50
A second before I hit the ground, Lucas rushed over and caught me.”
He gently laid me on the sofa, a flicker of long–lost concern in his eyes.
I used to love resting against his broad chest, but now it reeked of Emily’s perfume.
Lucas turned and scolded her.
“Emily! Why did you push Zoe?“>
“I didn’t push her! Zoe fell on purpose just to blame me!“}
Emily pointed at me, lips pouted, feigning injustice.
It was her favorite expression.§
She’d used it so many times–spilling coffee during meetings, mixing up important documents./
Whenever I tried to hold her accountable, all she had to do was make that face and say a few words in defense, and Lucas would take her
side.
“There are surveillance cameras in the office,” I reminded calmly.
“So what? You insulted me first! If you hadn’t said such awful things, I wouldn’t have gotten angry and pushed you!“}]
At that moment, Emily no longer hid her intentions.
Tears welled in her stubborn eyes.
Lucas glanced at my pale, shocked face and frowned.}
“Emily, Zoe has done so much for you. You don’t need to be so immature.”
-Emily.
But even in reprimanding her, his tone was soft, without a trace of anger.
I couldn’t help comparing it to how he had treated me just yesterday.”
I shook my head and smiled bitterly–how foolish I had been.} Emily, visibly hurt, rushed to Lucas and buried her face in his neck. “Lucas, your words really hurt me… even my stomach feels off now.”
Panic flashed in Lucas’s eyes as he nervously touched her belly.
“Don’t scare me. Let’s go to the hospital, okay?“!
Emily suddenly giggled and kissed him.”
“I lied! I just didn’t want to hear you talk to me like that.“}
Her teasing made Lucas melt with affection.
They kissed passionately, completely ignoring me as I sat beside them.§
When Lucas’s hand slid around Emily’s waist, I stood and quietly left.
As I walked out the door, it felt like my heart had been hollowed out..
I couldn’t even tell what I was feeling anymore.}
The first thing I did was buy a new phone.
When I inserted the SIM card, a new message popped up–it was from my father.
www
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www
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“I’ve heard everything. Forget that small company. I’ll give you something better. When you get here, you can do whatever you want with them. Your father will always back you.“}
Reading those words, all the pain I’d bottled up these past days finally spilled over.
Right there on the street, I broke down and cried.”
After that, I went home and never returned to the company.
Lucas had already taken Emily away to live elsewhere and never came back.
It gave me the chance to quietly pack up everything I needed.
“Zoe, I apologize on Emily’s behalf for what happened that day. Don’t be mad at her…”
Maybe he thought I had calmed down with time.”
Lucas sent the message himself, hoping to make peace.
He and I had never gone this long without speaking.
In the past, even when I was on business trips, he would flood my phone with messages–saying he missed me, asking where I landed, begging to pick me up.
Now I realized… he wasn’t checking on me anymore.”
He was afraid I’d come back and uncover everything.
I looked at the message once, then blocked all of his contact information.
All I wanted was to wait quietly for my departure.
On my final day, just two hours before my flight, my phone rang.
Lucas had somehow gotten a new number.}
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8:57 AM
His voice was frantic.
“Zoe, something happened at the company! You have to come–now!“}
Just that one sentence made me panic.>
Without thinking, I rushed straight there.
The building was surrounded by people.
That’s when I found out: while meeting with a client, Emily got angry when someone offered her a bottle of wine–and threw it at him.
The man she hit was Zachary Bennett, a well–known company director.
He suffered a concussion, demanded an explanation, and threatened to press charges.}
“Zoe, thank god you’re here! Can you–“>
Lucas’s eyes lit up with desperate hope when he saw me.
He grabbed my arm tightly, his warmth pressing against me.”
But his next words chilled me to the bone.
I bit my lower lip, trying to suppress the bitterness rising in my throat.”
“Lucas… are you really asking me to take the blame for Emily?”
