Chapter 22

Clara was so exhausted that she couldn't say another word. She'd barely stepped inside when Lucas grabbed her wrist and shoved her against the wall. "I didn't expect you to go wild after our breakup, keeping a man and playing at stand-ins. Who was he a substitute for?" he asked. Clara felt anxious and unsettled by his stare and blurted, "Definitely not you." "Did I say it was me? What are you feeling guilty about?" Lucas slid his fingers down to her waist and held her in place. The move was gentle but carried a force that left no room for refusal. "Your taste in men has gotten worse. He spent three years in bed with you, and when you had nowhere else to turn to, he just stood by and watched. You got played like a fool all those years. Clara, when did you become this stupid?" Humiliated and furious, Clara struggled to get out of his embrace and tried to shove him away. However, he lifted her onto his shoulder in one move, carried her upstairs, and threw her on the bed. In an inst