Vengeful Billionaire and His Lovers (Jerome Howard) novel Chapter 3

Luciana sat in the passenger seat, glancing at Henry.

From that angle, she could see his sharp jawline and the anger simmering under his calm face.

She frowned, irritated. She figured there was no need to make a big deal out of something so minor.

Henry, I never imagined you could be so petty. Guess I misjudged you.

Along the way, neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere in the car was depressing. Ten minutes later, they pulled into the underground parking of Imperial Residences.

"Let's go."

Henry's voice was cold as he strode toward the elevator.

Their apartment was on the tenth floor—two units per elevator, almost 4,000 square feet.

He scanned his fingerprint, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. Luciana was fuming by now.

She felt she had already given him enough respect. All she did was have dinner with someone. Yet her husband had barged in, made a scene, and even hit her friend. In the end, she'd left her injured friend behind just to go home with him.

Thinking about it, she got even angrier. She marched in, ready to speak her mind. But as Henry turned on the lights, her eyes fell on the dining table.

She froze.

Roses, red wine, candles? Is this a candlelit dinner? What day is it?

Then it hit her—today was their wedding anniversary!

Guilt rushed over her. She inhaled deeply and forced a sweet smile. "Honey! I'm so sorry. I didn't realize—"

She was about to apologize.

After all, she had dinner with another man on their anniversary. That was definitely wrong.

But Henry cut her off. "Don't. None of that matters now."

Looking at his gorgeous wife, he couldn't forget what he'd seen at the hotel entrance. Anger bubbled up inside him.

He collapsed onto the couch and stared at her. "Tell me—when did it start? How far did it go?"

Luciana frowned. "What are you talking about? Be specific."

Henry sneered, lit a cigarette, and spat out, "Cheating."

Her eyes went wide as she snapped, "What?! What do you take me for? I only had dinner with him! How can you accuse me like that? You owe me an apology—or we're done!"

"Just dinner?"

"Yes! You went way too far! You owe me—and him—an apology. You hit him. That's not something you can just sweep under the rug."

"You want me to apologize to your lover?"

Henry let out a sharp, furious laugh, pointing at her. "No way. I'm not as shameless as you!"

"Ugh!"

Luciana felt like she was losing it. Her husband seemed like a stranger. His usual gentleness and calmness were completely gone. Now he was cold and harsh.

Without thinking, she snapped, "He's just a business partner—or at most, a regular friend! We're not as disgusting as you think! Henry, you're being unreasonable! We're done. You ... you're too much!"

"Really?"

She seethed, but Henry didn't care. He didn't even try to soothe her. Instead, he gave her a cold look, pulled out his phone, and sent her a photo.

Luciana clenched her teeth and snatched up her phone. When she saw the photo, her face went pale. Her hands trembled so violently that the phone slipped from her grasp.

"This is your so-called business partner? Just a friend?" Henry mocked.

Her lips trembled. "It's not ... it's not what you think ... "

From now on, she'd be alone. No one cared for her—just a cold, empty house waiting for her.

Her chest tightened, and a shiver ran through her. Without thinking, she grabbed Henry's arm. "Don't leave!"

Henry glanced down, frowned, and snapped, "Let go of me!"

Luciana held her ground. "No. This is your home. You're not going anywhere."

"You can't stop me."

Henry was determined to leave. He tugged his arm, trying to break free.

He was strong, but Luciana held on with both hands. She held him so tightly that her knuckles turned white. For a moment, he couldn't shake her off.

Frustration hit him. He spun, swinging his other hand without thinking.

Smack!

Both of them froze.

They both froze. A red mark bloomed across Luciana's pale cheek.

After a moment, Henry took a deep breath and said firmly, "Don't block me."

Then, he turned and opened the door.

"Henry! Don't you dare leave! If you go tonight, you'll regret it!

"Didn't you want an explanation? I'll give it to you right now!"

Henry glanced back at her.

That slap had jolted her awake. She knew she had to come clean now.