Chapter 145
I turned instinctively.
What had been darkness burst into light. Sophia stood in that beam wearing a princess gown, staring at Leopold with unbridled excitement.
My mind went completely blank.
My eyes snapped to Leopold. He dropped to one knee, raising a delicate velvet box in one hand, his gaze focused entirely on Sophia as he asked softly, "Will you marry me?"
Sophia could barely contain herself, one hand covering her mouth as she shouted, "Yes! Yes, I will!"
It felt like I'd been plunged into an ice cellar, cold spreading instantly through every limb. Even so, I refused to believe it.
Leopold had brought me here tonight. His close friends had asked about my favorite color. Even the lighting scheme was my preferred blue.
Tonight's protagonist couldn't possibly be Sophia. She must have found out Leopold planned to propose to me and deliberately showed up to sabotage it.
I gripped my phone tighter and walked toward them. After just two steps, I watched Leopold's previously expressionless face shift as he stood, removing the diamond ring from the box.
I couldn't hold back. "Leopold!"
Leopold kept his head lowered, blue light dancing across his features. But he didn't spare me a single glance. He took Sophia's hand and slowly slid the ring onto her finger.
Pain tore through my chest like a knife. "Leopold..."
My voice trembled violently from the emotional whiplash. Leopold acted as though I didn't exist, gripping Sophia's hand firmly before touching her face affectionately. He smiled. "You've been through a lot lately. I'll make it up to you and the baby, I promise."
Sophia's eyes instantly reddened. She wiped away tears while nodding vigorously. "Being your wife means I never felt wronged at all."
Leopold nodded with a smile, patting the back of her hand soothingly. The couple before me looked like the perfect pair, every gesture dripping with tenderness and devotion.
Making me the only clown in the room.
Agony ravaged through my body, bruising every organ. I could barely breathe, but I forced myself to stay upright, staring at Leopold.
"You specifically asked me here tonight just to witness your proposal to Sophia?"
Leopold's eyes shifted to me, cold and indifferent. "Do you really need to ask something so obvious?"
My vision blurred instantly. They say seeing is believing, but why was everything I saw a lie?
No—Leopold had risked his life to save me. That was real. He'd come home with me and promised my parents he'd take care of me, that he wouldn't fail me again.
Maybe... maybe he had his reasons.
"Leopold, I'm giving you one chance to explain." I wiped the tears from my face, looking directly at him. "If you don't explain yourself tonight, I'll never believe you again."
Something flickered in Leopold's eyes. He studied me intently. Just as I thought he might actually explain, he let out a low, mocking laugh. "Lucinda, you're so easy to fool."
My heart shattered, fragments tearing into my nerves until my entire body shook with pain.
"What did you say?"
Leopold's gaze turned icy. "You knew perfectly well that Sophia's always been the one I loved. How could you possibly believe I'd actually get back together with you?"
I shook my head slowly. "But you said the person in your heart—"
"I told you it was all a lie. Why are you still hung up on it?" Leopold cut me off impatiently.
I pressed hard against my chest, forcing the words out. "Then what about your injuries from saving me..."
"Obviously part of the setup." Leopold's tone dripped with mockery. "How else would you have believed me? How else could I get my revenge?"
I stared at him in stunned silence. A setup...
This entire thing had been an elaborate ruse. All to get revenge on me?
My pain twisted into bitter laughter. Every anxiety I'd felt had just been confirmed. I'd thought maybe he chose to reconcile because of Donovan's health. I never imagined it was purely for revenge.
I raised my hand to slap him, but ultimately lowered it. "Leopold, I don't owe you anything. I gave you a chance tonight. You're the one who threw it away. Let's not see each other again."
Leopold's eyes trembled slightly. He looked like he wanted to say something. I moved to walk past him when Sophia suddenly rushed forward and slapped me across the face.
"Lucinda, who the hell do you think you are, trying to hit Leo! Leo is mine. You don't get to 'give' him anything. Everything that's happened to you—you brought it on yourself!"
I held my cheek, frozen in place.
"Stay out of this!" Leopold yanked Sophia back, then locked his eyes on me.
I bit down hard on my lip, swept my hair back with one hand, and backhanded Sophia across the face.
"Yap one more time, and a slap will be the least of your problems!"
Sophia clutched her face, shrieking, "Leo, she hit me right in front of you! Make her pay! We can't let this go!"
I glared coldly at Leopold. If he dared lay a finger on me, I'd make damn sure he regretted it, even if it cost me dearly.
As Sophia lunged toward me, Leopold blocked her path. "You hit her first. What are you throwing a fit about?"
Sophia looked at him in disbelief. "You're defending her over me?"
I had no interest in watching this pathetic performance. I turned to leave.
"Leopold, we nailed it, right?"
"Yeah, Leopold, you're definitely going home with the girl tonight, huh?"
Brady and the other two emerged just then, meeting me face-to-face.
"Lucinda, your face..." Brady spotted the handprint.
I instinctively pulled back.
Edwin, oblivious to the atmosphere, chimed in cheerfully, "Lucinda, leaving already? The ceremony just ended. Hang out a bit longer. Brady hasn't even cut his cake yet."
My voice came out ice-cold. "I'm leaving now. I have nothing to do with any of you."
Edwin froze. Louis sensed something wrong and immediately looked toward Leopold. His expression shifted dramatically. He nudged Brady with his shoulder.
Brady belatedly glanced behind me. His face changed, too. "What... what happened?"
I couldn't stand to stay another second in this humiliating farce. "Ask Leopold," I said flatly, then walked around them and down the stairs.
I rushed to my car in one breath, not daring to linger. I started the engine and peeled out.
As the car merged onto the road, silence closed in around me. Tears streamed down uncontrollably. No matter how hard I tried to wipe them away, my vision stayed blurred.
How could Leopold do this to me? I'd never wronged him. Yet he claimed this was all revenge?
Had all those years together, every moment of happiness and joy, been nothing but my own delusion?
Was his revenge because I'd held the title of his fiancée, keeping Sophia away from Silverlight City, forcing them to spend a decade apart before finally being together?
How absurd!
I looked down at the carefully chosen outfit I was wearing and felt nothing but mockery. All that anticipation had led to nothing but self-inflicted humiliation.
A blaring horn jolted me from my spiral of pain. I looked up to see a massive truck barreling straight toward me. My hands frantically spun the steering wheel to swerve.
A deafening crash—my car slammed into the roadside barrier!