CHAPTER 4: His Insight, My Disgrace

Just then, several mountain bikes came rushing toward us and stopped right in front of us. The guy in the lead propped his foot on the ground, straightened up, and glanced at me, then at the jacket draped over my shoulders.

"Damn, Lucas, you've really got that charm going for you. Even in the middle of nowhere at night, you manage to have a romantic encounter?" he teased.

Another man beside him kicked his front wheel. "Are you blind?"

Hearing that, the first guy looked me over more carefully, his eyes widening when he noticed the blood on my legs.

"Whoa... what's going on here?"

Before he could get an answer, the lights of an approaching car cut through the darkness. A sleek black vehicle pulled up, made a quick U-turn, and stopped right in front of us.

The driver, a sharply dressed man in his thirties, stepped out. Lucas walked over and got into the car. The guy who'd teased him earlier suddenly realized what was happening and yelled, "Lucas, what the hell? We agreed to ride back together, and now you're ditching us for a car? Where's the loyalty, man?"

Lucas rolled down the window, flicked his cigarette out with a faint smile. "I'm tired. No more loyalty. Hughes will keep you guys company on the ride back."

With that, he glanced over at me. "Want to keep shivering in the cold?"

Afraid he'd drive off without me, I rushed over and opened the passenger door. But as I lifted my foot to get in, I hesitated. His car was spotless, and I was a mess…

After a moment of struggle, I finally climbed in but didn't sit back. I kept my feet pressed tightly together, trying not to leave any ugly marks on his clean floor.

But just as I was bracing myself, the car started moving, and I fell back into the seat. My face burned with embarrassment as I looked over at him.

"I-I'm sorry. I'll cover the cost of cleaning."

He chuckled, his voice low and rich. "It's two hundred for a basic wash. Stubborn stains cost extra." His gaze dropped to my legs, emphasizing the word "stubborn."

Two hundred? A standard wash usually costs no more than fifty. At that rate, he might as well be washing gold! Still, his car was clearly more luxurious than Daniel's, so between the cleaning fee and a cab fare, two hundred wasn't unreasonable.

But I was broke and only had my phone on me.

"I don't have any money on me right now. If you don't mind, I can take down your number and get it to you later."

I reached for my phone to save his contact, only to realize it had died completely. I managed to turn it back on for a moment, enough to record his name, which he told me was Lucas Reid. Just as I saved his number, my phone buzzed as a flood of messages from Natalie came through. She must have been worried sick. I quickly dialed her, but the phone died again just as she answered.

"Do you remember the number?" he asked, unlocking his own phone and handing it to me.

I nodded, took his phone, and dialed Natalie.

Since it was an unknown number, she answered politely, "Hello, who's this?"

"Natalie, it's me," I whispered, my voice weak.

The moment she recognized me, she burst out in alarm. "Kate! Where are you? Are you okay? You called me earlier, and something seemed off, so I went to your place to look for you. You weren't there, and your phone was off—I was so worried!"

Hearing her familiar, caring voice made my tears spill over again. Wiping them away, I tried to reassure her, "I'm okay… I'm at Misty Valley."

"Are you with your husband?"

"Yeah."

"Is he out of his mind? Dragging you around when you're pregnant! You need to be careful."

Hearing her mention the baby, I barely managed to keep myself from sobbing, quickly covering my mouth before hanging up.

Lucas must have overheard, as his gaze shifted to my bloodied legs and lower abdomen. His brows knit together in a look of concern, as if he'd already pieced together my situation.

But he didn't ask any questions.

I returned his phone and turned my face away. Lucas simply lit another cigarette in silence.

The car was quiet for a while.

When we finally reached my apartment complex, I got out, noticing a red stain on the seat where I had been sitting. Feeling deeply embarrassed, I apologized earnestly, "Thank you. I'll get the car cleaning money to you as soon as I can."

Lucas looked at me for a moment, giving a slight, unreadable smile. He didn't say yes, but he didn't refuse either.

Worried he didn't believe me, I quickly added, "How about you wait here for a moment? I'll go upstairs and grab some cash. It won't take long."

He pursed his lips, fingers tapping the steering wheel thoughtfully, before he finally responded in a low, serious tone. "If I was willing to help you, I wasn't expecting you to pay. I'm not that petty. But you should really go to a hospital. Women can't afford to take risks with their health—some injuries leave scars that last a lifetime."

His gaze was sincere, and his words hit me right in the heart, bringing tears to my eyes.

In that moment, I was sure he was a good man, even though I barely knew him. If only Daniel had been like this—a man who cared, who didn't just hurt me physically but left me scarred emotionally, making it hard to trust or love anyone again.

I nodded, murmured my thanks, and watched as he drove away.

When I opened the door to my apartment, the first thing I saw was our wedding photo. It felt like a stab to my heart. In the picture, Daniel had his arm around my waist, and I was leaning against him, both of us smiling like we were the happiest couple in the world.

Looking at it now, it was just laughable. He'd once used that gentle smile to blind me, fooling me so thoroughly I hadn't realized he was no better than a stranger.

Fearing Daniel would come home soon, I moved quickly, stripping off my dirty clothes and wiping myself down with a wet towel. The water in the basin quickly turned red.

As I cleaned myself, tears fell again. The physical pain was sharp, but it couldn't compare to the ache in my heart.

I put on clean clothes, packed a small bag, grabbed my ID and a power bank, and prepared to leave. Just as I reached the door, I heard a soft "thump" from the study.

I froze, staring at the study door, a strange feeling twisting in my gut. I knew there was a secret in that room—a secret that might explain why Daniel had turned into this monster.

I took a deep breath, each step toward the study feeling heavier than the last. Just turning the doorknob seemed to take all my strength.

Inside, the room was dark and empty. The curtains fluttered slightly, moved by a faint breeze. I switched on the light and saw a book lying on the floor near the bookshelf.

So, that sound had just been the book falling?

Just then, I heard the sound of a car engine from outside. Glancing out the window, I saw Daniel's car pulling in. I didn't hesitate any longer; I rushed out of the apartment.

The elevator was already on its way up, so I quickly ducked into the emergency stairwell to avoid running into him.

A moment later, I heard the elevator ding, followed by Daniel's footsteps and the sound of our apartment door opening and closing.

Stepping out of the stairwell, I cast one last, reluctant glance at our apartment door. That's when I heard a faint voice coming from inside.

My heart pounded wildly as I leaned in, drawn by the overwhelming need to know the truth.

Pressing my ear against the door, I finally heard it clearly.

It was a woman's voice.

How could there be another woman in my home?