Unmasked Your Love

I stepped into my bar to start my shift. The manager hurried over to report.

"Miss, your boyfriend Mr. Fowler booked the most luxurious private room."

Shock hit me hard. Lucas was broke. How could he afford such an expensive room?

I told the manager to keep watching and pulled up the room's surveillance feed.

"Man, I heard you lost a bet and had to date a poor girl. Is it fun?"

"Don't even start. She costs me five hundred bucks a month. Just a greedy gold-digger!"

Lucas Fowler's face twisted with disgust. He turned and kissed the two women draped over his arms, his expression softening. "These are the kind of girls I like. I bought designer watches. One for each of you."

I let out a bitter laugh.

Calling me poor and a gold-digger?

This bar was my own business!

When my identity came out, I stood over a kneeling Lucas, grabbed a thick stack of cash, and slapped it across his face. "Swallow every last bill."

...

At two in the morning, keys clinked at the entrance.

Lucas stumbled in, reeking of alcohol and cheap, cloying perfume.

"Hey, babe, I'm back!" he shouted, reaching to pull me into his arms.

I stepped back, leaving his arms grasping at air.

He didn't notice my coldness. He propped himself up on the couch, half-sitting. "Met with clients today. Drank way too much. My head's killing me. But paying for this fancy place and giving you a stable future sooner? That's worth the hassle."

Nausea churned in my stomach.

His pitiful act only reminded me how I'd been a fool before.

"Babe, I'm so thirsty. Can you grab me a glass of water?"

"It's on the table. Get it yourself." Unlike before, I didn't jump to fetch it. I stayed on the couch, scrolling through my phone.

Lucas froze, his bleary, drunken eyes lifting to meet mine. "Babe, what's wrong? Come on, help me to bed. I'm wiped out."

I looked down at him. "The couch suits you just fine."