In the third year of my secret marriage to a movie star, a photo of us making out on the street went viral. Usually mild-mannered, my husband, Lucas Hale, flew into a rage. "Gather all the evidence! I'm suing! I'll handle the situation with Claire myself!" Handle me? I drafted a divorce agreement and threw it in front of Lucas. But his eyes turned red, and he demanded: "Babe, am I that shameful to you?" "Just because I paid someone to expose our relationship, you want to divorce me?" Me: ? 1 I was having dinner when I got a call from Lucas's assistant. His voice was frantic: "Claire, Lucas is drunk. He's making a scene and demanding to see you. Can you come pick him up? It'll look bad if he gets paparazzied." Before I could answer, I heard Lucas’s deep voice in the background: "Babe, I feel sick." I coaxed him gently: "Lucas, let your assistant drive you home. I'll meet you there, okay?" "No! I'm waiting right here on the curb. Come pick me up, please?" At the same time, I heard his assistant let out a high-pitched screech of panic. When I rushed over, Lucas was sitting on the curb, collar undone, eyes rimmed with red. "Why are you actually sitting on the ground?" Hearing my voice, he looked up. His eyes were hazy with drunkenness, but he smiled. "Babe, you're finally here. I waited so long." He stumbled to his feet. His assistant tried to help, but Lucas pushed him away. "You can go. My wife is here." As soon as I got close, he pulled me into a hug. The scent of wood and faint alcohol wrapped around me. He buried his face in my neck, his voice raspy and whining. "Babe, my head is spinning." I rubbed his head. "Just sleep it off at home." "Kiss me first. If you kiss me, I won't feel bad anymore." I looked around nervously. "Let's go home first. What if someone takes a picture?" He pulled me into a nearby alley and lowered his voice. "There's no one here. Is it okay now?" Before I could react, he cupped my face. A kiss laced with alcohol landed on my lips. My mind went blank, and my heart hammered. I spent the whole night worrying about paparazzi. He, on the other hand, slept peacefully with a smile on his face, holding me tight. 2 I was woken up by my phone ringing off the hook. Groggy, I answered, only to hear my agent, Jen, screaming. "Girl, what did you do last night? You broke the internet!" I opened Twitter with trembling hands. Breaking! #LucasHaleMysteryWomanKiss Breaking! #LucasHaleDating I clicked the hashtag. It was a video. Under the dim streetlights, Lucas, dressed in all black, had a woman wrapped in his trench coat. One arm was around her waist, the other shielding her face. The kiss was deep, lingering, and passionate. At the end of the video, Lucas looked up, his gaze locking straight onto the camera. I blushed watching it. I couldn't believe we got caught. But the comments were... weird. My man hasn't done a kiss scene in three years, and now he's trending for making out on the street? Sister-in-law looks hot. My bro has taste. That body, that hair... it's definitely his first love, Bella. Stop trying to make Bella happen. She's been irrelevant for years. One user named @ClaireIsMyWife caught my eye. He was replying to almost every comment. @ClaireIsMyWife: Fun fact: Lucas Hale wakes up smiling because he sees his beautiful wife next to him. That silhouette is 100% Claire Shen. Bet they're already married. Someone argued with him: Were you there? Stop making stuff up. @ClaireIsMyWife swore an oath: It is absolutely Claire Shen. If I'm wrong, I will eat sht on livestream.* I gulped. Isn't that... a bit extreme?! 3 By the time I finished reading the comments, I realized Lucas was gone. I got up to discuss damage control, but I heard his furious voice coming from the study. "Contact the lawyers! Gather all evidence! Sue them at all costs!" He paused, his tone softening. "I'll handle the situation with Claire. Don't tell her about this." I froze. He was going to "handle" me? Suddenly, the door opened. Seeing me, panic flashed in Lucas's eyes. "Babe, when did you get here?" "Just... now." He visibly relaxed and kissed my forehead. "Don't worry about the trending topic. I'll take care of it." "Are you sure? Can I help?" "Everything is arranged. Just take bodyguards when you go out." I let it go. But throughout the day, the rumors didn't die down. In fact, they got worse. Wasn't he handling it? Comments mentioning "Bella" were multiplying. Then, paparazzi shots of Bella returning to the country surfaced. Simultaneously, I got a text from Lucas: Dinner with a director tonight. Don't wait up. 4 At 11 PM, a new hashtag appeared. #LucasAndBellaDating #BellaLucasDinnerDate My heart sank. Ten minutes ago, Bella posted a photo with the caption: Had a great dinner with someone special. In the corner of the photo was a man's hand. I recognized it instantly. The bracelet on his wrist was one I braided for him. I tried to delude myself, thinking it was a coincidence. But internet sleuths found Lucas's reflection in a spoon. My hope died. The CP (Couple Pairing) fans went wild. OMG, my ship has sailed! It's been three years! This is an announcement! So the mystery woman last night was Bella? Some of you are delusional. Bella just landed today. Did she mail her lips over last night? Maybe she's just chasing clout? (Just my opinion, don't come for me.) Maybe Lucas is trying to win her back? Hence the dinner date. I gripped my phone tightly, debating whether to text him. Then I heard the front door open. I turned off my phone and pretended to sleep. 5 The bed dipped. Warm breath hit my face, carrying an unfamiliar perfume scent. I kept my eyes shut, my heart stinging. Was he with Bella all night? Did that scent rub off on him while they were intimate? A moment later, his phone vibrated. Lucas got up and left the room, closing the door softly. I didn't move, straining my ears. Bella, delete the photo now. If my wife finds out... His voice faded, but I could guess the rest. I tossed and turned all night. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I sat up abruptly. Next to me, Lucas was sleeping soundly, a smile on his lips. Probably dreaming about Bella. Rage boiled over. Smack! I slapped him. Lucas grabbed my hand groggily, kissing my palm. "Babe, what's wrong?" "Tell me, who were you with tonight? Why are you home so late?" He jolted awake, stammering. "Just a director. Do you know something?" Know what? That he was secretly dating Bella? Or that he was planning to "handle" me to get back with his first love? Tears welled up in my eyes. In the dark, only our breathing was audible. "Forget it. Sleep." I yanked the blanket over myself. "Okay, let's sleep." He reached out to hug me. I elbowed him hard. He gasped in pain. "Ouch! Babe, what is it?" "You're dirty," I said, my voice trembling. Lucas looked confused. He sniffed his shirt. "But I showered." Could a shower wash away the scent of Bella? His romance was exposed, and he rushed to announce it with his first love while planning to deal with me. The only option was divorce!
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