Chapter 4
The next morning, when Lydia came downstairs, the smell of breakfast was already wafting from the table.
Michael, dressed in a black suit, was sitting on the living room couch. His long legs were casually crossed, his whole demeanor both relaxed and elegant.
Hearing movement, he looked up at Lydia, his eyes lighting up with delight. “I’m here to take you to get married.”
Lydia’s heart skipped a beat. Years of feelings couldn’t be cast aside overnight.
Her fight was at 1 p.m.–there was still time.
“Before we get the license, I want you to go somewhere with me,” Lydia said.
“Alright. I cleared my whole day for you. Wherever you want to go, I’ll come,” Michael said as he stood up, took her hand, and joined her for breakfast.
Soon, Michael’s car pulled into Raventon University. It was class time, and vehicles weren’t usually allowed in, but as a
board member, Michael wasn’t stopped.
But the moment his license plate was recognized, the school’s senior staff were alerted.
Michael’s face showed a flash of impatience as he answered the call. “It’s a personal matter. No need to accompany us.”
After hanging up, he frowned at the rearview mirror. “Why here? It’s a hassle.”
Ever since Michael became CEO of Finnian Group, he had never publicly acknowledged Lydia. Only a handful of people
even knew they were together.
The school track, the classroom buildings, the students running across the basketball court–all looked so familiar, mirroring scenes from Lydia’s memories.
She tried to find traces of the happiness they once had, something to fill the void in her chest. But ironically, Ciara was in every frame.
The phone on Lydia’s lap was lit up, displaying a new WhatsApp status update from Ciara. This time, Ciara was addressing her directly.
Ciara: [I’ve seen you read every single post. Even now, you’re still marrying Michael? He doesn’t love you anymore.
[Do you know what Michael did the moment the fireworks exploded after midnight? He kissed me. The breeze by the shore was cold, but in the car, it was burning hot. He said he can never resist me.
[I asked why he’s still getting a marriage license with you, and Michael said you’re all alone in the world. If he doesn’t marry you, you’d probably die.
(Lydia, since when did you become so pathetic that you have to threaten a man with death to get him to marry you?
[Let’s make a bet. I bet you two won’t get that license today.]
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Lydia turned her gaze from the window and asked nonchalantly, “Michael, why do you want to marry me?”
Michael’s patience was wearing thin. “Are you going to tell me where you want to go on campus or not? Stop asking weird questions. If you’re not even sure, let’s just forget the license today.”
“Then take me to the Finnian residence,” Lydia said.
The car came to a screeching halt. The sharp sound of the brakes startled the students on both sides of the road, drawing curious glances and whispers from outside the car.
Michael’s face darkened. “What exactly are you trying to do?”
Lydia smiled calmly. “We’re about to get our marriage license. Shouldn’t we visit your family first?”
Michael gripped the steering wheel tightly. “You bring this up on campus? Lydia, when did you become so manipulative?”
When the news broke that Michael was an illegitimate child, it caused an uproar on campus.
No one expected that the proud, aloof campus heartthrob was actually the son of a maid who seduced her employer. The campus forums exploded with gossip, all sparked by Michael’s uncle’s family.
They had wanted to destroy him.
Lydia had hired a hacker to take down the forums and even hijacked the screens in the administration building, exposing Michael’s years of academic achievements and the way the Finnian family had mistreated him.
His reputation improved, but Lydia was suspended for breaking school rules. To this day, her student file still read “incomplete.”
That was the mark of how deeply she had loved him–something he now saw as shame. Something not to be acknowledged.
But back then, he had held her in his arms and promised he would love her for the rest of his life, no matter what she became.
Promises made in youth were painfully unreliable.
Lydia opened the car door and stepped out. “Then let’s not get married.”
Ciara had guessed right. They wouldn’t get the license. But she’d lost the bet.
Because it wasn’t Michael who didn’t want to marry Lydia. It was Lydia who no longer wanted to marry Michael.
The driver’s side window rolled down, revealing Michael’s stormy expression.
“What are you doing?” he snapped. “You think the Finnian residence is that easy to walk into? Do you really not understand why I haven’t taken you there? You want me to spell it out?”
He had planned to marry her and keep her elsewhere. That was his idea of protection.
To him, Lydia was just a lonely orphan. She should’ve been grateful. Trying to use past favors to force him into marriage–
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Chapter 4
it was too much.
“Get in the car,” Michael said again. “If you keep this up, we really won’t be getting that license.”
He was so sure she couldn’t bear to lose him.
But Lydia just stood there, looking at him calmly. And at that moment, a surge of panic hit Michael again–the terrifying sense that he was really going to lose her.
Without thinking, he flung open the door and grabbed her wrist. “Lydia…”
Just then, Michael’s phone rang in his pocket, cutting off his softening tone.
The special ringtone made it clear who was calling. Michael answered, already annoyed. “I’m busy right now. If it’s not urgent-”
But his assistant’s anxious voice came through. “Mr. Finnian, Ms. Merritt slit her wrists. She said something about not wanting to drag you down. She’s in the ER right now. Please come quickly.”
Michael’s grip on Lydia’s wrist tightened. Panic rose in his chest.
Finally, he said, “Got it. I’m on my way.”
He hung up and looked at Lydia, uneasy. “Lydia, I…”
Lydia met his eyes and smiled–like a flower blooming on the edge of a cliff. “It’s my fault for being stubborn. I can skip meeting your family. Let’s go get the license now.”
Michael instantly calmed down. Just as he’d expected, Lydia was still obedient as ever.
“I’ve got something urgent. Go home first. I’ll come pick you up when I’m done.” He quickly kissed her on the forehead, then got in the car and sped off.
The roar of the engine rang in Lydia’s ears.
She let out a bitter laugh. Even after all the compromises she’d made, Michael still chose Ciara.
People nearby had seen the argument. The outcome was obvious–Lydia had been left behind.
Under their sympathetic stares, she calmly walked through every place she and Michael had once gone together, wiping away every last trace of the past.
Then, without looking back, she left.
At 12:30 p.m., sitting in the airport lounge, Lydia received a message from Michael: [Let’s delay getting the license for now. Once I convince my dad, I’ll propose to you properly.]
It was a solution he had likely spent hours coming up with–a perfect balance between giving Lydia the recognition she wanted and calming down the suicidal Ciara.
But Lydia didn’t reply. Instead, she blocked all of Michael’s contact info.
19:58 Fri, 15 Aug
Chapter 4
Then, she opened WhatsApp and replied under Ciara’s last status: [I took a screenshot.]
After sending it, she blocked Ciara too.
$77%
+28
Ciara had gambled that Lydia wouldn’t dare blow things up, that she couldn’t bear to lose Michael. But Lydia was about to show her–once she stopped caring about saving face, she wouldn’t be the one left humiliated.
In a VIP room at a private hospital, Ciara watched Michael sitting on a single sofa chair, deep in a video conference, inwardly feeling smug.
Michael might be Lydia’s boyfriend, but she had more than enough ways to make him stay with her.
Just as she was about to post a picture to show off to Lydia, her eyes caught the private message Lydia had just sent. In an instant, it felt like she’d been struck by lightning.
AD
