It was difficult for me to breathe since the room's tension was so intense that it seemed like a live creature bearing down on me. Standing in the doorway, engaged in a quiet struggle for control, was Lucas and Sophie. She exuded confidence, a cold grin flickering on her lips as if she had already won, and he froze, the letter from Sophie firmly clenched in his fist.
Every part of me begged me to act, to say something, to shatter the spell Sophie appeared to have cast over him, but I pushed myself to remain composed, to control my emotions. But I realized that only Lucas could handle this moment—this horrible, crucial moment.
Lucas eventually said, his voice strained, "Sophie." "Why are you in this place?"
With a purposeful click, she moved inside and shut the door. I watched the way her eyes hardened with disdain as they flickered to me. "Don't you think it's time we cleared the air?"
Lucas gave me a quick look, and I could see the doubt in his eyes. Torn between the lady he had loved in the past and the one he was meant to be starting a life with, he found himself stuck in the between. However, I had had enough of keeping quiet and allowing Sophie to control our lives.
"Make the air clear?" I repeated as I moved onward. "Do you intend to acknowledge all the things you've done to undermine this marriage?"
Sophie never faltered in her grin. She gave my statements a small bend with her head. "Subversion? Claire, you do not understand anything at all.
"Have I?" I didn't care if my voice sounded harsher than I had meant. "You've been deceiving Lucas about me and our relationship from the beginning. And the reason you're here now is—because you believe you've won?
Her grin wavered just enough to offer me a little bit of comfort. Claire, you're not understanding me. You really cannot understand the history and bond that exists between Lucas and myself.
I am just trying to make him aware of what we used to get and what he gets to lose
LUCAS' tightened his face as he reasoned what she had said.
He was holding back, his emotions jumbled and disoriented, but the wrath bubbling under the surface was barely under control. I could see how afraid he was; he'd always been skilled at hiding his emotions, but now they were threatening to come out.
Lucas said, "This isn't just about us anymore, Sophie," in a calm voice that now had a hint of edge. "You've gone too far."
Sophie's face hardened as she blinked. "A semblance? Lucas, we have discussed this. You are aware that we are meant to be together. Throughout it all, I was at your side, and you—
Lucas cut in, his tone strong, "Enough." For an instant, when he gazed at her, I had a glimpse of the confident, strong, and unwavering guy who existed before all of this chaos. "Whatever we have is no more. This correspondence... He held the torn sheet of paper up. "Everything is changed by it."
Sophie's eyes widened, her face displaying the first hint of true panic. You don't mean that, Lucas. You're angry and perplexed.
"I'm not perplexed," he angrily interrupted once again. "Sophie, you've played tricks on me. The one person I should have trusted above all others—my wife—was called into question by you. And now you're attempting to use your falsehoods to destroy us.
I saw Sophie's confidence crumble and her poise start to break like sand between her fingers. She was about to reply, but Lucas wasn't done yet.
His voice rising, he said, "You don't get to just walk in here and ruin what's left of my marriage because you're feeling nostalgic." "This is my future and my life; you are no longer a part of it."
There was an unbearable quiet for a while. Sophie had a shocked expression on her face and big, bewildered eyes. It sounded, for the first time, like she had nothing to say.
However, I did.
"Lucas is correct," I shouted, a powerful voice driven by the long-simmering rage and anguish. "Sophie, you've had your pleasure. You've done enough harm after playing your games. However, it is now over. Whatever control you believed you had over Lucas has gone.
Sophie's face flashed something menacing as her eyes narrowed. "Don't you believe you've won? Do you believe that this little gesture indicates he has chosen you?
Lucas seemed tight next to me, but I refused to back down. "Sophie, I don't need to 'win'." This is not a contest. You cannot alter the fact that Lucas and I are married.
Her eyes darted between the two of us, her thoughts whirring as she attempted to formulate a reply. However, I could see by the look in her eyes that she was losing. Her once-vibrant confidence was disintegrating, leaving her with nothing but despair.
"Lucas," she said, sounding more subdued and almost imploring. Please refrain from doing this. Please don't discard anything we had.
There was no mistaking the finality in his eyes as he gently shook his head. "Sophie, I already did. I chose Claire, and I married her right then. I apologize for the delay in realizing the extent of your poisoning of our life.
The room seemed to shrink as a result of Lucas's remarks, which covered everything like a shroud. No one said anything for a while. Sophie had a pale complexion and wet eyes from tears she was trying not to cry.
She turned and left without saying anything more, leaving a trail of her footsteps that continued long after the door had closed.
The stillness that descended was heavy and confining. I was finding it hard to accept what had transpired. At last, Lucas decided to choose me and discovered Sophie's deceit. But as it all started to set in, I realized that the win wasn't as sweet as I had thought.
Between us, there was still so much harm and so many open wounds. Even after Sophie left, the dark and menacing shadows she had thrown over our marriage continued to linger.
Lucas turned to face me, his countenance softening, but there was a newfound fatigue in his eyes. "I, Claire—"
However, I was unable to hear his apologies or accept his guilt. The rage that had previously motivated me had vanished, leaving just fatigue in its wake. I stepped backward and encircled myself with my arms as if attempting to keep myself together.
"Lucas, I need some time," I said, hardly raising my voice above a whisper. "I must reflect."
He nodded, understanding, but his eyes briefly flashed with agony. "I'll provide for all of your needs. I just... Claire, I want to make things right. I want to demonstrate my ability to be the guy you deserve.
I turned to face him, looking for the same steadfast honesty I'd seen previously. But it was insufficient. Not quite yet.
"Perhaps you could," I murmured, my voice wavering. But I need some space right now. I have to decide whether or not I can trust you once again.
His fingers touched mine as he stretched out, but I withdrew because the pain of his previous rejections was still too raw and too fresh. I knew that this was what I needed, what we both needed, even if the anguish in his eyes felt like a stab to my heart.
With a voice full of passion, he said, "Take all the time you need." "I'll be waiting right here. Claire, I'm not giving up on us. Never, ever, not right now.
Though the anguish was too great to ignore, I wanted to trust him and find solace in his words.
Instead of replying, I turned and left him there.
When I got to the top of the stairs,I looked back again. Lucas was still standing there, looking at me with regret and yearning mixed in his eyes.
However, I couldn't go back just yet. Too much had been broken, too much that needed to be fixed.
I also understood that our fight was far from done as I turned away. We were always treading on the narrow line that separated hatred from love.
I went back to my room and shut the door, but as I leaned against it, I could feel the house's walls enclosing me and smothering me. My phone buzzed as if i
t were me
ant to, and it was a message from someone I never thought I would hear from again.