The air was thick with silence for a few seconds. Vincent finally spoke, his voice stiff. "Oh, yeah. California has a lot of bugs. I must have gotten bitten without realizing."

Lucia didn't expose his pathetic lie. She simply replaced his cutlery with a clean set. "Let's eat."

Vincent was clearly distracted throughout the meal.

The lively atmosphere they once shared at the dinner table was gone. They ate in silence.

When they got home, Vincent went to shower first and then lay in bed, waiting for Lucia.

When she emerged from the bathroom, still steamy from her shower, he reached out and untied the sash of her silk robe, leaning in for a kiss.

The room began to heat up. But a second later, the mood was shattered by the shrill ring of a phone.

Lucia glanced at the phone on the nightstand. The name "Scarlett" was flashing on the screen.

She pulled back, avoiding Vincent's kiss, her expression cold. "Your phone is ringing. Aren't you going to answer it?"

Before Vincent could grab it, the ringing stopped.

He let out a breath of relief. Just as he was about to say something, it started ringing again.

This time, it was the special ringtone Vincent had set just for Scarlett.

Now, Vincent could no longer keep his composure. He fumbled for the phone and hurried out of the room, calling back over his shoulder, "Lucia, it might be an emergency from the family. I'll take this outside. I'll be right back."

He deliberately spoke into the phone with a tone of annoyance. "I know, can't this wait until tomorrow?... Fine, I'll be there as soon as I can."

Vincent ran back in, barefoot, and started throwing on his clothes.

"Lucia, there's an emergency meeting I have to be at. I'll probably stay at the city apartment tonight if it gets too late."

"Tomorrow. I promise I'll make it up to you tomorrow."

As he was about to leave, he noticed that Lucia hadn't said a word. She was just watching him quietly.

His gaze met her deep eyes, and his heart skipped a beat.

Something felt wrong. The way she was looking at him made him incredibly nervous.

But then, Lucia broke into a natural smile and waved him off, telling him to go and not be late.

Vincent hesitated for a moment, double-checking that she seemed fine, before rushing out the door.

Lucia watched him go, not missing the flicker of relief that crossed his eyes as he turned away.

She smirked, reached up, and took off the necklace he had given her—the one she had worn for seven years. She placed it on the table.

If she was going to leave, she would leave everything behind and give it all back to him.