Chapter 457: Chapter 457: Photos

The moment her eyes landed on the screen, her breath hitched.

There, staring back at her, was a photo.

Lucian… standing close to a woman. Not just close…intimate.

Even though the woman’s face wasn’t visible, obscured by the angle and shadows, Lana felt a chill crawl down her spine.

’I know her…’

Her fingers tightened slightly around the phone. ’I would never forget…’

That woman…

In her previous life, she had been the one Lucian favored the most. The one he stayed closest to.

“Thessy…”

The name slipped out of her lips in a barely audible whisper.

Taking a slow, shaky breath, she scrolled further, her heart pounding louder with each passing second.

’Maybe… it’s just the angle… maybe it looks worse than it is…’

She clung desperately to that hope.

But the next image shattered it completely.

Lucian’s hand was tangled in that woman’s hair, his grip firm, almost possessive, as he leaned in close.

The intimacy in that moment was undeniable.

A sharp pain pierced through Lana’s chest.

Her jaw tightened, her teeth grinding against each other as her fingers clenched into a fist.

’Why…?’

For a moment, she wanted to confront him immediately, to throw the phone at him and demand an explanation.

But hesitation crept in. ’What if… I’m wrong…?’

Her eyes dimmed slightly.

Slowly, she lowered her hand and put the phone away, her expression turning unreadable.

Mr. Crow, who had been observing her quietly, noticed the subtle shift in her emotions.

“What happened?” he asked, his voice calm but attentive.

Lana paused, her lips parting slightly as if she wanted to say something.

But in the end, she shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

Her voice was quiet, almost empty.

The rest of the day passed in a blur.

Her thoughts drifted constantly, unable to settle.

Betty, Layla, Quinn, Richard, and Fay felt sympathy for her. They thought she was crushed by Wade’s betrayal.

’If things had been different… if they had trusted her earlier… maybe everything would have changed…’

Especially Fay.

Back then, when Lana had told her the truth, she acted cold and didn’t help.

Now, watching Lana from a distance, seeing how she seemed to have lost everything, Fay felt a deep sense of guilt.

’This… is partly my fault…’

After Lana left, they gathered together quietly.

“We should do something for her,” Fay said, her voice firm. “At least… help her feel a little better.”

The others exchanged glances before nodding in agreement.

Meanwhile, Lana returned to the mansion.

She tried to focus on her work, spreading out her materials, attempting to prepare, but no matter how hard she tried, her mind refused to cooperate.

The images kept replaying.

Luciam’s hand. That woman’s hair. The closeness between them.

Her chest tightened again. ’I can’t focus…’

Finally, she gave up. With a quiet sigh, she lay down on the bed and closed her eyes.

Sleep came quickly.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in that familiar dream-like space.

Her room… yet not quite her room.

Lucian was there, sitting on the bed, a book resting in his hands.

Lana stood still, watching him for a long moment.

This time, she didn’t move closer immediately.

She didn’t hug, kiss, or even reach out to him.

Instead, she walked over calmly and sat beside him, leaving a small distance between them.

“How are you?”

Her voice was gentle but distant.

Lucian paused, slightly startled by the difference. He looked up at her, then smiled softly.

“Good.”

Lana nodded faintly.

Without another word, she leaned back and lay down on the bed, closing her eyes as if she intended to sleep.

Lucian remained sitting there, completely taken aback. ’What… is this…?’

He tried to maintain his composure, forcing himself to continue acting naturally.

Minutes passed. Then an hour. Then two.

But Lana didn’t move. She didn’t speak. She didn’t even look at him again.

A strange unease settled in his chest. ’Why isn’t she doing anything…?’

Just as he was about to check on her, her presence faded.

Her consciousness vanished from the dream.

Lucian’s eyes narrowed slightly. ’This isn’t normal…’

Unless Lana truly didn’t want to see him anymore, her consciousness would never disappear like that.

Something was wrong. The next day, as usual, he tried to contact her.

He often sent her a message in the morning, a simple “Good morning.”

But today, he decided to call her instead. The call wasn’t connected.

On the other end, Lana was getting ready for university, her movements mechanical, her expression cold and indifferent.

Lucian frowned slightly before calling again.

This time, she picked up.

“Are you ready for university?” he asked, his tone gentle.

“Yes,” she replied shortly.

Her voice was flat. Lucian immediately sensed it.

’Something is wrong… she’s angry…’

He hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

“Is it because of what you heard the other day?”

There was a brief pause.

He continued, his voice steady,

“That girl… she’s my therapist. I just started seeing her. There’s nothing going on between us.”

He took a small breath before adding, “You’re the only one.”

Lana’s grip on her phone tightened slightly.

For a brief moment, a memory from her past life surfaced… Lucian introduced that same woman as his therapist back then as well.

Her expression didn’t change.

“I see,” she replied indifferently.

“I’ll call you later. I’m getting late.”

Before he could say anything else, she hung up.

Lucian stared at his phone, his brows slowly knitting together.

There was still more than an hour before her classes would begin. ’She’s lying…’

Taking a deep breath, he decided not to push further for now.

But a week passed. And nothing changed. Lana remained distant.

Cold. She didn’t call. She didn’t message. She didn’t reach out at all.

Lucian’s patience began to wear thin, frustration mixing with a growing sense of unease.

Finally, one evening, he called her again. She picked up, her tone casual but distant.

“I’m a bit busy right now. I’ll call you later.”

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