Free Web NovelChapter 60: Broken promises
Lyvana stared at the screen for a long time.
Her mind refused to understand what her eyes were seeing.
Julian.
Married.
To Catalina.
Her chest tightened, and for a moment it felt like the air had been pulled out of the room.
Emily was still on the phone.
"Liv?" she said softly. "Say something."
Lyvana swallowed hard.
"I’m here," she said, though her voice sounded distant even to herself.
"Liv, I don’t understand it either," Emily rushed on. "Maybe it’s fake. Maybe it’s some kind of stunt or business thing. You know how those families are —"
"No," Lyvana said quietly. "We both know The Mirror Entertainment is not a site for posting fake news."
Emily fell silent.
She kept staring at the photo. Julian looked calm and composed.
Her hands were trembling. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
A week ago he had been holding her in that quiet yacht, promising she was safe. A week ago he had kissed her forehead like she was the most precious thing in the world.
And now he was standing in a cathedral marrying another woman.
Her throat burned.
"Liv..." Emily whispered.
Lyvana closed her eyes for a moment,
Emily sounded helpless. "Are you sure you’re okay?"
"I’m fine," she said. "I will call you later Emy."
The phone slipped from her hand, clattering onto the mahogany desk. The sound echoed in the silent office like a gunshot.
She didn’t cry.
She couldn’t even breathe. The air in the room felt like it had turned to solid glass, cutting into her lungs.
Every memory of the last few weeks — the way he had kissed her cheeks, the soup he had carefully blown on to cool before feeding it to her, the way he had made love to her — it all felt like a cruel joke.
She grabbed her bag and moved like a robot. She walked past her staff and went straight to the door.
Outside, Marco was waiting by the black SUV. He saw her pale face and opened the door without a word.
Lyvana sat in the back and stared ahead.
"Where to, ma’am?" Marco asked quietly.
"Anywhere," she whispered. "Just drive, Marco. Anywhere but here."
As the car moved, Lyvana felt a tiny bit of hope. Maybe this is a mistake, she thought. Maybe someone is forcing him to do this.
With shaking hands, she called Julian’s private number one last time.
It rang once. Twice. Three times.
Then, the line picked up.
"Julian..."
"Hello, Lyvana."
The voice wasn’t Julian’s. It was Catalina.
Lyvana’s breath hitched. "Where is Julian? Put him on."
A cold, sharp laugh came through the speaker.
"My husband is a little busy right now, darling. We’re at our reception. You know how it is — family, champagne, toasts... although I suppose you wouldn’t know much about that, would you?"
"Why are you answering his phone?" Lyvana choked out, the tears finally starting to sting her eyes.
"Because he gave it to me," Catalina hissed, her tone shifting from sweet to venomous. "He’s done playing with his little charity project. Did you really think a man like Julian would ever choose a pathetic, middle-class girl like you over a Windsor? You were a distraction, Lyvana. A toy he used to pass the time until he was ready to come home to a real woman."
"You are lying. He wouldn’t—"
"He did," Catalina interrupted. "He’s been laughing about you all morning. Now, listen to me carefully. Stay away from us. Don’t ever call my husband again you little tramp."
Then the line went dead.
Lyvana lowered the phone. Her hand dropped to her lap, and she stared out the window.
"Ma’am?" Marco asked, looking at her through the mirror. "Are you okay?"
Lyvana didn’t answer. She felt empty. Everything Catalina said felt like a knife into her heart.
My husband. A distraction. A toy.
She thought about the night on the boat. She thought about how safe she felt in Julian’s arms.
It was all a lie.
He hadn’t been missing or hurt. He had been planning a wedding.
"Marco," she said, her voice small and shaky.
"Yes, ma’am?"
"Stop the car."
Marco frowned. "We are on the highway Ms. Lyvana. It’s not safe."
"Stop the car!" she raised her voice, the tears finally starting to fall.
Marco pulled over to the side of the road. As soon as the car stopped, Lyvana opened the door and stepped out into the cold morning air.
She walked to the edge of the grass and finally let the tears flow. She cried for the man she thought she knew. She cried because she felt foolish for believing him.
After a few minutes, she got up, took her phone and threw it as hard as she could into the dark trees.
Then turned back to Marco, wiping her face with the back of her hand.
"Take me home," she said.
Marco nodded silently and helped her back into the car. The drive was quiet. Lyvana stared out the window, her eyes were still wet as she couldn’t stop crying. fгeewebnovёl.com
Before long they pulled up to the front of her apartment building.
Lyvana got out of the car, and Marco followed her.
"Ma’am, are you sure you’re okay?" he asked. He looked worried.
Lyvana nodded and tried to smile. "I’ll be fine, Marco. Thank you."
He stayed where he was. "I will stay nearby. Just in case you need anything."
Lyvana shook her head.
"No. Go home. Actually, I don’t think you should work for me anymore."
Marco looked shocked. "No, ma’am. My orders were very specific..."
"Your boss is married to someone else now," Lyvana said. "I don’t think he wants you working for me anymore."
Marco looked confused. "What? What are you talking about?" It was clear he didn’t know about the wedding.
"Just go home, Marco," she said tiredly. "We will figure this out tomorrow. I don’t need you today anyway."
He nodded slowly and got back into the driver’s seat. The SUV backed out of the driveway and drove away.
Lyvana stood there alone. It was already late in the morning, and she had no intentions of going anywhere or even seeing anyone.
