Chapter 174

Lucas tore off his tie with such force that the silk ripped. He flung it onto the glass table, where it slithered to the floor like a discarded serpent.

"You want the whole world to mock me, don't you?" His voice was raw, stripped of its usual composure. "Ruin my name? Fine. Have it your way."

A bitter laugh escaped him.

"From this moment on, let them whisper behind my back—'Look at that pathetic fool who lets his wife parade her lover in front of him.'"

His knuckles whitened as he gripped the edge of the table.

"I'll play the role perfectly. Smile when you flaunt him. Hell, I'll even hand you the damn condom myself if it makes you happy."

The words hung in the air, sharp as shattered glass.

"Just don’t leave me." His voice cracked. "Is that what you needed to hear?"

Claire said nothing.

She couldn’t.

This wasn’t the reaction she’d anticipated—not the cold fury, the slammed door, the immediate signing of divorce papers.

Instead, Lucas had unraveled before her eyes, revealing a desperation she’d never imagined.

And he wasn’t done.

For thirty agonizing minutes, he sat there.

Watching.

Silent as a storm gathering strength.

His gaze never wavered from Claire and Julian.

The dim lighting of the Eclipse Lounge cast flickering shadows across the table as Claire took another bite from the fork Julian held out to her. Lucas watched them with narrowed eyes, his fingers tightening around his wineglass before he drained it in one swift motion.

When Claire's fingers brushed over Julian's toned stomach, Lucas couldn't hold back a scoff. "That lanky frame of yours—do you even have abs worth touching?"

Julian's cheeks flushed pink, but he didn't back down. With a shy smile, he lifted the hem of his shirt just enough to reveal sculpted ridges of muscle, barely visible in the low light.

An unmistakable eight-pack.

"I adore you, Julian," Claire murmured, her voice dripping with affection.

She shot Lucas a triumphant smirk. "For abs like those, I'm adding an extra two hundred grand to your monthly allowance."

Julian ducked his head, feigning modesty. "Two hundred thousand? That's... excessive, don't you think?"

"Not at all," Claire purred, looping an arm around his neck. "My husband is filthy rich. He'll cover it."

Lucas was rendered utterly speechless.

Paying to fund his wife's boy toy—had any man in Cresthaven ever sunk this low?

Around them, amused whispers rippled through the crowd. After all, just days ago, Claire had hosted an extravagant party at—

The Eclipse Lounge was a magnet for the city's elite, where wealth dripped from every corner like liquid gold.

Evelyn Carter shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her fingers tightening around her glass as she watched the scene unfold. The tension was suffocating.

She excused herself, murmuring something about needing the restroom.

But fate had other plans.

The moment she stepped out, she collided with a familiar presence—Ethan Caldwell.

He emerged from the men’s restroom across from her, a cigarette perched lazily between his lips, the faint scent of whiskey clinging to him.

Their eyes met briefly before Evelyn averted her gaze, her pulse betraying her.

Ethan had noticed her the second she left the booth.

He’d been nursing his drink in the shadows, watching from afar, unwilling to intrude.

The confrontation between Lucas Bennett and Claire Dawson had been impossible to miss.

The entitled heirs around them sneered, relishing the spectacle—a man of Lucas’s standing, humiliated in front of his wife, yet refusing to retaliate.

But Ethan couldn’t bring himself to laugh.

For the first time, he understood Lucas’s silence.

When Evelyn slipped away, something primal tugged at him, urging him to follow.

And now here they were.

The air between them crackled with unspoken words.

He had stooped so low as to orchestrate a fake run-in with her.

At this point, he realized he might be just as unhinged as Lucas.

When Evelyn completely disregarded him and walked past, Ethan instinctively called out.

"Evelyn," he said, his voice sharp.

She halted mid-step. Turning slowly, she walked back toward him with deliberate calm.

Without warning, she reached up and delivered a firm smack to the top of his head. "Mind your manners. I'm your aunt," she said coolly.

The sidewalk was crowded, making her action a blatant public humiliation.

Ethan's expression darkened instantly, his jaw tightening with barely contained fury.