The Wife Who walked away Richer

my stomach. The memory came flooding back. The elevator. The fall. Lucas's back as he climbed out, carrying Victoria to safety while I lay there in the dark. I blinked slowly, trying to orient m

an obligation. "Victoria is doing better," he continued. "She was pretty shaken up. The claustrophobia made everything worse for her." "Of course it did." My voice was cold. His brow furrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?" "You left me there." The words came out quietly, but they felt like shards of glass. "In the elevator. You went to her first." "She has a medical condition. I had to get her out before she had a full panic attack." His tone was defensive now, like I was being unreasonable. "I told you to wait. The rescue team was already there." "You didn't even check if I was hurt." "I could see you were conscious." He leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms. "Victoria couldn't breathe. What did you want me to do?" "Look at me." My voice rose. "Just once, look at me the way you look at her." He stood up abruptly. "You're being ridiculous. Victoria has had claustrophobia since childhood. She needed immediate help. You should understand that." "I should understand," I repeated the words slowly, feeling something break inside me. "I should understand that your stepsister comes before your wife. I should understand that you carry her like she's precious while I wait in the dark. I should understand everything." "She's family. I was helping her. That's what people do." His jaw tightened. "I don't know what you think you saw, but you're reading too much into this." "Am I?" I looked at him directly. "Or am I finally seeing things clearly for the first time?" "What's that supposed to mean?" "It means I heard you." The words came out before I could stop them. "I heard you and Victoria talking." His expression shifted, something like guilt flickering across his face before the mask came back down. "You don't understand the situation." "Then explain it to me." My voice was shaking now. "Explain why she thinks you two can finally be together now that your grandfather is gone. Explain why she asked if you love me and you said nothing." "That conversation was private."