CHAPTER 5: Is She Invisible, or Am I Just Blind?

"Daniel, is her baby really gone?"

The woman's voice was filled with excitement, and it was unmistakably the same seductive tone I'd heard through the bugging device. Her voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.

"Yes, it's done. Now do you believe me?" Daniel's tone was warm and soothing, a stark contrast to how he had spoken to me when he was coldly discussing the loss of our baby.

Tears welled up again. I felt so foolish and pathetic—after all the clues I'd seen in the study, I'd still preferred to deceive myself rather than face the truth.

But it was absurd. Was this woman invisible, or was I simply blind? I knew I was blind. If I weren't, I would have seen Daniel's true colors long before today.

"Oh, stop it! When did I ever not believe you? I just can't wait to be with you. I hate sneaking around like this." Her sickly-sweet voice made my skin crawl.

A few moments ago, Daniel had been so heartlessly cold with me, and now he was tenderly indulging another woman. Inside the house, they celebrated their victory, while I, broken and exhausted, dragged myself away from the place I had once thought of as home.

Outside the complex, cars passed by on the street. I sat on the curb, feeling abandoned by the world.

When my phone finally turned back on after plugging it into my power bank, I saw two missed calls—both from Daniel. He must have noticed I was gone and called to find out where I was.

Once upon a time, seeing his name pop up would have thrilled me; now, just the sight of it made my heart clench in fear.

A woman who has just suffered a miscarriage shouldn't be troubling anyone, but I needed to tell Natalie the truth. She genuinely cared about me.

As soon as she answered, a flood of emotion washed over me, and I could barely speak through my tears. "Natalie, I have nothing left… I lost the baby, and I lost my home. I have nowhere to go."

There was a pause on the other end of the line before a steady, deep voice spoke.

"Where are you?"

I caught my breath and looked at my phone, realizing I'd mistakenly called Lucas instead.

"Where are you? Are you still near where I dropped you off?" he asked again.

Though I didn't want to burden this man I'd only just met, his voice was a comfort, and I was feeling so helpless. Finally, I whispered a soft "Yes."

"Wait there. I'll be right over," he said, then hung up.

In less than five minutes, Lucas's car pulled up beside me. The window rolled down, revealing his handsome face.

"Get in," he said.

And just like that, I found myself back in his car.

The interior was spotless, clearly just cleaned. I felt so out of place and awkward that I didn't know where to put my hands or feet.

"Could you take me to Westbrook Square?" I asked.

My old family home was on a narrow street off Westbrook Square. It was in a rundown area, with old buildings that had been there for decades. I hadn't been back since marrying Daniel, who had once promised that I'd never feel hardship again. And he had kept that promise—by ensuring my suffering was nothing short of extreme.

Lucas drove in silence, smoking a cigarette while I fidgeted, scrolling absently through my phone. As my eyes landed on the bugging app, I froze, overwhelmed by a fresh wave of anger and betrayal.

Compelled by a need for closure, I reopened the app. The moment their intimate voices filled the car, I realized, too late, that I hadn't plugged in my earphones.

Lucas glanced at my phone, a knowing smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he took a long drag on his cigarette.

He probably thought I was doing this on purpose.

To think I was sitting here, listening to such sounds with a man I'd just met, and that those voices were coming from my own phone… I wanted to fling the phone out the window from sheer embarrassment.

I forced myself to keep calm, but my face burned with shame. Since he'd already heard it, shutting it off would seem too obvious. So I gave him a strained smile, though I'm sure it looked more like a grimace.

"I… I just realized I've been married to a stranger. He took our baby from me, and now he's with another woman… all while I'm still bleeding from the loss," I choked out, unable to continue.

Lucas scoffed, flicking his cigarette out the window. "A real man wouldn't do that. He's just a piece of garbage."

He was right. Daniel wasn't a man; he was a monster. I had once foolishly imagined a lifetime with him.

In that moment, I heard my name come up in the recording.

"Who's better in bed, Kate or me?" the woman purred.

Daniel replied with a laugh. "Kate's like a dead fish in bed. I feel nothing for her. You're the one I can't live without…"

The words made me want to vomit. Not only had he betrayed me and stolen my baby, but now he was mocking and demeaning me in front of his mistress.

The humiliation was unbearable. I quickly shut off the app, and the car fell into silence.

I used to think the way to a man's heart was through his stomach, so I'd devoted myself to learning how to cook, preparing all kinds of dishes for him. But life had slapped me with a brutal lesson: to keep a man's heart, you had to hold onto his lust.

We passed an old street, and I asked Lucas to stop the car. I dashed into a fabric shop, bought a length of red cloth, and tied it onto Lucas's rearview mirror.

The red fabric looked out of place on his car, and he gave me a puzzled look.

Seeing his confusion, I explained as I got back in, "My mom used to tell me that a woman who just had a miscarriage shouldn't enter other people's homes or touch their belongings. If she does, she needs to hang a piece of red fabric as an apology. It's a superstition, especially for drivers. My father…"

My throat tightened, and my voice caught. "My father died in a car accident."

Lucas gave me a long look, a hint of realization crossing his face, and then he chuckled softly. "I don't believe in superstitions."

"Then what do you believe in?" I asked without thinking.

"In myself," he replied.

His self-assurance took me by surprise, and I found myself staring at him. He was magnetic, in every sense—his looks, his demeanor, even the way he sat exuded an aura of strength.

"Where's your place?" he asked, catching my gaze.

Embarrassed, I quickly pointed to a narrow alley up ahead. "It's just down there."

When the car stopped, I hesitated before speaking earnestly. "Thank you so much for today. How much do I owe you for the ride, and for earlier? I'd like to pay you back."

Lucas gave me a faint smile, licking his lips thoughtfully. "I'm a businessman, but I don't only think about money. When a woman tells me she has nowhere to go, any man with a conscience would offer to help."

I stared at him, overwhelmed with gratitude. After everything Daniel had put me through, Lucas's kindness was almost too much for me to believe. Compared to Daniel, he was a man I could genuinely respect.

But fate was cruel. It seemed that good men were always just out of reach for me. Otherwise, why would I have chosen someone like Daniel back then, ignoring everyone else?

I watched Lucas's car drive away before I turned and entered the narrow street.

The alley was dark and dilapidated, with no streetlights. In the dim moonlight, I could see the potholes in the road and the worn patches on the whitewashed walls.

As soon as I opened the door, a flood of familiar memories washed over me, and the tears I'd been holding back finally spilled over.

The place was covered in dust from being left unused for so long. Exhausted, I only managed a quick clean-up before lying down.

I plugged in my phone, and as soon as it powered on, I noticed a notification flashing for Sirius's messages.

It was him…