Ditching Me for His 'Soulmate'? His Loss. Next Stop: My New Life novel Chapter 80

Chapter 3

About two hours later, I was finishing up a work handover with a colleague when my phone buzzed with a message from Lucas.

[Bring me a coffee.]

Lucas was notoriously particular about his coffee—he had very specific preferences for the amount of sugar and bitterness. Among everyone in the office, I was the only one who could brew it exactly the way he liked it.

With a reluctant sigh, I pushed back my chair and got up to prepare the coffee.

I hadn’t expected to run into Emma in the break room.

The moment she spotted me, a smug, knowing smile curved her lips.

“Mia, you’re surprisingly composed lately,” she said, her tone dripping with condescension.

“I thought you’d burst into the office any minute now, catching us red-handed,” she added, tilting her chin deliberately to draw attention to the vivid red marks on her neck.

I lowered my eyes toward the coffee beans in my hands, trying to maintain my calm.

“Want some?” I asked, holding up the bag. “This is Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee—it tastes pretty amazing.”

My unexpected calmness seemed to throw Emma off balance. She scrutinized me as if I were some kind of alien.

“Are you trying to show off? Do you really believe Lucas won’t leave you?” she sneered.

“Let me remind you—back then, it was my joke that made Lucas marry you,” she continued, her voice thick with bitterness. “Otherwise, why would he marry you but never bother with a proper wedding?”

“Emma, what are you talking about?” I asked, my voice tight.

At that moment, Lucas appeared in the doorway of the break room. His tall frame filled the space, and his expression was tense, eyes locked onto Emma.

Yet, instead of anger, Emma pouted and clung to his arm possessively.

“Did I say something wrong, Lucas?” she asked sweetly.

“You only agreed to marry Mia to keep me happy, didn’t you?” she pressed.

Lucas’s face flushed a deep, unreadable red. He looked like he wanted to defend himself but found no words. His gaze flickered nervously, avoiding mine, a mixture of guilt and uncertainty clouding his features.

It was Lucas.

“Mia, about what Emma said today—it’s all lies. Please don’t believe her,” he said, his voice laced with worry, almost as if he feared I’d buy into her story.

I held the phone to my ear, my tone flat and detached.

“Yeah, I know.”

I think my calmness surprised Lucas. After a long pause, he spoke again.

“Next month, the 18th. It’s a good day.”

“Our wedding… let’s have it then.”

I gripped the phone tighter, my fingers instinctively curling around it.

After a brief hesitation, I knew I had to tell Lucas about the divorce.

“Do you have time tomorrow? We need to talk about the divorce agreement…”