Chapter 13 The Truth

What was supposed to be a press conference had turned into a farce.

I could see the looks from the audience growing stranger by the moment.

Some even turned their microphones and cameras towards her.

"Miss Zimmerman, is what Mr. Xavier said true?" they asked.

"Miss Zimmerman, it wasn’t you, but Reporter Thompson who was by his side during his tough times, was it?"

"Are your earlier allegations all fabrications?"

Unable to retort, she desperately turned to Lucas for support, "Lucas, you know me best. I've been by your side for years; how could I do this to you... "

Lucas glanced down at her from the stage, a slight smile on his face: "Don't worry, you have all the evidence, don’t you? The lawyer is already here. Everything today is being recorded and documented."

His voice was gentle and soothing, as if to comfort her.

Nicole recoiled as if she'd seen some terrible beast, her body trembling uncontrollably.

The press conference came to an abrupt halt.

I gathered my notes and stepped down from the podium.

Lucas followed silently behind me.

"It's raining cats and dogs outside; let me give you a ride," he offered.

The rain was torrential, as if the heavens had decided to empty themselves.

After a brief three-second deliberation, I chose not to subject myself to that downpour.

Sliding into the passenger seat of Lucas's Rolls-Royce, I caught a glimpse of a secretive joy flickering in his eyes.

It wasn't until I pulled out my phone that I realized the incident from the press conference was already broadcasted live.

Trending all over social media.

Under numerous hashtags, users were in an uproar.

"So Nicole took credit for some little journalist's work? How shameless!"

"What do you mean, 'took credit'? Women like her climb the ladder by spreading their legs. Who knows who's really lying?"

"It's been confirmed, those nude photos were photoshopped."

"Even if it's really her, she was paid for her services. She did the job, took the money, why play the victim now?"

"Am I the only one who feels sorry for Lucas? Neither woman is worth a dime, both deceiving him."

A sudden constriction gripped my heart.

I quickly dimmed the screen of my phone, turning to gaze out the window.

The rain etched narrow streams down the glass, smearing the receding city lights into a chaotic collage of colors.

Three years on, the cityscape remained unchanged.

But between Lucas and me, everything had been turned on its head.

Back then, Xavier Luxury Group enlisted top specialists for Lucas. After two grueling surgeries, Lucas regained his sight.

Nicole had hired a bodyguard at a steep price to watch me around the clock, making sure I didn't meet Lucas and tell him the truth.

Yet on the day of his sight restoration, those very people led me to the hospital.

Outside his room, I couldn't see Lucas, but I could hear the insecurity in his voice: "Nicole!"

"Lucas, I'm here," Nicole murmured with a subtly altered timbre, an eerie replica of mine.
Lucas didn't notice anything amiss.

He spoke with a tinge of discontent, "You promised me, when I could see again, you'd be the first person I laid eyes on."

"You broke your promise."

...

I tuned out the rest.

A sharp pain suddenly surged in my heart, threatening to engulf me entirely.

From the very start, it was Nicole who had been by Lucas's side these past two years.

Not me.

Not Madeline Thompson.

Nicole's bodyguard ushered me into a nearby lounge.

Soon after, she entered, her heels clicking authoritatively.

Her makeup was impeccable as always, except for the smeared lipstick.

"It was Lucas, he really loves me, can't live without me," she said smugly, reapplying her lipstick. "You've taken good care of him these past two years."

"But in his mind, it was all me."

"You, so far beneath us, could never, ever have anything to do with him."