Chapter 23
Lucien turned his head, and Ophelia’s lips landed on his cheek. His dark gaze was laced with coldness as he pushed her away.
By the time Ophelia realized what had happened, Lucien had already shut the car door and walked off.
The front door of the mansion was unlocked. After scanning his fingerprint and stepping inside, he switched on the light and saw broken glass shattered on the kitchen floor with a puddle of water around it.
His gaze shifted to the staircase, and he caught a fleeting glimpse of a hem disappearing around the corner.
Calista didn’t even know why she was acting so flustered. It was as if she had been caught doing something wrong. She quickly ran into the guest room and shut the door behind her.
Calista hadn’t expected something like this to happen. She had only come downstairs for a glass of water. She never imagined that
she’d witness such a scene.
She sat on the edge of the bed in light–colored pajamas and brushed her long hair. Her heart felt heavy, and her beautiful eyes were filled with a tangled mess of emotions she couldn’t quite name.
Lucien had cheated on her with Ophelia, and she saw it happen with her own eyes on the very night they were supposed to file for divorce.
If it had been the old her, she would have lost control right in front of him and stormed up to demand an explanation. She would have caused a scene for the whole Fenwick family to know and gone to Serena to have her speak on her behalf.
But this time, she did none of that.
Even if Lucien and Ophelia had gone that far in the car, she would just turn a blind eye and feign ignorance.
Lucien had his headlights on full beam, making it impossible for her not to notice.
Lucien returned to the master bedroom, feeling tired. His sharp gaze swept across the room. Calista was nowhere to be seen. The bathroom was quiet as well.
So, he made his way to the guest room next door.
The moment Calista heard the door open, she stood up. She turned around, her expression calm, and remarked, “You’re back? I’ll run your bath.”
Noticing her unusual behavior, Lucien watched her as if he were trying to see right through her. His voice was calm as he replied, ” Yeah.”
Then he asked, his tone edged with evident displeasure, “Why are you sleeping in the guest room?”
Calista explained, “My period’s about to start. It’s inconvenient.”
Lucien had always been germophobic and couldn’t stand the smell of blood. So whenever Calista’s period was approaching, she would take the initiative to sleep in the guest room next door.
He didn’t say anything more.
Calista kept her head down as she walked past him, heading to the bathroom in the master bedroom to draw his bath.
She prepared the bath water and was about to leave the bathroom when Lucien called out, “Come over and take off my clothes.”
Calista walked over without saying a single word.
She had done this countless times. After three years of marriage, there was nothing awkward about it.
After removing his clothes, she tossed them into the laundry basket and pulled a fresh pair of pajamas from the walk–in closet. She folded them neatly and set them aside.
Lucien settled into the bathtub filled with perfectly warm water. His cold gaze was fixed on her as she busied herself.
His eyes darkened. “Are you sulking?” he asked.
Calista’s hand froze for a moment. “You’re overthinking it. I’m not,” she replied.
She then grabbed a towel from the nearby rack and sat behind Lucien, gently scrubbing his back. A few loose strands of her hair fell across her face, and she tucked them behind her ear.
Lucien’s back was sculpted with defined muscle. He was the kind of man who looked lean in clothes but revealed an impressive build
Chapter 23
without them. His physique rivaled that of any international model.
Calista used to be the talkative one, always clinging to him, asking him to keep her company. Sometimes, even if Lucien didn’t respond, just seeing him was enough to make her happy.
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That was the old Calista, the one who would say things like, “Lucien! I tried baking cookies today, but I didn’t watch the temperature, and they all burned. I kept trying, but it still didn’t work. I guess baking isn’t for me.
“Lucien, come watch a show with me!
“Lucien, should I use the strawberry–scented body wash today?
“Lucien-”
That night was one of those rare nights when neither Lucien nor Calista spoke much. Calista was being unusually quiet.
After a long silence, she hesitated before speaking. “Is there still a chance to save Anthony’s factory? Is there any way to keep him from going to prison? He’s not the kind of man who would break the law. I swear on that.”
“We’ll talk about it another time.””
“But-”
Calista was about to say something, but her words came to an abrupt halt. She ultimately said nothing.
She let it go, knowing that pushing him now wouldn’t get her anywhere.
After he finished bathing, she stood and placed his clothes beside him. “I’ve left your clothes here. I’m going back to get some rest.”
It was already midnight, and she could barely keep her eyes open.
Lucien’s dark and unreadable gaze followed her as she walked away. There was a trace of displeasure in his demeanor, yet he showed nothing on the surface. He had always been like this–decisive and ruthless, whether with Calista or in business, never letting his thoughts show in his words or actions.
Calista returned to the guest room and made the bed herself.
The housekeeper wasn’t around. Clover had gone back to the Fenwick estate as soon as she found out that Calista was divorcing Lucien. After all, she had originally been sent by the Fenwick family.
Calista washed up in the bathroom, then climbed into bed and turned off the light.
When the room was completely dark and quiet enough to hear the wind outside the window, she closed her eyes, forcing herself to sleep. But as soon as her eyes shut, her mind replayed the intimate image of Ophelia sitting on Lucien’s lap. The scene lingered in her
mind.
Her chest tightened with a sharp pain.
This wasn’t the first time she’d caught them in a moment like that.
During their first year of marriage, Calista would wait for Lucien to come home every night. Even when he had business dinners, he always made it back by 10:30 pm.
That night, Calista waited until midnight, but Lucien still hadn’t returned. Then she saw a post on social media showing where he was out drinking with clients. She was worried about him, so she took a cab to Paradise Club.
It was a members–only club, and no one without a membership was allowed in
She called him repeatedly on the way there, but Lucien never picked up.
In the end, she stood under a streetlight in the freezing snow, waiting until her hands and feet went numb. Only when someone told her that everyone in that private room had already left did she take a cab back to the Juniville estate.
She hadn’t expected to come home to a scene she could never have imagined, right there by the floor–to–ceiling windows in the living
room.
