Chapter 3

Lucas froze.

He stared into my eyes, searching for any trace of jealousy or spite.

But there was nothing.

He reached for my wrist.

"Good. After tonight, next year—"

"There is no next year." I cut him off and stepped aside to avoid his touch.

"My grandfather said that if my name isn't in the box again this time, we're done."

"Done?"

Lucas scoffed.

"Serena, how many times are you going to play this hard-to-get game? Last year you said you were going to study abroad, but you called me crying at the airport. The year before, you said you wanted to break off the engagement, but you stood in the rain all night and got a fever. Can you really leave me?"

His tone dripped with condescending pity.

Because in his eyes.

I was his shadow.

And how could a shadow ever leave the light?

Bianca covered her mouth and giggled, her eyes full of provocation.

"Serena, I know you feel wronged. But if Lucas really breaks up with you, who would want you? You'd become a laughingstock."

She was right. For Lucas, I had turned myself into a joke.

I looked at Bianca's fake sympathetic face.

And suddenly remembered what I had heard at the lounge door—

"Besides, that fool won't marry anyone but me."

So in their eyes.

My devotion was stupidity.

My persistence was pathetic.

"You worry too much, Miss Whitmore." I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and smiled graciously.

"My family is wealthy too. The line of men who want to marry me stretches all the way to France. But you, Miss Whitmore..."

My gaze dropped to her arm, tightly wrapped around Lucas's.

"I heard you spent seven years abroad getting treatment. But now that you're back, you still seem so unsteady on your feet. Can't even stand without support?"

"Should I call an ambulance so you can get checked out at the hospital?"

"You—!" Bianca's face twisted. She trembled with rage.

Tears came on command, streaming down her cheeks.

"Lucas, look at her..."

Lucas's expression darkened.

"Serena! That's enough! Apologize to Bianca!"

"Apologize?" I raised an eyebrow. "Lucas, have you forgotten? I'm your girlfriend. What's wrong with me putting an outsider who doesn't know her place back in line?"

The guests began whispering among themselves.

Lucas's mother rushed over.

Seeing the scene, she frowned deeply.

"Stop making a scene! This is embarrassing!"

She glared at Lucas, then looked at me.

Her expression was complicated.

"Serena, don't let irrelevant people ruin what matters."

Mrs. Ashford genuinely cared for me. She truly wanted me to marry into the family.

Too bad her precious son had destroyed everything with his own hands.

Lucas took a deep breath, suppressing his anger.

He wrapped his arm around Bianca's shoulders and looked at me coldly.

"Fine. If you want to play this game, let's play. I want to see if you can still act so smug when I pull out a blank slip."

With that, he turned and walked toward the platform in the center of the hall.

There, a beautifully crafted wooden box waited.

I watched his retreating figure as my gaze turned cold.