“Darling, are you there? Hello? Hello?”
The soft, teasing voice of a woman echoed from the phone speakers, clear as day. The room fell into a tense silence, the words lingering like an unwanted guest.
Lucian’s heart dropped. Shit.
Without thinking, he lunged forward, his hand moving faster than he thought possible. He swiped the call off the screen, cutting the voice off abruptly. The phone’s vibrations stopped, leaving only a deep, heavy silence in its place.
“Wait!” Rose tried to grab the phone, her movements sharp and determined, but Lucian was faster. He snatched the device off the table and stuffed it deep into his pocket, as though burying it would somehow erase what just happened.
He sat back against the couch, running a hand through his hair with a heavy sigh. His mind was racing. That damn Celestia again. What the hell does she want? He gritted his teeth silently, a pang of irritation in his chest. Why did she force me to save her number as “my wifey”?
“Lucy.”
Rose’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. Her tone was cold, her eyes narrowed into dark, piercing slits as she stared him down like prey. “That was a woman’s voice. A woman who definitely isn’t Avey.”
Lucian flinched slightly, his lips parting as if to respond, but no words came.
“You’ve made a new girlfriend?” Rose continued, her voice low and accusing. “You even saved her number as ‘My Wifey’ on your phone, and you didn’t even think to tell me and…mom?”
Lucian blinked at her, his mouth opening slightly in disbelief. What? Before he could react, Olivia joined in, her voice soft but brimming with curiosity.
“Tell us, Lucy,” Olivia said, leaning forward with a smile that was both encouraging and teasing. “Who is she? You don’t need to hide anything from us.”
Lucian looked at her, stunned. Her tone was calm, supportive even, but it didn’t help.
“I’ll support you, no matter what,” Olivia added, giving him a confident smile that reached her teary eyes.
But behind her calm exterior, Olivia’s thoughts swirled chaotically. Who could it be? she wondered. Lucian never had a girlfriend before. Not that I knew of… and all he ever cared about was Avey.
She frowned inwardly, guilt bubbling up. How could I not know something this important about my son? Did my ignorance cause this too? Has the timeline changed after my regression, or was this always a part of his life that I never noticed?
Her heart clenched painfully at the thought, but she swallowed it down, determined to use this chance to be closer to him. If Lucian had truly moved on from Avey if there was someone else she would support him with everything she had.
Lucian rubbed the back of his neck, his shoulders stiffening under the weight of their stares. “No, Mother. It’s not like that,” he mumbled, his voice low.
“It’s not?” Rose asked sharply, cutting him off before he could explain further. “Then who is she?”
“Rose, it’s”
“Are you telling me,” Rose interrupted again, her tone sharper, “that you accidentally saved a woman’s number as ‘My Wifey’? That it just… appeared there?” Her eyes narrowed further, cold and accusing. “And that voice we just heard are you saying that was a coincidence too?”
Lucian’s throat went dry. Rose’s stare bore into him like she was trying to peel back his lies one layer at a time. He could feel the pressure mounting, and his words came out as little more than a whisper.
“It’s… it’s not like that,” he said, his voice faltering.
“You cut off the call so fast,” Olivia chimed in, her voice teasing but curious. “Why, Lucian? What are you hiding?” Her gaze softened again, her smile gentle. “It’s alright. You can tell us.”
No, it’s not alright! Lucian screamed in his head, his pulse pounding in his ears. He could feel the walls closing in around him as both Rose and Olivia stared at him, waiting for answers.
“Or…” Rose’s voice broke through again, this time lower, more dangerous. “Are you telling me that some girl out there forced you to save her number as ‘My Wifey’?”
Her words hung in the air like a loaded gun.
Lucian’s head shot up, his eyes wide. “Yes! Yes, that’s it!” he said suddenly, his voice breaking with a mix of desperation and excitement. “That’s exactly what happened.”
For a second, he almost didn’t believed himself.
But as Rose’s expression darkened further and Olivia’s brows lifted in disbelief, Lucian’s confidence crumbled like sand. Even to him, the words felt like complete bullshit. He trailed off awkwardly at the end of the sentence, his voice turning into a mumble. “…forced me to… you know…”
Silence.
Rose stared at him, unblinking, her cold gaze slicing through him like a knife. She crossed her arms, her voice flat and unimpressed. “You expect me to believe that?”
Olivia tilted her head, studying him carefully, though the teasing smile still lingered on her lips. “Lucian,” she said softly, “that doesn’t sound very convincing.”
Lucian let out a long, tortured sigh, his shoulders slumping as he put a hand over his face. This is ridiculous. He could practically hear Celestia laughing somewhere, having successfully put him in yet another impossible situation.
“Max!” he screamed internally, his frustration boiling over. “Fix this, you useless system!”
“Calm down, Host,” Max replied, utterly nonchalant. “its so exciting .”
“Fine?!” Lucian shot back in his mind. I’m drowning here!
Rose’s voice pulled him back to reality, sharp and accusing. “You’re lying.”
Lucian peeked through his fingers at her, his heart sinking.
“I’m not”
“Then let’s call her back,” Rose said suddenly, her eyes gleaming with a dangerous light.
Lucian’s blood ran cold. “Wait, no!” he said, holding out his hand as Rose reached for the phone in his pocket.
Before he could stop her, Rose had already slid her hand toward the table. Lucian barely had time to react before her fingers reached out, swiping the phone.
The screen flashed.
“Darrrrling~!”
The voice rang out again from the speakers, sweet and affectionate.
Lucian groaned loudly, burying his face in his hands. “Not again…”
“I heard you fought with that Victor…ugh,
—-