Chapter 2: The Truth He Never Saw
Chapter 2: The Truth He Never Saw
Three weeks later.
Lucas requested a meeting.
Then another.
Then another.
Each request was denied.
Until finally, Isabella agreed.
Not because she missed him.
Because she wanted closure.
The meeting took place in a quiet private office.
Lucas entered looking years older.
The confident businessman she once knew was gone.
Dark circles lined his eyes.
His expensive suits no longer carried authority.
Only desperation.
When Isabella walked in, he stood immediately.
"Thank you for coming."
She sat across from him.
"You have ten minutes."
Lucas lowered his eyes.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then he asked the question that had haunted him every night.
"Did you ever love me?"
Isabella stared at him.
The answer arrived without hesitation.
"Yes."
Lucas looked up.
Pain flashed across his face.
Because that answer hurt more than hatred ever could.
"I loved you enough to leave my own family."
"I loved you enough to endure years of humiliation."
"I loved you enough to believe you would eventually see me."
Her voice remained calm.
"But you never did."
Lucas swallowed hard.
Memories flooded back.
The birthdays he missed.
The insults he ignored.
The tears he pretended not to notice.
Every moment she had needed him.
Every moment he had chosen someone else.
Especially Sophie.
Especially his family.
Especially himself.
"I made a mistake."
Isabella shook her head.
"No."
His brow furrowed.
She continued quietly.
"A mistake happens once."
"What you did happened every day for three years."
Lucas had no answer.
Because she was right.
He had not lost her in a single moment.
He had lost her one choice at a time.
Tears filled his eyes.
The first genuine tears Isabella had ever seen from him.
"I wish I could change it."
She stood.
"So do I."
Lucas looked at her desperately.
"Can you forgive me?"
A long silence followed.
Then Isabella smiled sadly.
"I already have."
Hope flashed across his face.
Until she finished.
"But forgiveness doesn't mean I come back."
May you like
And with those words, she walked away.
This time, Lucas knew she was gone forever.
