"Lucas… My stomach hurts…" whimpered Cecelia. She suddenly bent over with a whimper, and her face turned pale.

Lucas's expression instantly changed. He ignored Gia and rushed back to Cecelia. He held her anxiously and asked, "What's wrong? Where does it hurt?"

His voice trembled with worry, and his hands were shaking.

The sight felt like a sharp knife stabbing into her heart. Gia once believed this heartfelt concern of his was reserved only for herself.

She had been naive. She was never the only one.

"I'll take you to the hospital," he said. Without giving Gia a second glance, Lucas swept Cecelia up into his arms and carried her out.

Gia let out a bitter laugh when the door closed. "I've been delusional all this time…" she murmured.

She wondered why she had turned a blind eye in her past life.

Three hours later, Lucas returned with Cecelia still in his arms. The moment they stepped into the living room, he spoke firmly, "She needs to rest for a few days. It's settled–she'll stay here."

Gia paused for only a moment before replying calmly, "Alright."

Her voice and expression were apathetic.

He seemed surprised she agreed so easily. His face softened after a brief look of disbelief. He said, "Cecelia's been through a lot, and she's pregnant now. She has nowhere else to go. I know you've always been kind–"

"Pick any room you want. I'm heading back to mine," interrupted Gia. She turned before he could finish and walked away without hesitation.

She did not want to listen to his guilt-tripping. It sounded like praises, but they were accusations of her being immature and unkind.

That night, Gia took the divorce papers she had prepared and knocked on the door of his study.

He sat deeply focused in front of his laptop and had a few books in front of him. One glance was all it took for Gia to see that the books were pregnancy nutrition guides.

Her fingers trembled slightly.

"What is it?" he asked without looking up.

She bit her lip and handed over the documents. She demanded, "Sign it. It's for the company's filing, and it needs the signature of a family member."

Lucas barely glanced at it before signing, then he stood up quickly. He said, "Done. I need to make dinner for Cecelia. Her diet needs special care, so from now on, I'll cook for her myself."

Gia looked at the papers and asked quietly, "When did you learn to cook?"

Lucas had never lifted a finger at home in her past life. Obsessed with his research and busy at the lab, she had always felt sorry for him and cooked every meal herself.

Lucas hesitated and replied, "I recently learned… Cecelia's in a special stage in life, and as her friend, I should take care of her."

"Is that so?" asked Gia. She did not look at him, but her voice was soft like a whisper as she said, "We've been married for three years, and you've never cooked for me."

Yes. He had never cooked for her.

She believed his career came first back then and never asked for more. However, the comparison was glaring. He simply had not wanted to make an effort for her.

Lucas froze, and he was about to say something, but Gia walked away with the papers.

A faint aroma drifted through the air. She stood by the window in her room unmovingly.

She carefully put away the divorce papers.

She only needed to wait. Once the asset transfers were complete and the mandatory waiting period passed, she could leave for good.

The silk tree they had planted together outside on their wedding day had grown thick and lush.

She remembered a long time ago when Lucas knelt beneath it and held up a ring, his eyes full of devotion.

"Gia, I want to spend a lifetime with you, and even in death, I will never betray you," he had promised.

Her phone vibrated. It was a message from her lawyer.

[Ms. Rowan, eighty percent of the assets have been transferred. The rest will be handled before the divorce process begins.]

[Gia: Okay.] She then deleted the conversation.

She slipped the wedding ring off her finger and placed it in the bottom drawer of her vanity.

She heard the sound of laughter and cheerful voices coming from outside. She closed her eyes, caught between the weight of her past life and the sting of the present, until a single tear slipped free.

Some mistakes, she thought, were only worth making once in a lifetime.

Gia had a long dream where she was back to when she was 18.

She was cornered in a narrow alley by a gang of thugs, and Lucas charged in without a second thought. He shielded her when one of the thugs thrust a knife toward her.

The thugs scattered in fear. She clung to him, his body covered in blood. Tears streamed down her face.

He gently wiped her tears with a bloodstained hand and said, "Gia, it… breaks my heart to see you cry."

He was clearly in pain, but somehow, his smile was blissful. He confessed, "Gia, I never dared to say this before, but… I like you. I like you so much that I'd die for you."

The blurry dream wavered. His face then twisted and became cruel.

He yelled angrily, "I'm in love with Cecelia now! You took what's hers, so why don't you just die?"

She jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat.

The bedroom was pitch dark. She breathed hard, forcing herself to calm down, until faint sounds coming from outside broke the silence.

It was the muffled noise of someone retching, mixed with a low, soothing voice of a man.

Gia got out of bed as if drawn by an unseen force, and she quietly opened the door to peek. A door stood half-open down the hallway, and Cecelia could be heard sobbing.

"I feel awful…" she sobbed.

"Hold on a little longer. Have some warm water. Pregnancy is supposed to be like this. You'll feel much better in a few weeks," he said, his voice full of tenderness and concern.

Gia felt heartbroken. She took a few unsteady steps forward like a puppet, and she saw everything inside the room.

Cecelia rested in his arms, his hand gently stroking her back while the other held a cup of water. They leaned into each other like a married couple.

"Lucas, will you tell me a story? Like you used to when we were kids…" she said.

His expression visibly softened. His fingers brushed through her hair, and his voice was warm.

"Once upon a time…" he began.

The room seemed to spin around Gia.

She placed a hand over her mouth to stop any sound from escaping.

She remembered a time when she too had leaned against his chest like that. His expression had been gentle then as well, but his words were different.

He had said, "Don't start this again. I still have experimental data to analyze tomorrow."

She never heard him finish a story.

"You're so good to me, Lucas," she said sweetly. Then, she suddenly tilted her head up and kissed him.

Lucas went rigid at first, but he did not push her away. He said in a raspy voice, "Don't, you need to take care of yourself right now…"

However, his hand pressed firmly against the back of her head, pulling her into a passionate kiss. The sound of it was breathless and intimate; it filled the air as their figures melted together.

Gia fled.

She stumbled back into her bedroom, leaning against the door before sinking to the floor. Tears had blurred her vision. A wave of nausea hit her hard, and she rushed to the bathroom, retching until her body shook.

It was so disgusting to her, and she was more heartbroken than before.

She did not know how much time had passed before she emerged. Her legs were numb, each step feeling like it landed on pins. She opened a drawer and pulled out a heavy photo album.

Every page was filled with pictures of her and Lucas. Each one with his gaze fixed on her affectionately made her heartbroken.

The affection in his eyes had never been fake, but it had never been hers alone.

She cut every photo to pieces with a pair of scissors before she threw them into the trash.

She carried the garbage bag downstairs at dawn, only to find Lucas busy in the kitchen.

"Up so early?" he asked. His gaze flicked to the bag in her hand, and he continued to ask, "What's that?"

"Trash," she replied.

Her voice was steady as she brushed past him.

He did not press her for answers. He plated the breakfast he had been preparing and set it on the table. He said without turning around, "Cecelia's stomach has been acting up. I made her something easy to digest. I didn't have time to make yours, so you'll have to sort breakfast out yourself."

Her steps faltered. She felt her chest tighten, making it hard to breathe.

She replied calmly after pausing for a moment, "If I go out alone…"

The sound of something crashing cut her off.

It was followed by a pained moan, "Lucas…"

His face changed instantly. He dropped everything and rushed toward her. He yelled, "Cecelia? What's wrong?"

Cecelia clutched her throat as if she could not breathe, her face pale and strained.

Lucas panicked. He swept her into his arms without a second thought and headed for the door.

Gia barely had time to react, so she was still standing there. He shouted furiously, "Move!"

He promptly shoved her out of the way.

A cabinet crashed to the floor, its contents spilling everywhere, striking her painfully. She felt a sharp sting on her forehead as something warm and sticky slid down the side of her face.

However, Lucas had left, and he never once looked back.

Gia lay on the floor for a long time before slowly getting up. She endured the pain and carefully dabbed medicine on her swollen forehead.

The wound had started to swell, but she forced herself not to let the tears fall.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed from downstairs.

"Gia!" Lucas yelled. His voice was meaner than she had ever heard before.

He rushed to grab her wrist as soon as she stepped out of her room.

His eyes were bloodshot, the veins bulged on his forehead, and his breath came fast and heavy.

"Did you prepare the ingredients in the fridge?!" he snapped. He glared at Gia like she was his worst enemy.

Pain shot through her wrist, but she could not break free. She yelled, "Let go of me! What are you talking about?!"

He raised his voice, "Don't play dumb! Cecelia almost died! She got food poisoning! The nitrite levels in those dishes were ten times over the limit! That could only have been deliberate!"

Gia was shocked.

Lucas never cooked before last night, so of course she was the one who had prepared the ingredients. However, what he said made no sense to her.

"When did you become so vicious? You wanted to hurt Cecelia just because I cared about her? Do you realize you almost killed two lives?" he yelled. His gaze was cold and unfamiliar.

His sudden accusations made her head spin. She staggered and hoarsely replied, "Calm down. Why would I poison anyone? I prepared the ingredients for myself…"

"For yourself?" asked Lucas. He clearly did not believe her. He gave a harsh laugh, yanked her by the arm, and dragged her downstairs. He yelled, "Fine, then eat it right now!"

He dragged her into the living room. The breakfast was still sitting on the table, and he picked it up.

"Eat it if it isn't poisoned!" he yelled.

Her heart turned cold, disbelief washed over her. She thought it was ridiculous that he would think she had poisoned Cecelia.

She desperately struggled and said, "You're insane… Do you seriously think I'd kill someone, Lucas Isles?!"

"Who else could it be?" he asked. He grabbed her chin, and looked at her with a terrifying dark expression. He said, "The dosage was clearly intentional. There are only three of us in the house. Are you suggesting Cecelia poisoned herself if it wasn't you?"

He forced her mouth open and shoved a spoonful of food in her mouth.

She fought with tears streaming down her face.

However, he acted like a man possessed and stuffed another spoonful of food. "Didn't you say it wasn't poisoned? Then eat!"

He was like an animal who lost his mind, his red eyes flashed with cruelty. "Prove your innocence!" he yelled.

Gia was forced to swallow spoonfuls of food because she was pressed against the table. Spoonful after spoonful, until all the food was gone. The nausea rose violently, and she bent over and gagged, but nothing came out.

Then, a burning pain flared in her stomach. She stumbled, was unable to steady herself, and collapsed to the floor.

Her breathing grew rapid, her vision blurred, and a shrill ringing filled her ears. She whimpered in agony.

'It hurts so much,' thought Gia.

"Lucas…" she gasped, instinctively reaching toward him for help.

However, he only stood there, watching as she writhed in pain. Her breath grew shallow, foam gathered at her lips, and her struggling slowed.

He finally crouched down, his voice distant and chilling, "Hurts, doesn't it? That's what Cecelia went through."

Gia could barely hear him anymore. She curled up and wept in silence as her consciousness faded.

'Am I going to die like this? Am I going to die earlier and more tragic than in my past life?' she thought.

That was the first time she tasted a meal made by Lucas across two lifetimes. She could not believe that it was under those circumstances.

That was worse than death to her.

She saw him call the ambulance through hazy vision.

He said, "Don't worry, I only wanted to teach you a lesson. I won't let you die… You did something wrong, so you deserve punishment, don't you think?"

Gia coughed up blood, and a bitter laugh rose in her chest.

'Yes, I was wrong. My mistake was falling in love with a human scum. Wrong enough that I had to pay for it in two lifetimes,' she thought.

The wails of sirens drew closer as darkness closed in on her.