The Man Who Destroyed Me Is Now Begging to Mend Me 6

That evening, a text came through from Annabelle Quinn, Sophia’s best friend since college, insisting they go out to a lounge.

The old Sophia would have declined immediately, conditioned to obey Lucas’s rule about her not going out. But now that Sophia was divorcing him, his opinions held no weight.

The moment Sophia stepped out of the car, she saw Annabelle waiting by the entrance. “Hope you haven’t been waiting long,” she said as she approached.

“Just got here.” Annabelle grinned, looping her arm through Sophia’s. “So, what’s the special occasion? Did you finally get a night off from your sweetheart?”

Sophia struggled to find the words, but she couldn’t keep it from her best friend. “I’m getting a divorce,” she finally said.

“Let me guess,” Annabelle said, not one to mince words in front of her best friend. “This is about Emily being back, isn’t it?”

“It’s not just that,” Sophia admitted, her voice quiet.

It just took seeing the difference for herself to truly see how little her three years of effort had meant.

Annabelle threw a supportive arm around Sophia’s shoulders. “You should have woken up to this a long time ago.”

For three years, she had watched Sophia lose herself in a hollow relationship, and it killed Annabelle to see her friend throw everything away for a man who never appreciated her.

“Better late than never,” Sophia offered with a weak smile.

“Damn right it is,” Annabelle declared. “Tonight, I’m getting us the best male models in town. You deserve some real attention.”

They ascended into the pulsating heart of the club, pushing through the glittering crowd toward the exclusive booth Annabelle had booked.

As they moved past the entrance to a private booth, a burst of laughter and chatter spilled into the hallway. Amid the noise, Sophia’s own name caught her sharp ear.

“Got to hand it to Lucas. The minute Emily was back, he moved her right in. Word is, he showed Sophia the

door.”

“Well, she had it coming. Play the simp, and you lose it all. Seriously though, that night in the booth with all the blood? I truly thought a tragedy had occurred, but it was probably just her period.”

“You’re thinking about that? Man, have you had a thing for Sophia all along?”

“Who’d pine after some nobody from a backwater? Only Lucas, with his unique preferences, would stick around for three years.”

“Guess the novelty wore off. Time for a change.”

Standing in the hallway, Sophia felt a cold stillness settle behind her eyes.

The voices clicked into place-Lucas’s oldest friends. They had been there that night, spectators to her most shameful moment.

Annabelle’s eyes flashed with anger. “I’m going to give them a piece of my mind.”

But as she moved toward the door, Sophia stopped her with a gentle hand. “This is my battle to fight,” Sophia said firmly.

With that, Sophia pushed the door open and swept into the room. She settled gracefully onto the sofa, joining their conversation with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“If you’re talking about unique preferences, I top him,” she began, her voice deceptively light, “I recycled what Emily threw away. But it looks like I did everyone a favor by returning the trash to the dumpster where it belongs.

A stunned silence fell over the room. Every face on the circular sofa stared at her in horrified fascination.

Unbeknownst to Sophia, two figures had entered the room behind her during her speech.

The guests’ eyes darted nervously between Sophia and the newcomers, the air thickening with tension.

There stood Lucas and Emily, their expressions dark as storm clouds.

Their presence made Sophia turn. Her eyes instantly met the cold, dark stare of Lucas.

But she didn’t back down. A defiant shrug lifted her shoulders. “Look what the cat dragged in. My trash husband.”

Emily’s eyes instantly glistened with tears. “Sophia, ignore them,” she pleaded, her voice trembling. “It’s all lies. Lucas and I are just friends.”

As if to prove her point, she clutched Lucas’s arm. “Tell her, Lucas. Make her understand there’s nothing going

on between us.”

Sophia’s gaze dropped to the hand clinging to Lucas’s arm, and a faint, derisive smile touched her mouth. ‘Just friends? Did she really expect anyone to believe that?’ she thought bitterly,

Lucas detached himself from Emily’s grip and closed the distance between him and Sophia.

The motion broke the tension, stirring his friends into action.

“Hey, Lucas, take it easy,” one of them said, stepping forward. “She’s just reacting to our stupid jokes.”

“Come on, Sophia, just say you’re sorry to Lucas,” another one urged. “You know he’ll forgive you.”

The suggestion made Sophia want to laugh bitterly. ‘Is this really how they see me? As some lovesick fool who’d come crawling back at the first sign of forgiveness?’ she thought.

It explained everything-why, for three years, they had shown her phony respect as Lucas’s wife while mocking her devotion in private.

She had no one to blame but herself. If she hadn’t met Lucas seven years ago, if that fateful incident hadn’t tied her to him, she would have moved on with her life long ago.

“Are you quite done?” Lucas’s voice cut through her thoughts as he reached for her arm.

She shifted her weight gracefully, letting his hand close on empty air.

The rejected gesture hung between them for a beat too long before he withdrew, his features tightening with displeasure.

Turning to Emily, who was now dabbing at her eyes, Sophia arched a brow. “There’s no need for the waterworks. You’re making it look like I’m the one being cruel here.”

“Sophia, I’ve treated you like my elder sister. I—” Emily began, trying to defend herself.

“Don’t,” Sophia interrupted, her voice cool. “We arrived minutes apart, and you were first. Let’s skip the emotional act.”

Emily’s face turned from pale to deep red as she clenched her jaw in fury. ‘Since when has Sophia found this kind of nerve? She used to shrink into silence whenever Lucas was near,’ she thought.

Despite her three-year absence from the city, Emily had ensured she received every scrap of information about Sophia’s life.

She knew all about Sophia’s pathetic attempts to please Lucas, and she knew exactly how little he cared for his wife.

She even knew they kept separate bedrooms, and that on the occasional night Lucas spent with Sophia, he always sent her back to her own room afterward.

She knew that to Lucas, Sophia was just a body-convenient, disposable, and utterly unimportant.

With a dark expression, Lucas grabbed Sophia’s wrist and began pulling her toward the exit.

Sophia’s answer was a sharp, stinging slap across his cheek.

The sound cracked through the air, and a dead silence fell over the room. All eyes were fixed on Sophia in pure shock.

Everyone was wondering if she had lost her mind to dare something like that.

Lucas slowly worked his jaw, the look in his eyes so dark that it promised retribution.

When Sophia resisted, Lucas didn’t hesitate. He swept her up onto his shoulder and carried her out of the

room.

The sight made Emily’s heart clench. She’d never seen Lucas be so patient with anyone. Before she knew it, her hand was on his arm. “Lucas…”

He didn’t turn his head, but some of the tension left his expression.

“I’m taking her home,” he said firmly. “The driver will return for you when you’re ready.”

Emily could only watch as Lucas walked away with Sophia. She had no right to stop him, but it stung-this was the first time he’d ever left her for another woman, especially one who meant nothing.

Her hands tightened at her sides. ‘I gave you a chance to walk away quietly, Sophia. You brought this on yourself, she thought.

Sophia’s protests echoed down the hallway as she struggled against Lucas’s hold.

Unsure what was happening between the couple, Annabelle turned away, pretending she hadn’t noticed them.

Lucas carried Sophia into the elevator and stepped out briskly when it reached the basement level.

As the car door opened, Lucas tossed Sophia into the back seat.

Struggling upright, she felt a wave of dizziness and nausea from the prolonged time she’d spent upside down.

She opened her mouth to curse, but the words died on her lips as the tinted window of a nearby Maybach began to descend.

In the shadowy interior, the man’s profile was sharp and forbidding. His lips were set in a firm line, and he sat with the imposing stillness of an iceberg, his presence pushing others away.

Sensing her gaze, he glanced over, and their eyes locked.

Without a word, Sophia averted her gaze and hid her face behind a veil of tangled hair.

Mark