I put on another man’s suit and saved Riley from being left at the altar. For three years, I thought our marriage meant something. Then her ex came back sick and weak, and she ran to him without even looking at me. Now she cannot remember signing our divorce papers. She also has no idea that in seven days I will leave her for good. “Lucas, are you really going to divorce Riley and study abroad?” In the quiet living room, Lucas looked at Mrs. Sullivan’s shocked face across from him and nodded. “Yes, Mrs. Sullivan. As you know, I wasn’t the one who was supposed to marry her in the first place. For Riley, I was just an unexpected stand-in, a substitute when the real groom didn’t show up. Now that he’s back, she’s been so happy lately. It’s time for me to go.” Outside, a light snow was falling, creating a beautiful winter scene. He smiled lightly. “Studying abroad has always been my dream anyway.” Mrs. Sullivan looked at the young man before her, remembering Riley’s wedding three years ago. Tristan, who was supposed to be the groom, had fled abroad at the last minute. Just as Riley stood awkwardly on stage, red-eyed and unsure what to do, Lucas had put on an ill-fitting suit and slowly walked up. He apologetically took the microphone and addressed all the guests: “I’m so sorry, there was traffic on the way. I’m late.” With that act, he had saved Riley’s dignity and the Sullivan family’s reputation. Mrs. Sullivan let out a long sigh, then asked uncertainly, “Will Riley agree to the divorce?” Lucas shook his head with a smile. “I already got her to sign the divorce papers.” Two weeks ago, he had given her the divorce agreement. At the time, Riley was in a rush to finish work and meet Tristan. She had signed without even looking and left. Now, in just seven more days, he would be able to get the official divorce certificate. He would be free. After all, the Sullivan family had a three-generation military background and couldn’t go abroad. So once he left the country, he and Riley would never have to see each other again. Just as Mrs. Sullivan was about to speak, a gentle female voice came from behind them. “Lucas, what are you chatting about with Mom?” Lucas turned around to see Riley, whom he hadn’t seen in days, walking towards them in a black evening gown that occasionally revealed her long legs. “…Riley.” Seeing her daughter approach, Mrs. Sullivan was about to step forward to scold her. “Why are you here?” With a mix of surprise and reassurance, Lucas stood up, giving Mrs. Sullivan a pleading look to interrupt her. “I missed you, so I came by to pick you up,” Riley said, her eyes looking a bit guilty. In truth, she had come on purpose after finding out Lucas’s whereabouts. After saying goodbye to the worried Mrs. Sullivan, the couple took their bags and left the Sullivan family home. On the way back, heavy rain pounded on the car windows, while inside was completely silent. Riley remained quiet for a long time before finally speaking. “Lucas.” “Tristan and I are really over. He just got back to the country and had heart surgery a few years ago, so his health isn’t good. As an old… friend, I just went to help him get settled. I hope you can understand.” Lucas stared out the rain-blurred window and nodded. If only he hadn’t seen how Riley had dropped everything and excitedly rushed to meet Tristan the day he returned. If only he hadn’t noticed Riley selling the watch she had used for years and replacing it with a cheap bracelet Tristan had given her. If only… There were too many “if onlys.” Lucas no longer had any expectations or trust left. A soft sigh filled the car. Faced with this husband she had married by chance years ago, Riley wanted to explain further. But thinking of her own actions over the past two weeks, she ultimately chose to change the subject. “Lucas, what was that document you had me sign two weeks ago?” As soon as she finished speaking, Lucas turned to look at Riley, his eyes showing three parts surprise and seven parts bitter amusement. She was only now remembering to ask about that? Then again, ever since Tristan came back, everything else in her life had faded into the background. How could she be expected to care about anything else? Lucas was about to speak when Riley’s phone suddenly rang. Seeing the name displayed on the car screen, Riley’s face instantly tensed up. “It’s fine, go ahead and answer. It might be something important,” Lucas said, looking out the window with an indifferent expression that made Riley suddenly feel afraid. But she still answered the call, with the car’s speakers automatically broadcasting the conversation. “Riley, I miss you so much. It hurts. Can we meet?” Hearing the whiny tone on the other end, Riley’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the steering wheel. Her expression also suddenly turned cold. “Tristan, I’m married now. I’ve told you many times, don’t talk to me like that!” There was a moment of silence on the other end before Tristan replied, “But Riley, I was supposed to be the groom at that wedding.” The car suddenly screeched to a halt in the middle of the road, the tires making a huge noise as they skidded on the pavement. In their three years of marriage, this was the first time Lucas had seen Riley lose control. She shouted at the screen: “But you left! You abandoned me and left!” The phone went completely silent. A moment later, Tristan’s voice came back sounding choked up: “I’m sorry. I was sick at the time and didn’t want you to worry. I had no idea it would have such serious consequences.” “Ah! Riley! My heart hurts so much. It’s okay, just let me die like this. Then I won’t bother you anymore, and you can live happily with my substitute.” Soon, there was no more sound from the other end. Riley instantly panicked. She immediately looked at Lucas. Lucas spoke up first: “It’s fine, I’ll take a taxi home. You go check on him. Don’t let anything really happen.” Riley still felt somewhat guilty and said softly, “I’m not going to see him. I just remembered there’s an urgent matter at the company, so I need to stop by there.” “I’ll come back to be with you after I finish.” Lucas nodded and opened the car door to get out. Watching her car speed away, Lucas stood in the rain holding an umbrella, his eyes darkening. A moment later, he gave a bitter smile and started walking towards home, over ten miles away. Three years. It was time to end it. Three years ago, he had put on that ill-fitting suit and married a woman who could barely remember his name. Friends and relatives privately said Lucas was pitiful, just a stand-in for his wife’s true love. But in the three years since, they had shared romantic moments together and dreamed of the future. Lucas had thought he had melted the heart of this so-called ice queen. But now, Lucas clearly knew he had been wrong. If that was the case, he should return to where he truly belonged and give back this position as Mr. Sullivan. It would fulfill Riley’s wishes. And free himself as well. Lightning split the night sky, followed closely by torrential rain that swept through like a tidal wave. It also washed away the last of Lucas’s feelings for Riley.
Lucas slept alone that night. By noon the next day, Riley still hadn’t returned. When he woke up, it was still raining outside. Lucas stayed at home, calmly deleting all the posts about their married life from his social media accounts. Just as he finished cleaning everything up, he saw that Tristan, who had been threatening to die yesterday, had suddenly posted on social media: “What’s it like to be doted on by your ex-girlfriend?” He included a grid of nine photos. In the first, the usually cold and indifferent Riley was in his arms, feeding him porridge. In the second, the normally aloof Riley was sitting by his bedside, holding his hand. In the third, the usually proud Riley was kneeling in front of him, her eyes full of concern as she helped him take medicine. The fourth showed a pile of luxury goods, each worth millions. Tristan had captioned it: “Thanks to Riley’s connections, I’m not angry or upset anymore.” In the photos, the handsome man smiled sweetly, looking like the happiest prince on a phone call. The comment section was full of envious remarks: “Left and experienced hardships, returned and it’s still true love. Tristan, did you save the galaxy in your past life?” “No way! It must have been at least ten galaxies. Tristan, how did you manage to make your ex still so devoted to you?” Besides the envy, there were naturally some who wanted to mock Lucas. Lucas just glanced over them briefly, a few comments catching his eye: “I wonder how Mr. Xu feels seeing all this?” “What could a mere substitute feel? Did he really think that by stepping in to save face as the groom, he could win the heart of the Sullivan family’s princess? He’s probably dying of jealousy right now. Want to bet how many minutes before this lapdog shows up?” “I bet 10 minutes!” “I bet 5 minutes!” “I bet 1 minute! He’s probably already downstairs. I’ll stake my new Lamborghini on it!” Many people eagerly joined in the betting, with the stakes getting higher and higher. But Lucas just smiled resignedly. He would soon no longer be “Mr. Sullivan” in others’ eyes, so why chase after a woman who didn’t belong to him? So Lucas quickly typed out a response on his phone: “I bet he won’t show up for a lifetime.” His words stirred up a storm, with many people immediately messaging to ask if he was joking. Lucas simply turned off his phone and stopped looking at any messages. Instead, he turned to make himself a bowl of noodles. Just then, the phone suddenly rang. Lucas didn’t answer, but the calls kept coming non-stop for five or six minutes before finally stopping. But soon after, the housekeeper Mrs. Zhang came in holding her own phone, looking troubled. “Sir, the young miss wants you to answer the phone.” Only then did Lucas pick up the phone and answer. “Lucas, it’s all a misunderstanding. I already made Tristan delete those posts. Don’t overthink it. He was feeling very unwell yesterday, that’s why I didn’t come home. Nothing happened between us.” Riley’s anxious voice came through the phone. The moment she saw Lucas’s comment, she had panicked. Lucas looked at the noodles he had made and calmly said, “I made noodles. Are you coming home to eat?” Riley was stunned for a moment before replying, “I’m glad you’re not angry. You can eat the noodles yourself. Tristan’s heart is hurting again, so I’m taking him to the hospital for a check-up. Don’t worry, we’re really just frie-” Before she could finish, Tristan’s panicked voice came through on the other end. “Riley, where are you? I can’t see you. Did I lose you again? My heart feels so anxious.” The call was abruptly hung up, leaving only Riley’s urgent voice addressing the other end: “Tristan, I’m right here. You didn’t lose me.” Looking at the ended call, Lucas sent Riley a message: “That document you asked about yesterday is in the glove compartment on your side.” “Open it and you’ll see what it is.” It wasn’t until two hours later that Riley finally replied with one sentence: “No need. Whatever you had me sign, I’m sure it’s not to harm me.” This meant she wouldn’t look at it. Of course. Right now she just wanted to be by Tristan’s side. Why would she bother looking at anything unrelated to Tristan? Even though that divorce agreement was right within her reach. In the afternoon, Lucas drove to follow a truck delivering supplies to the orphanage where he grew up. Lucas had been an orphan since childhood, raised here. Seeing Lucas arrive, the children were all very excited, running up to cling to him and share their experiences. After spending time with the kids, he went to the director’s office to say goodbye. “Mama Director, I’m going abroad for further studies.” The director was very happy. Lucas had been a top student in physics at Tsinghua University, but had suddenly given up studying abroad for a flash marriage. She had been regretful about it for a long time. “Lucas, that’s wonderful news.” The director held Lucas’s hand, smiling with satisfaction. But then she thought of something and her expression turned worried. “But… you going abroad to study means you and Riley will be in a long-distance relationship. That can be very difficult.” Lucas looked out the window at a few children playing and running around, shaking his head with a light smile. “It’s not a long-distance relationship. We’re getting divorced.” “Because… Tristan came back.” The director was stunned at first, then let out a long sigh, feeling both regretful and relieved. “I guess I wasn’t wrong in my initial assessment. This marriage of yours was never going to last long. You see, once a person still has someone else in their heart, no matter how loving things seem on the surface, it’s all fake. As soon as that person comes back, the marriage is over. So it’s good that you’re divorcing.” She held Lucas’s hand sympathetically, comforting him softly. Lucas smiled back and hugged the director. Yes, it was good that it was ending.
After returning from the orphanage, Lucas went to the civil affairs bureau and learned that in five more days he could finalize the divorce. Only then did he go home to pack his luggage. It was then that he realized his clothes filled several entire closets. Inside were also various expensive watches, sports car keys, and other priceless gifts from Riley. In truth, during their three years of marriage, Riley had always been good to him, constantly giving him black credit cards, houses, cars, and more. But he had never touched any of it. Because every time Riley gave him gifts, Lucas would see the shadow of someone else in her reddened eyes. To be precise, Riley’s kindness to him was all stolen from Tristan, who had temporarily exited the stage. He used to think that with time, Riley would see his true heart. But reality proved that what didn’t belong to him would eventually have to be returned. Lucas sorted out some of his own belongings, then took all the gifts he had given Riley over the years and sold them for scrap. Over the years, to make her happy, he had carefully prepared many gifts for her. She had never even glanced at them. The only watch she ever wore was quickly replaced by a cheap bracelet from Tristan after he returned. Seeing all these gifts tossed aside with a thick layer of dust on them, Lucas smiled bitterly again. If Riley truly loved him, where did all this dust come from? Watching the junk truck drive away, he was about to return to the villa when he heard a horn honk behind him. Lucas turned to see a flashy Ferrari stop in front of him. A girl in a red dress stepped out of the car with a showy air. It was his sister-in-law Sophie. Sophie frowned at the departing junk truck, then snorted disdainfully. “As expected of an orphan with no parents. Even cardboard boxes have to be sold for money. Acting like our Sullivan family is going bankrupt or something.” Lucas didn’t even look at her, turning to leave. Sophie’s mocking smile turned to anger. She stepped forward to grab him. “Lucas!” Ever since Lucas had entered their Sullivan family, he had always been very humble and tried to please everyone. He had never given her the cold shoulder like this before. Today he actually dared to turn his back on her. A fire of rage instantly rose in Sophie’s heart. “Hey orphan! Are you deaf? I’m talking to you!” Lucas turned back and pulled off her hand, his eyes flashing with annoyance. Sophie had always disliked him, feeling that someone of his background was completely unworthy of entering their prestigious Sullivan family. So for three years after the wedding, she had constantly targeted him, saying things like the breakfast he made wasn’t fully cooked, or stepping on the clothes he had washed to dirty them. But now that he was leaving, he didn’t want to tolerate her anymore. Sophie was about to continue making a scene, but seemed to think of something. The corners of her mouth curved up into a sneer. “Someone like you should sell more junk. After all, now that my sister’s true love Tristan is back, you can get lost, you so-called stand-in.” As she finished speaking, a man in a white suit, dressed quite elegantly, stepped out from behind her. This was Lucas’s first time seeing Tristan in person. A pair of almond-shaped eyes brimming with charm, messy black hair casually swept back, porcelain white skin paired with the fitted white suit – just standing there exuded an aura of nobility. No wonder Riley had been so obsessed with him for all these years. But that suit, those accessories – Lucas found them somewhat familiar. Wasn’t this style of dress exactly the same as what was in his own closet? In that moment, Lucas fully understood. He really had just been a stand-in all along. Tristan looked Lucas up and down, as if seeing a cheap version of himself, full of disdain and mockery. But this expression was quickly hidden away when Riley’s car pulled in behind them. He immediately put on a pitiful face and said, “Sophie, don’t talk about Mr. Xu like that. He’s your brother-in-law now. What if he gets angry and kicks me out?” Just as he finished speaking, Riley’s panicked voice came from behind. “What’s going on? Who’s kicking who out?!”
Riley hurried over. Her gaze fell on Tristan standing there unharmed, and she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief before turning to address Lucas. “Lucas, Tristan’s house has been empty for years and needs to be renovated. So could he stay with us for a few days?” Lucas looked at Riley without speaking. In the silence, Tristan’s expression became very uneasy and a bit pitiful. “Riley, maybe I should just leave. After all, it was my fault for not showing up at the wedding. Now you have a new husband, and Mr. Xu doesn’t seem to welcome me.” Riley looked at Lucas, her face hesitating. Tristan let out a long sigh, turning away dejectedly. Sophie immediately reached out to stop him. “Tristan! Why are you leaving?! If anyone should go, it’s him. The real man of this house should be-” “Shut up, Sophie!” Riley snapped angrily. “Who said you could talk to Lucas like that? He’s my husband and your brother-in-law. Apologize to him right now or get out!” Sophie’s eyes instantly reddened at this. Seeing the scene, Lucas finally spoke up, the corners of his mouth curving into a smile. “It’s fine, you don’t need to scold Sophie. I didn’t refuse. Mr. Fu, please make yourself at home here.” After all, in five more days, this home would belong to Tristan. There was no need to ruin the sisters’ relationship over an outsider like himself. With that, Lucas turned and walked into the villa. “Hey orphan! Who said you could speak for me?! Am I wrong?! If my sister wasn’t the Sullivan family’s princess, would you have stepped up as the groom?!” Sophie’s defiant voice came from behind, followed by Riley’s scolding and Tristan’s placating words. Hearing Sophie’s words, complex emotions surged in Lucas’s eyes. This was his eighth year of loving Riley. He still remembered the scene when he first fell in love at first sight with her in the dance studio. She was wearing a ballet dress, her graceful movements making her look just like a proud yet noble and beautiful white swan. In that moment, his heart was captivated. But she was the Sullivan family’s princess, the darling of high society. As an orphan, Lucas knew their backgrounds were worlds apart. But in the end, when he saw Riley red-eyed and at a loss standing on that stage, Lucas instinctively went up. That feeling had nothing to do with status or benefits. He simply didn’t want to see the girl he liked cry. Seemingly afraid Tristan would still leave, Riley immediately instructed the servants to move his luggage into the largest guest room. Sophie instantly strutted over to Lucas, her nose in the air. “What are you standing around for? Go make dinner. Oh, and Tristan can’t eat spicy food, so make it bland.” Hearing this, Tristan’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he looked Lucas up and down again. “I’ve heard Mr. Xu’s cooking is quite good. Then today I’ll have to trouble-” Before he could finish, Riley came down from the guest room upstairs. “Sophie, that’s enough! How many times have I told you, we have servants. Why do you always make Lucas cook for you?” Tristan’s expression soured, his glance towards Lucas filled with hatred. But when Riley walked over, Tristan immediately put on a different face, smiling. “I’ll cook today. I learned a lot of skills abroad these past years and have been wanting to make something for you all to try.” As he said this, Tristan was looking at Riley. Riley’s eyes suddenly had a moment of haziness, but when she saw Lucas standing quietly to the side, she still shook her head and said, “No need. Your health isn’t good. Let the servants-” Sophie latched onto her, grabbing Riley’s hand and saying, “Sis, just let Tristan cook for us. He worked so hard to learn.” Riley seemed to think of something and finally nodded. “Alright, but don’t tire yourself out.” Lucas watched all of this without saying a word, just standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out at the garden. Seeing Lucas so quiet, Riley suddenly felt an increasing sense of panic. After a long silence, she walked to Lucas’s side and softly said, “Lucas, if you don’t like Tristan staying here, I’ll send him back after this meal.” “No need. Let him stay if he wants.” Lucas turned to look at Riley. “That document, have you looked at it?” Mentioning the document again, Riley’s brow furrowed slightly. “I haven’t looked yet. Didn’t I say I trust you? Do I really need to look at it?” Did she need to or not? Lucas didn’t know. The signature was already there anyway. But thinking of their three years together… Lucas was about to speak when Tristan suddenly came over carrying a pot of hot soup. He glanced at Lucas standing like a stranger beside Riley, his eyes flashing with intense jealousy. Then, pretending to stumble, he rushed forward towards Lucas in a panic, spilling the entire pot of soup. “Watch out!”
“Watch out!” Seeing the hot soup flying towards him, Lucas instinctively pulled Riley into his arms to protect her. Then he watched helplessly as a huge pot of scalding chicken broth poured all over him. “Ahh!” In an instant, Lucas was drenched in soup, his skin immediately turning bright red from the burns. The searing pain nearly made him pass out. “Lucas!” Riley pushed Lucas away, her eyes full of panic. “Don’t be afraid, I’ll take you to the hospital right away!” He looked up at her, the pain spreading through his whole body. He used all his strength but couldn’t say a word. Then he looked at Tristan. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Xu. Are you alright? Riley, thank goodness Mr. Xu protected you.” Seeing Tristan’s fake panic and the satisfaction hidden in his eyes, Lucas immediately realized what had happened and said shakily: “You did that on purpose?” Hearing this, Tristan was stunned for a moment, then tears started falling from the grown man’s eyes. “Mr. Xu, what are you saying? How could I do that on purpose? I know you feel insecure and prejudiced against me. It’s my fault for making you get burned!” “But you can’t slander me like this.” Seeing Tristan cry, Sophie resolutely stepped in front of him and angrily said: “Lucas! That’s enough! So what if you got a little burn? Why are you making such a big deal out of it? Tristan worked hard to cook for us, he’s tired enough already! Besides…” Sophie looked at Riley, whose eyes were now filled with doubt and anger, and raised her chin to continue, “Besides, my sister was right there. Even if Tristan wanted to hurt someone, he’d never hurt my sister, right?” As soon as she finished speaking, the doubt in Riley’s eyes instantly disappeared. She looked at Lucas with furrowed brows and said disappointedly, “That’s right, Lucas. Tristan wouldn’t hurt anyone, least of all me. Please don’t overthink things, okay?” Hearing these words, Lucas felt countless emotions rushing to his head, tears welling up in his eyes. Riley sighed, her voice becoming calm. “Lucas, let’s go to the hospital, alright?” Lucas knew that no matter what else he said, Riley wouldn’t believe him now. He was about to nod when- “Oh no, Tristan, you’re hurt so badly!” Sophie cried out. Riley’s attention immediately shifted. She rushed over to Tristan in a panic. His snow-white arm had some small blisters, looking quite “severe” indeed. Tristan put his arm behind his back, shaking his head with red-rimmed eyes. “I’m fine. Mr. Xu looks much worse. You should take him to the hospital first.” He had barely finished speaking when Riley turned back towards Lucas. Tristan immediately put on an agonized expression. “Ah! Riley! My heart hurts so much. It must be the shock of Mr. Xu accusing me just now. Ah, Riley…” Tristan collapsed, grabbing Riley’s hand as she tried to support him. He gasped weakly, “Riley, am I dying? Will I never see you again?” Sophie stomped her foot anxiously. “Sis! Tristan’s heart condition is bad. Let’s get him to the hospital quickly!” “I-I’m fine…” Tristan continued gasping pitifully. But this act undoubtedly made Riley’s heart ache. She could no longer think about the disheveled Lucas. She helped Tristan up and headed for the door. Just before leaving, she seemed to remember something and turned back to Lucas with a guilty look. “Tristan’s heart is weak. I’m afraid something might happen to him. The hospital isn’t far from here.” “…Lucas, you can take a taxi to the hospital yourself.” It wasn’t until their three figures had disappeared from view that Lucas came back to his senses, inhaling sharply through clenched teeth as he fought against the pain. Seeing how severely he was injured yet left behind, the servants quickly ran over with painkillers and alcohol. But Lucas’s burns were too severe. Even after taking the painkillers, he still had to lean against the wall for support, enduring the pain as he slowly made his way towards the hospital. With each step, he moved further and further away from the place he had called “home.”
At the hospital, the doctor used cotton swabs to carefully press down the blistered areas while asking Lucas with concern why he was so severely burned yet had no family accompanying him. Lucas inhaled sharply from the pain. Two other doctors passed by the doorway, chatting. “Miss Sullivan really dotes on her husband. Just a few small blisters and she booked the entire floor, getting all the dermatology specialists to consult.” “I know, right? Those few blisters would have mostly healed on their own if he’d come in a bit later. If only I could find a caring woman like that who loved me.” “Haha, dream on. Women like that only come along once in a blue moon.” Once in a blue moon? Lucas smiled bitterly. Abandoning her severely injured husband to go take care of someone with minor injuries – she truly was a one-in-a-million good woman. Lucas’s injuries were too severe. He needed to stay in the hospital for a few days. Three days later, Lucas was finally discharged, his body still wrapped in bandages. As soon as he turned on his phone, countless missed calls and messages popped up, filling the screen. They were all from Riley. This had never happened since Tristan’s return. While Lucas was still in a daze, Sophie called. As soon as he answered, her shrill voice came through. “Lucas, you’ve got some nerve! Where have you been for three days? Did you do it on purpose?! Can’t compete with Tristan so you’re pulling this kind of stunt? Do you know my sister’s been going crazy looking for you?! Don’t think this will get her attention. Dream on! The position of Sullivan son-in-law will always belong to Tristan!” After finishing her tirade, Sophie hung up. Lucas just furrowed his brow. Had he heard wrong? Riley had been frantically searching for him? How was that possible? Wasn’t she busy taking care of Tristan? Why would she look for him? But when Lucas looked at the 999 missed calls on his phone, it did seem to show Riley’s urgency in trying to reach him. Filled with confusion, Lucas returned home. As soon as he entered the gate, the servants rushed over looking immensely relieved. Several of them were on the verge of tears as they spoke. “Sir, you’re finally back. The young miss has been going crazy looking for you…” Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps approached. “Lucas!” Riley anxiously ran over. In the three days apart, the usually glamorous woman looked rather haggard, especially the dark circles under her eyes. “I was in the hospital. The same one where you were taking care of Tristan.” Hearing this, Riley sighed. “About last time, I didn’t mean to abandon you. It’s just that after Tristan’s surgery, the doctors said he needed to stay calm and not get agitated, or something could happen. I’ve been used to taking care of him since we were kids, so that’s why I took him to the hospital first.” “And you didn’t object at the time either. Since you were at the hospital, why didn’t you tell me or answer my calls? You’re my husband. Don’t you know I’d be worried? Can you not do this again next time?” By the end, there was a hint of accusation in her tone. But Lucas just looked at her calmly, not responding. Because in two more days, he would be gone. So there wouldn’t be a next time. For some reason, seeing Lucas’s calmness, Riley suddenly felt panicked as she recalled Lucas’s behavior these past few days. She stepped forward and took Lucas’s hand, sighing, “Actually, Tristan really didn’t mean to hurt you last time. Since you don’t want him staying here, I’ve already had him move out. Can you stop being upset over this little thing from now on?” Riley stared directly at Lucas, hoping to see a trace of being moved in his eyes. But Lucas had no reaction. He removed Riley’s hand and turned to go upstairs. As soon as he entered the room, he saw an expensive watch placed on the bed. He looked up questioningly at Riley who had followed behind. Riley sighed. “Lucas, this is my way of making it up to you. You won’t be angry anymore now, right?” Lucas looked at the watch in the box, worth millions, a complex look flashing in his eyes. Three years. A full three years. They had shared a bed, had happy times together. In her eyes, was he really the type of person to fake being angry and hurt just for compensation? Suddenly, he recalled the gifts Riley had carefully prepared for Tristan in her social media posts. A mocking feeling welled up, but he quickly suppressed it. Forget it. If she didn’t understand, there was no point in explaining. Seeing no smile appear on Lucas’s face, Riley didn’t think much of it, just assuming he didn’t like it. “Lucas, if you don’t like these, once I’m done dealing with Tristan’s situation, I’ll take you to an auction to pick out the most expensive one for you…” Riley hadn’t finished speaking when Sophie and Tristan’s voices came from outside the door. “Tristan, I told you my sister loves you so much, she’d never really make you move out. It’s all that Lucas’s fault. I’ll scold him for you later. You’ll move back in, right?” As they spoke, the two brazenly walked into Lucas and Riley’s bedroom. Then upon seeing the watch set on the bed, Sophie exclaimed in delight: “Oh my god, sis! Tristan just mentioned to me that he really liked these watch models. I can’t believe you actually bought them!” She looked at Tristan beside her, her eyes full of envy. Hearing this, Tristan’s face instantly reddened, then he shot a smug look at Lucas. Seeing that Riley didn’t immediately deny it, but instead looked hesitant, Lucas didn’t even think before picking up the box and handing it to Tristan. “If it’s meant for you, then take it.” With one sentence, he made the choice for Riley, resolving her dilemma. At this moment, Riley looked at Lucas in shock. Seeing how generous he was being, the unease in Riley’s heart grew stronger. She wanted to object, but seeing how happy Tristan looked, she closed her mouth. She thought to herself, it’s fine, next week is our wedding anniversary. She could make it up to Lucas then. Surely she was overthinking things. He was just jealous and sulking. Lucas loved Riley so much. How could he possibly leave?
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