Revenge amnesia upgraded to his brother novel Chapter 122

**The Goodbye That Never Reached You and My Life Chasing 122**

**Chapter 122**

Irina snatched my phone from my hand and hurled it onto the couch with a force that echoed in the silence of the room. “That bastard!” she exclaimed, her frustration palpable.

Her fingers gripped my shoulders tightly, grounding me. “Norah, you have to listen to me. The media loves to blow things out of proportion. Lucien probably just signed some papers. Engaged? The Constantine family is drowning in chaos right now. This reeks of Amélie’s scheming. Don’t jump to conclusions just yet.”

My mind was a whirlwind, unable to grasp the weight of her words.

My heart raced, pounding wildly against my ribs, each beat a reminder of the turmoil inside me. A cold knot twisted in my stomach, tightening with each passing second.

I squeezed my eyes shut and inhaled sharply, trying to calm the storm within. But my chest remained constricted, heavy with dread.

Another wave of nausea crashed over me, bitter and sudden. I stumbled toward the bathroom, the world around me tilting as I heaved until my stomach was empty, leaving me gasping for breath.

Irina followed closely behind, her hand gently rubbing my back in a comforting gesture. She offered me a glass of water, her voice soft yet firm. “Crying might help, you know.”

I shook my head, my throat too constricted to allow any words to escape.

“I have to ask him,” I finally managed to choke out, my voice rough and trembling. “I need to hear it from him directly.”

“That’s my girl!” Irina breathed a sigh of relief, her expression softening. She patted my shoulder, her encouragement a lifeline in my storm. “Get the truth straight from the source. Whether it’s a lie or the truth, whether it’s a setup or something forced—make him say it to your face! Hiding here and guessing isn’t who you are. You’re a queen. Since when did you become so scared?”

She pulled me in front of the mirror, forcing me to confront my reflection. “Look at yourself, Norah. You’re pale, washed out, a heartbroken mess. This isn’t who you are.”

“Wash your face. Put on your armor. Even if the worst is true, you need to face it looking stunning. Hold your head high. Remember, you’re not alone anymore. There’s a little one inside you. Set an example. Show them their mother is a fighter—a woman who keeps moving forward, even with a shattered heart.”

Her words struck me like a jolt of adrenaline, igniting a fire within.

I stared at my reflection—the hollow eyes, the defeated slump of my shoulders. Slowly, I forced myself to straighten my spine.

No, I can’t fall apart like this.

Whatever the answer is, I need to know.

Sneaking away like a coward? That’s not my style.

Better to have a clean, brutal break than to endure this slow torture of false hope.

I picked up my phone, my fingers shaking as they hovered over the screen.

Taking a few deep breaths, I pressed call.

The line rang once. Twice. Then he answered.

A background noise buzzed, fading quickly as he must have moved to a more private space.

“Norah?” His voice came through, strained and weary.

All my rehearsed accusations crumbled to dust the moment I heard him speak.

I tightened my grip on the phone, forcing steel into my tone. “I saw the news.”

Silence enveloped the line, only his heavy breathing breaking through.

“I need to see you. Now,” I insisted, urgency lacing my words.

“Now?” He hesitated, uncertainty creeping into his voice. “Norah, the group’s transition just finished, and there’s a mountain of—”

“Lucien Constantine,” I interrupted, my voice dropping to a chilling tone. “If we don’t meet today, we never meet again.”

The weight of my words hung in the air, final and sharp. It was a test I was terrified to utter.

His breathing grew heavier, a few agonizing seconds of suffocating silence passing between us.

“I’ll come to you,” he finally replied.

“Good. The hotel suite.”

“I’ll be there as fast as I can.” There was a pause, then he added, “Don’t… overthink it.”

Don’t overthink it?

My lip curled in disdain as I ended the call.

Easy for him to say.

“What I think?” I stepped back, avoiding his hand. “What I think is that my man, while I’m carrying his—”

The words nearly spilled out, but I choked them back, my fists clenching until my nails dug into my palms. The pain kept me focused. “While I’m still fighting for us, you turn around and get engaged to another woman! And you let the whole world see it!”

“Lucien, what am I to you? A pawn in your revenge? Now that you’ve won, you don’t need me? Just a distraction? A mistress you can toss aside?”

“Never!” he growled, closing the distance between us and grabbing my wrist with a grip that felt like iron. “I never treated you as a mistress! I’d never discard you!”

“Then tell me what this is!” I struggled to pull free, but his hold was unyielding. I glared up at him, my eyes blazing. “Why not a single word last time? Were you worried I’d be mad? Did you think if you hid it, if I didn’t see it, I’d wait like a fool? Wait until you fixed everything and pretended none of this happened?”

His hand on mine trembled, his voice thickening with pain. “I wanted to tell you after things settled. The Veyrons control a key arms channel—vital for cleaning up Eleanor’s mess and stabilizing the group. Robert Veyron, that fox, is using it to force me to marry his daughter. It’s an act. Just an act.”

“An act?” A bitter laugh escaped me, and tears finally broke free, spilling down my cheeks. “Lucien, what made you think I’d accept sharing my man? What made you think I’d wait patiently for you to finish this performance?”

Seeing my tears, he panicked, his hands fumbling to wipe them away. I turned my face away, unwilling to let him see my vulnerability.

“It’s not sharing! Norah, it’s not!” he pleaded, desperation in his eyes. “It’s all fake! A public, temporary engagement! The goal is to secure the channel and handle pressure from my mother. She thinks Amélie’s the best choice right now. But I swear, there’s nothing between me and Amélie! There never will be! Once it’s done, the agreement is void! I never meant to marry her!”

“Temporary?” I repeated, the fire in my chest extinguished by a cold, vast sorrow. “Lucien, you’re always like this. Always with your plans, your calculations, your necessary evils. You always shut me out, leaving me to find out your life-changing moves from others, from the news, like an idiot!”

“Lucien, when did you become this? Or were you always this man?”

I yanked my wrist free and retreated to the sofa, a crushing weariness enveloping me like a heavy cloak.

“Whatever is between us… maybe it was wrong from the start. Too many secrets. Too many calculations. Too much arrogance. Maybe ending it is best for both of us.”

“No!” He surged forward, pulling me tightly into his arms. His entire body shook with emotion. “Don’t say that! Norah, I forbid it!”

His kisses landed desperately on my hair, my forehead, his voice raw with pain. “It’s all my fault! I shouldn’t have hidden it! I was just… afraid you’d worry, afraid you’d do something rash, afraid you’d leave me if you knew! And I was more afraid that if I refused, the Veyrons would target you! Norah, I can’t lose this. I can’t lose you!”

His scalding tears fell on my neck, causing me to shudder in response.

This man, whose pride was etched into his very bones, was actually crying.

“Then what’s your plan now?” I asked, my voice hoarse, barely above a whisper.

I didn’t push him away, but my body remained rigid against his, the walls I had built around my heart still firmly in place.