From Broken Bride to Tycoon's Trophy Wife

Chapter 5

Lucas stood tall, stepping in front of me like a shield, blocking Nolan's fiery gaze. But Nolan wasn't having it.

"Lily, stop messing around," he said, his voice cracking with desperation. "How could you throw away ten years of love?"

"Are all those promises we made to each other just lies?"

I was done. I didn't want to get caught in his drama anymore. Without a word, I pulled out my marriage certificate with Lucas and showed it to him.

"Nolan, I'm not lying. I'm really married."

His face went slack with disbelief. His shoulders drooped in pain as he stared at the certificate, his voice barely a whisper. "Why... why?"

Seeing him take a step toward me, Lucas immediately moved to block him, his face hard as stone. "You have the nerve to ask Lily why? Don't you realize what you've done these past few days?"

With that, Lucas reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a stack of photos, tossing them onto the ground. "You say you love Lily, but you secretly had a wedding with another woman behind her back. Is this what you call love?"

The photos scattered in front of me, Wendy smiling like a princess while Nolan stood protectively by her side, looking every bit the knight in shining armor. The sight stung, like a knife in my chest.

Nolan's eyes went wild. "Lily, it's not what you think," he said quickly, his voice desperate. "That wedding with Wendy was fake, just a little game. I was just fulfilling her last wish."

A tear slid down my cheek.

Lucas, always gentle with me, wiped it away before I could even blink. I turned to face Nolan, my voice steady.

"So, the wedding was fake, but what about everything else? All the favoritism you showed her? Was that fake too?"

Nolan closed his eyes, his shoulders sagging as though the weight of it all had finally hit him. "Wendy's your friend too. I thought you wouldn't mind, that it wouldn't bother you."

I couldn't believe my ears.

"Nolan, do you really believe what you're saying?" I stepped closer, staring him down. "That day, when you rushed out without a second thought, did you ever stop to think I might have a heart attack and die all alone?"

Nolan's body went rigid. He froze, his eyes wide in horror. "Lily... what did you say?"

I was too exhausted to keep going. "Nolan, we're done."

His face darkened, his gaze flickering between guilt and raw frustration in a split second. Then, his lips curled into a cold laugh.

"It doesn't matter," he sneered. "Even if you're married, it doesn't matter. I'll take you back, even if I have to kidnap you and drag you to the divorce office myself."

With that, he pulled a blank check from his pocket and tossed it at Lucas. "You heard of the Wilson family in Harbor City, pretty boy?"

"Fill in whatever amount you want, and divorce my wife. Otherwise, you'll regret messing with me."

I felt my blood boil at his arrogance. I wanted to step forward, to tear him apart with words, but Lucas's hand on my arm stopped me.

Lucas didn't flinch. Instead, he smiled softly, the kind of smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Nolan," he said with a quiet calm, "is this really how you think you'll win her back?"

The words hit Nolan like a punch to the gut. He snarled, his face red with fury and embarrassment. "None of your business!"

"You think you can just swoop in and take her from me? You think after everything we've been through, I'll just let you have her? I've known Lily for ten years, ten years! As long as I'm with her every day, she'll come back to me, I know it!"

Without warning, Nolan lunged at Lucas, throwing a punch.

I gasped, horrified. "Nolan, are you insane?"

But before his fist could land, Lucas moved with the precision of a predator, catching Nolan's punch with one hand and pinning him effortlessly.

"Kidnap Lily?" Lucas's voice was ice. "What do you think she is, some object you can just command and dismiss at will?"

Nolan, despite his muscle and strength, was completely overpowered. It was almost laughable how quickly Lucas subdued him, his arms and legs rendered useless like a child's.

A cold laugh escaped Lucas's lips, and in response, a group of bodyguards stepped forward, tying Nolan up with expert precision.

Nolan's veins bulged as he raged. "Bastard, do you know who I am? How dare you treat me like this?!"

Lucas adjusted his cuffs, his expression unreadable. "You're from the Wilson family, huh?"

"Why don't you go back and ask old Mr. Wilson if he's heard of the Lu family in New York?"

With a single wave of his hand, the bodyguards hauled Nolan out, completely ignoring his increasingly panicked, shocked expressions.

As the door slammed shut, Lucas turned to me, his voice soft as he asked, "Are you okay?"

I nodded, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was finally free.