Chapter 8 Confrontation
Chapter 8 Confrontation
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Life after Lucian came back felt like a dream I never wanted to wake from.
He treated me even better than before, every gesture quietly telling me how much he cared.
In the mornings, when I tried to sleep in, he’d shower my face in delicate kisses just to coax me out of bed for break- fast.
“Elaine, how about you eat something first, then go back to sleep, okay?”
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At night, sometimes I’d wake up from a bad dream and find him sitting at the edge of the bed, silently crying as he watched over me.
He was so anxious, so gentle, it almost made me believe that his old rejection and that stupid bet had all been a night-
mare.
If he loved me this much, why did he ever push me away?
But I never dared to ask, afraid that if I did, all of this would vanish. Having him by my side was enough.
I never imagined the next time I’d see Seth would be like this.
Lucian and I had just finished dinner and were heading back to the hotel. As Lucian gently wiped a smudge from the corner of my mouth, I leaned in and kissed him playfully.
He froze for a second, then pulled me into a deeper kiss, pinning me against the elevator wall.
When the doors slid open, I was still dizzy from Lucian’s kiss—and there was Seth, standing right in front of us.
His face was dark with rage. In a split second, he swung at Lucian.
The two of them were at each other’s throats in an instant. I rushed between them, shielding Lucian.
For a moment, something like pain and regret flashed in Seth’s eyes.
“Elaine, I get it. You brought this guy here just to piss me off. Fine, you win. Come over here—I’ll give you another chance.
“I’ll cut off every other woman. It’ll be just you and me.”
I shook my head.
He clenched his fists. “If you keep playing hard to get, it’s not going to end well for you!”
I took Lucian’s hand. “Seth, you’re a bastard and a jerk.
“But I should thank you. Because of you, I won my bet-and the man I love came back to me.”
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Chapter 8 Confrontation
Seth’s expression cracked, and in that moment, he realized the truth.
“A bet? This was all just a bet? All that love you showed me-it was fake? You were just messing with me?!”
He was practically screaming, on the edge of breaking down.
But I looked at him without a flicker of emotion.
“That’s right. So what are you hoping I’ll apologize now?
“You treated me so badly. Even if I wanted to say sorry, I think I’ll pass.”
I pulled Lucian with me back toward our hotel room. Seth’s fists clenched so tightly his knuckles popped.
“Forget it! After everything you put me through, why should I just let this go?!
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“I’m a bastard and a jerk, sure—but if he let you make a bet just to get revenge on me, what does that say about him? Elaine, you think you’ll be happy with him?”
His smile twisted into something cruel. “You have no idea, do you? Elaine was like a dog to me. She was so eager, so desperate-she practically begged for it. The way she loved me, there’s no way that was fake.
“So tell me, you still want her after that?”
Seth was trying to drive a wedge between us.
Lucian’s face changed instantly, guilt clouding his eyes.
I walked up to Seth and slapped him hard across the face.
He stared at me, stunned, disbelief written all over him. “You hit for him?”
I looked at him coldly. “I only ever chased after you because of him. Did you really think you meant anything to me?”
With that, I covered Lucian’s ears and led him inside.
Seth was left alone in the hallway, slowly sliding to the floor in defeat.
A few tears hit the ground.
“Fake? Was all that love really just an act?” Seth’s mind was full of disbelief.
