Lucian
My phone dinged again. I glanced toward the bathroom door—Mara was still inside. I knew I couldn’t keep this from her forever. She deserved the truth. And it had to come from me, not anyone else.
I opened the message.
And froze.
"Lucian, if you do not meet me at James Cafeteria by one this afternoon, I’ll tell your wife everything."
The rage hit fast and hot. If I wasn’t married, I might’ve handled this very differently—colder, harsher. But now… now I had something to lose. Someone.
Mara.
Tina wasn’t bluffing. I knew she had Mara’s number. And I couldn’t let her be blindsided.
Fine, I typed back. I’m on my way.
I checked the time. Thirty minutes. Just enough to get there if I moved fast.
I linked Mara.
"I need to meet someone at James Cafeteria. I’ll be back soon."
"Okay
