Ditching Me for His 'Soulmate'? His Loss. Next Stop: My New Life novel Chapter 78

Chapter 1

After secretly tying the knot, every time my husband Lucas Davis, a lawyer by profession, attempted to take a step forward with his childhood friend, he would inevitably bring up postponing our wedding yet again.

In the span of three years, Lucas proposed rescheduling our wedding an astonishing thirty-three times—and each time, he failed to follow through.

The very first occasion was when his childhood friend’s dog passed away. Out of respect, Lucas insisted that we couldn’t hold any celebrations for a full three months.

So there I stood, dressed in my wedding gown, awkwardly apologizing to friends and family for a wedding that simply wasn’t happening.

The second postponement came because the same childhood friend was suffering from cramps. Lucas abruptly turned the car around just to make her some ginger tea.

Every time we tried to set a date, some new excuse related to her would arise.

I cried, I threw tantrums, feeling utterly frustrated and invisible. But Lucas would always brush it off, saying, “Emma and I are just bedmates. You’re my wife—stop being so petty.”

After the thirty-third time, I had finally reached my limit.

Sliding the divorce papers across the table, I said firmly, “The cool-off period is over. Let’s just get this over with.”

The thirty-second time Lucas missed our wedding was during the celebration of his 999th case win. Emma had thrown a party for him.

At that gathering, everyone assumed Emma was his girlfriend.

“Lucas and Emma have been childhood sweethearts—a perfect match,” people whispered.

“It’d be strange if they didn’t share a toast!”

“Yeah! Let’s see Lucas and Emma drink from the same glass!”

Their laughter echoed cruelly in my ears.

There I was—Lucas’s wife for three years—hiding quietly in a corner while he gazed at Emma with adoration and clinked glasses with her.

After the party, fearing our secret might be revealed, I waited for him by the side of the hotel.

A sleek black car pulled up slowly. When the window rolled down, I saw Emma’s sleeping face in the passenger seat.

Lucas glanced at me, his voice flat and matter-of-fact as always.

“You can go home by yourself. I’m taking Emma.”

I looked down, saying nothing.

Lucas had an obsessive cleanliness streak so severe that he never allowed anyone else’s scent in his car.

Once, his stubbornness even caused trouble with a client, and I nearly suffered stomach ulcers from the stress of apologizing on his behalf.

Later, he looked at me with disdain and said, “You smell terrible. Figure out how to get home.”

That night, he left me stranded in the snow on the outskirts of town.

I walked for four hours before finally reaching home.

And now here was Emma—drunk and peacefully asleep in the passenger seat.

It was painfully clear: his strict rules only applied to me.

I forced a bitter smile and tried to steady my voice.

“Are you coming to the wedding tomorrow?”

Lucas hesitated before replying, “I have to take care of Emma tonight, so I’ll probably miss it.”

My heart sank, but I nodded quietly.

“Aren’t you afraid I tricked you into signing our divorce papers… or maybe a full asset transfer?”

Lucas stiffened, his brows knitting together.

For the first time, he looked uneasy—annoyed, even.

“You’re joking, right?”

He stepped closer, cupping my face gently, his voice soft but steady.

“You know that if you ever left me, I’d lose my mind.”

“If I had to choose, I’d rather it be the asset transfer.”

His eyes held a depth of emotion I couldn’t ignore.

I knew he meant it. He truly couldn’t bear the thought of losing me.

And that’s why my little “joke” wasn’t a joke at all.

What I had him sign was exactly what he feared—our divorce papers.

Five years of chasing. Three years of marriage.

Lucas and I were finally over.

—

Ditching me for his ‘soulmate’? That’s his loss.

Next stop: my new life.