Chapter 3
Without thinking, I reached out to snatch the photo back.
But Lucas was faster. He flipped it over before I could grab it.
He read the words out loud in an overly dramatic, almost mocking tone. "You are my moon."
"Adam, so I called it, huh? You really stayed here because of Claire?" Lucas teased.
I pressed my lips together, staring at his annoyingly perfect face, my nails digging deep into my palm as I tried to keep myself together.
Someone nearby let out a mocking laugh. "He looks decent, but who knew he'd be such a freak in private? My moon? Ugh, that's disgusting. I could throw up!"
Someone else said, "Yeah, Lucas might've gotten upset and left the country, but Ms. Ford waited for him three whole years! And now he's been secretly stashing her photos? Isn't he trying to be the homewrecker?"
Another guy scoffed, "Tsk, I always wondered why he went all out to pass the assessment and stay. Guess he was way out of his league."
Chilling air kept pouring down from the vents overhead, making my skin crawl.
My whole body was trembling uncontrollably.
I wanted so badly to tell them that Claire and I were actually married.
When Claire and I reconnected, she and Lucas had already broken up.
But I knew, even if I said it out loud, nobody would ever believe me.
Because Claire had never once claimed me, not to anyone.
My fists were balled so tight, and I forced myself to stand tall, refusing to let them see me crumble.
It felt like that was the only way to keep what little dignity I had left.
I snatched the photo from Lucas, ripped it to shreds, and dumped the pieces straight into the trash can.
Lucas smirked at me, about to say something else, when Claire stepped out.
"What's going on here? Do you need more work?" she said, her tone icy and direct.
Everyone scattered in a hurry.
Claire strode right up to me, locking eyes with me for a few seconds.
Her gaze dropped to the shredded photo in the trash, and she froze for a moment, looking stunned.
"Why did you..." she began.
Before she could finish, I brushed past her and rushed into the restroom, keeping my head down.
I couldn't face her, not right then, at least.
I was scared that if she found out I'd been into her for so long, she'd see me like everyone else does.
She'd probably think I was ridiculous for even trying, or worse, believe I was up to something shady.
I felt like a walking corpse, dragging myself through the rest of the day until it was finally time to clock out.
As I stepped out of the office, Lucas was already waiting at the entrance.
"Adam, let's talk," he said.
The coffee shop was thick with the sweet scent of caramel, but to me, it felt bitter and sharp.
Lucas said, "Before I came back, I talked to Claire on the phone. She told me she'd gotten married. I never expected her husband to be you."
Lucas sat down and cut right to the chase, not even bothering to hide the disdain in his voice.
"I asked her straight up if she loved you. Want to guess what she said?" Lucas taunted.
He drummed his fingers on the wooden tabletop, each sharp tap grating on my nerves.
The answer was obvious.
It was clear she never loved me. Otherwise, Lucas wouldn't have bothered coming back.
But even so, he had no right to say any of that.
"Look, Claire was the one who asked me to marry her. If she wants a divorce, that's for her to tell me, not you," I replied.
Lucas was caught off guard by how firm I sounded, and his smirk got nastier.
"Now that I'm back, you two are bound to break up sooner or later," he said.
"But..." Lucas dragged out the word.
He leaned on his hand, eyebrows cocked, giving me a look that said he knew exactly what was up.
He sneered, "You really think Claire never noticed your little secret feelings for her?
"You thought nobody saw you quietly keeping her group project booklet for yourself?
"Do you even know what she said when she found out?
"She said, 'Ew, that's so gross.'"
Yeah, after Claire asked me to turn in that group project, it got handed back and graded.
I was selfish, so I hid it away.
Because her name was written there in her neat handwriting. It was the only thing that proved we'd ever had any connection at all.
I'd been keeping my feelings hidden for so many years, and now I got exposed and mocked. I'd never felt so humiliated. My shame exploded inside me, hotter than anything I'd ever felt.
When I finally stumbled home, feeling like a ghost, Claire was already there.
She had a document laid out on the coffee table in front of her, together with a pen.
I thought it was divorce papers.
Claire slipped off her gold-rimmed glasses, fixed her gaze on me, and finally spoke, "Adam, I need to discuss something with you."