, even if she does, she'll never leave me. She loves me too much!" He was that confident she would never leave him, huh? Rosalie placed a hand on her flat belly and grimaced. He was wrong—she would leave him. She would shatter the cage he'd built around her and soar toward freedom. She would never turn back. Lucas didn't return to bed that night, and Rosalie woke up at the crack of dawn. She didn't disturb anyone as she headed home alone and grabbed everything she needed to get immigration paperwork done. She received a call from Isabelle when she was done. "Can you accompany me to the cemetery today, Rosie? I want to pay my respects to your father and also visit Olivia." Rosalie's mother, Olivia Granger, had passed away when she was young, so she didn't spend much time with her maternal side of the family. She and Isabelle were only five years apart, but they weren't what people would consider close. Still, she couldn't say no since Isabelle wanted to pay her respects to her parents. She got a bouquet and headed to the cemetery. When she arrived, she saw a sports car parked nearby. It belonged to Lucas. He saw Rosalie and got out of the car to hurry to her. "Why didn't you ask me to come here with you?"