CHAPTER 22
Truth
Lucien’s grip on the steering wheel tightens the moment I say Dominic’s name.
I see it in his face immediately. The anger.
His jaw sets hard, the muscle along it tightening as he glances at the rearview mirror.
Dominic’s car is right behind us now. Too close.
The headlights flood the back of Lucien’s car, bright and blinding. Then the horn blares.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
Loud, aggressive, demanding.
My stomach twists as I look back. Dominic is practically riding our bumper now.
The road around us has gone eerily quiet.
The city lights are far behind us now, swallowed by the dark stretch of highway cutting through the cliffs.
Tall trees line the road like silent watchers, their branches swaying slowly in the wind.
The darkness feels thick and heavy. Like the night itself is holding its breath, waiting.
Another angry blast of Dominic’s horn echoes through the road. Lucien exhales sharply through his nose.
“Mother fucker,” he mutters.
He slows the car. For a second, I think he’s going to keep driving.
But then the car drifts toward the shoulder of the road.
Gravel crunches under the tires as he pulls over.
Dominic’s car swerves around us immediately.
His tires screech violently against the pavement as he cuts in front of us and slams to a stop.
Now both cars sit facing each other on the dark roadside.
Both headlights on. Blinding white beams crash into each other, turning the space between the cars into a harsh wash of light.
For a moment I can’t see anything, just silhouettes.
Then Dominic’s car door swings open. His figure steps out into the headlights.
Lucien curses under his breath.
“Sera,” he says quickly, turning toward me.
“I need to talk to him—” But before he can finish, I open the door.
The cold night air rushes in as I step out of the car.
Behind me I hear Lucien groan in frustration.
“God damn it, Sera!” His fist slams into the steering wheel.
The sharp thud echoes through the car as I close the door behind me.
The cold night air hits my face as I step away from the car.
For a moment everything feels frozen. Two cars, two sets of headlights cutting through the darkness.
Three people in the middle of a road that suddenly feels too quiet.
Dominic steps closer, the light from the headlights catching his face.
“Era, what the fuck?” His voice isn’t angry at first. It’s confused, worried.
Like he’s trying to understand what he’s looking at. “Who the fuck are you with?”
I open my mouth to answer. But before I can say anything, Lucien’s car door slams shut behind me.
The sound echoes sharply across the empty road.
Dominic’s head snaps up, his eyes move past me.
And the moment he sees Lucien, something in his face changes.
The confusion disappears instantly. His jaw tightens.
The muscles in his neck flex. Anger rises across his face like a storm rolling in, dark and sudden.
He takes another step forward, his eyes locked on Lucien now.
For a second he just stares. Like he’s trying to process the impossible. Then the realization hits him.
“Why the fuck are you with my wife, Lucien?!”
My head starts spinning.
For a moment the world around me blurs. The headlights, the dark road, the sound of the ocean somewhere beyond the cliffs. One thought crashes into the next.
How does Dominic know Lucien?
My eyes move between them.
Dominic.
Lucien.
They’re staring at each other like this isn’t the first time they’ve met.
Like this moment has been building for years.
A cold wave runs through me. Does Lucien know Dominic?
Every emotion crashes into my chest at once.
Fear, confusion, anger, betrayal. Someone is lying. Someone has been lying to me.
And I suddenly don’t know who. The silence between them snaps. Dominic takes a step forward, his shoulders squared, fists already clenching.
“You’ve got some fucking nerve,” Dominic spits, his voice low and dangerous.
Lucien doesn’t move. He stands there like a wall, calm but rigid, his eyes locked on Dominic.
“I should’ve known it was you,” Dominic continues, shaking his head slightly. “You just couldn’t stay the fuck away, could you?”
Lucien’s jaw clenches.
“Careful, Dominic,” he says quietly.
But there’s nothing calm in his voice now. Only warning.
Dominic laughs once. Sharp and bitter.
“Oh, I’m being careful,” he says. “You’re the one standing here with my wife.” His gaze flicks toward me for half a second before snapping back to Lucien. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Lucien takes a step forward now too.
“Maybe you should ask yourself that,” he says coldly.
Dominic’s eyes darken. “The fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“You know exactly what it means.”
The air between them turns electric. Both of them standing taller now. Closer. Two men who clearly hate each other more than they’re willing to say out loud. Dominic suddenly moves.
Fast. His fist tightens as he steps toward Lucien like he’s about to swing.
“Enough!”
My voice cuts through the night. I move between them before either of them can react, pushing my hands against Dominic’s chest and turning toward Lucien at the same time.
“Stop!”
My breathing is uneven now, my heart is pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat. I look at both of them. Both of them furious, both of them staring at each other like they’re seconds away from tearing each other apart.
“What the hell is going on?” I demand.
My voice shakes.
Because the truth is, I have no idea what’s happening.
And something deep inside me tells me that whatever they’re hiding…
Is bigger than I ever imagined.
The air between the three of us tightens like a wire pulled too far. Dominic and Lucien are still staring each other down, the headlights cutting across their faces in sharp, blinding light. I feel like I’m standing in the middle of something I don’t understand. Something bigger than me.
Dominic breaks the silence first. His voice is low, tight with anger.
“Era… he’s her husband.”
My brows pull together.
“What?”
Dominic nods toward Lucien.
“The woman,” he says slowly. “The one you saw kissing me years ago.. Evelyn.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. For a second the road disappears. My mind snaps back to that day. The hospital. I remember the way the sun hit the pavement outside the back entrance. I had brought Dominic lunch, a stupid little surprise. I was smiling when I walked around the corner.
And then—
Her hands on him, her body pressed against his, her lips on his.
I remember how quickly I turned away, how the food slipped from my hands.
How I walked back to my car with my heart splitting open in my chest. I never asked questions, I never confronted him because I was too scared of the answer.
The memory crashes into the present so violently that I almost lose my balance.
My eyes move slowly back to Lucien. The pieces begin connecting in my mind. Too many pieces. The plane, the hotel, the office. All of it. My stomach drops.
“Oh my God…” The words fall out of my mouth before I can stop them. “You planned all of this.” Lucien’s face tightens.
“It’s not what you think—”
“You planned it,” I repeat, my voice shaking now.
Every moment between us flashes through my mind, the way he looked at me, the way he always seemed to appear exactly where I was. The way he was so persistent at the beginning, asking questions, I thought he was just being kind or curious.
The plane seating. I should have known someone like him does not belong in coach.
I saw it. I caught it. I just refused to admit it to myself.
The night we walked to the bar, his hands tucked in his pockets, there was something in the way he moved, something uncertain.
Like he was deciding whether or not to ruin me.
“You did all of this to get back at Dominic.” My chest tightens painfully. “And you used me to do it.”
The tears come faster now, hot and uncontrollable. I look at him, really look at him. The man who just hours ago told me he loved me.
My voice breaks when I finally speak.
“Was any of it real, Lucien?” The wind moves softly through the trees around us, carrying the distant sound of the ocean below the cliffs. But all I hear is the sound of my own heart breaking. “Was this all real?”
The question still hangs in the air between us.
Was any of it real?
Lucien opens his mouth, his eyes fixed on mine, something raw and desperate in them.
“Sera, I can explain—”
But Dominic explodes before he can finish.
“What the fuck did you just call my wife?!” Dominic roars, stepping forward. “You fucking piece of shit.”
His voice echoes across the empty road.
Lucien doesn’t step back. He stands his ground, but his eyes never leave mine.
“Sera,” he says again, softer now, almost pleading. “I can explain.”
Dominic cuts him off with a sharp laugh that sounds more like a snarl.
“Explain what?” he spits. “Explain how you’ve been stalking my wife?” His eyes burn into Lucien now. “Explain how this whole thing is just your pathetic little revenge?”
Lucien’s jaw clenches.
But Dominic isn’t finished.
“You want to talk about explanations?” Dominic continues, his voice shaking with rage. “She was dying, Lucien!”
The words slice through the night.
Lucien flinches.
“She didn’t want your pity. She didn’t want doctors,” Dominic shouts. “She wanted someone to be there for her. Anyone.” His voice cracks with something deeper than anger. “She was fucking dying.”
The wind moves through the trees as the words settle. “And where were you?” Dominic continues, stepping closer. “You weren’t there. You drowned yourself in bottles instead.” His finger jabs toward Lucien. “You fucking coward.”