Chapter <b>11 </b>


    Luke drove straight to the family estate after thepany g.


    He walked into the foyer, where the lighting was still dim, like some damp ce that never saw sunlight.


    He’d never liked the old mansion. He preferred the penthouse they’d lived in after marriage. After Leah sold it, he’d bought it back, but somehow could never recapture that old feeling.


    For two years, he’d flown back and forth between New York and Manhattan countless times, shamelessly “checking up” on Leah.


    She was too free now. Sometimes she’d just vanish without a trace, and he could search the whole world without finding her.


    Luke had been protecting Leah since she was eighteen. Back then she was so sweet<b>, </b>with those big eyes that looked at everyone so seriously and affectionately.


    Even when she threw tantrums, she was easy to win over. Sometimes she didn’t even need winning over–she’d talk herself down and hug his waist, warning him fiercely but harmlessly, “Next time I won’t forgive you so fast.”


    He’d never realized that Leah was such a wild, free spirit.


    These past two years, she’d avoided him like the gue but still sent his mother holiday greetings.


    When he couldn’t find Leah, he’de looking for Melody.


    He slouched against the sofa, head down, absent–mindedly ying with the prayer beads in his hands. Melody had worn them smooth and beautiful. He didn’t believe in any gods, so the beads were just toys to him.


    If Melody saw him doing this, she’d probably frown at him disapprovingly. She’d been giving him that look a lot since Leah left.


    But this time, Melody just sat down without saying anything.


    A wedding invitationy on the table, clearly not local style–the cover was so bright red it practically glowed, tacky as hell.


    Luke’s eyes swept over the invitation, deciding to use it as a conversation starter. “Whose wedding? Pretty fancy.”


    Melody looked at him in surprise. “Leah’s. She’s getting married. You didn’t know?”


    Luke’s gaze froze. He bent forward and touched it–just a thin piece <b>of </b>paper that he didn’t open for the longest time, keeping its


    contents hidden.


    Watching his expression, Melody suddenly understood and calmly took the invitation from his hands. “<b>I </b>see. You weren’t invited.”


    As she pulled it away, the invitation opened slightly, and Leah’s name caught his eye.


    Melody walked to the stairs while Linda helped her up. From the second floor railing, she looked down.


    Luke still hadn’t moved, trapped in that half light darkness.


    Linda couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. “Why let things get to this point? Just yesterday he was telling me Leah had been much nicer to himtely. He said, ‘Linda, Leah still cares about me.‘ Such a grown man, happy as a little kid.”


    Melody looked away and said quietly, “You’re wasting your sympathy on him. Leah’s way over there minding her own business, but don’t you see it? When Leah was dating around, you really think he was just sitting at home being the perfect ex–husband?”


    13:22


    <b>Hell </b>Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me!


    <b>20.8</b><b>% </b>


    Chapter <b>11 </b>


    Luke didn’t move for ages, his limbs going numb.


    He’d thought he and Leah had this unspoken understanding–no matter how bad their fights got, deep down, neither would let


    anyone else in.


    So when they divorced, he didn’t think it was a big deal. People break up and get back together all the time.


    So when she dated those boyfriends, he’d always been smug and dismissive.


    Those men were just her entertainment. She’d get bored ande back to her senses.


    In the end, divorced or remarried, he and Leah would be tangled up together for life.


    He thought he’d have her forever, but now faced losing her permanently.


    Leah had somehow escaped that toxic marriage and love.


    While he stayed trapped in the delusion that she still loved him.


    How could she let love happen again?


    How could someone else rece him, erase her fear of marriage, and give her the courage to try again?


    The wedding invitation still glowed on the table, but felt further and further away.


    Like it was announcing Leah’s happiness while mocking his pathetic state.


    He was starting to hate her now–love turned to hate, his heart filled with dread.


    This kind of hatred burned through his chest<b>, </b>impossible to me or let go.


    It would haunt him for life, never letting him sleep peacefully again.