From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 149: Anything Other Than Comfort

But when he rushed into the living room on the first floor, Anthea grabbed his arm.

"Lucas! Are you out of your mind?" Anthea's brows were furrowed as she took in his lost, desperate look. Her voice cracked with frustration. "You're really going after her? Let her go! Let's see where she can even run. She's got no parents, no family—where else is she supposed to go except the Ashford Manor?

"If you chase after her now, you're just telling her how important she is. She'll only use this against you even more."

Right then, Sophia walked out holding Jeremy. She stepped right in his way—perfect timing.

Her eyes were red, her face full of worry. Softly, she said, "Lucas, don't go. It's windy out there. Riley... Maybe she just needs some time to cool off."

Jeremy rubbed his eyes. Seeing Lucas about to leave, he pouted. Tears glistened on his little face. With those eyes—so much like Lucas'—he looked up at him pitifully. "Daddy, where are you going? Are you leaving Jeremy and Mommy?"

But Lucas didn't care about any of that anymore.

"Everyone—move!" he growled, pushed past them, and ran straight for the door.

In that moment, he'd already made up his mind about everything.

He was going to tell Riley the truth.

And then—even if it took him a lifetime to make things right—he would beg for her forgiveness.

With that do-or-die determination, Lucas burst outside. His eyes searched the road desperately.

Then he saw it.

At the side of the road, the headlights of a black luxury car cut through the night—two blinding beams stabbing into the dark.

Riley was hugging a tall man, tight.

The sight hit him like a spike through the chest.

Lucas' eyes went wide in disbelief.

But how?

She hasn't even been gone ten minutes.

"Riley!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

But the wind ripped his voice apart the second it left his throat—swallowed it whole.

All he could do was stand there and watch as the man let go of her, then still had the decency to open the car door for her—hand on the roof—and help her inside.

The heavy door clicked shut.

Riley got into Sebastian's car.

The heat inside was just right, gently pushing the cold out of her bones.

She could still feel the warmth and strength of that hug—it came out of nowhere, but she couldn't mistake it for anything other than comfort.

Sebastian didn't say a word about the hug. He just started the car in silence.

For a moment, neither spoke. The air between them felt strange.

Then Sebastian's fingers twitched on the wheel. His eyes flicked to the rearview mirror—and caught a figure stumbling after them.

It was Lucas.

Sebastian's gaze cooled. His face stayed calm, but a flicker of coldness crossed it.

Without hesitation, he stepped on the gas and drove off.

The car pulled smoothly away from Ashford Manor.

Riley's phone wouldn't stop buzzing.

Annoyed, she hit decline.

But Lucas kept calling, one after another.

So she blocked him.

She put the phone down and broke the silence, looking at Sebastian, focused on the road. "Mr. Torres, it's so late. Why are you still here?"

Sebastian kept his eyes forward, voice steady. "I walked you to the door and was about to leave. Then I got a work call, so I stayed a bit longer.

"After I hung up, I thought I heard arguing inside. I called you. Texted you. You didn't answer."

Riley blinked. She pulled out her phone and checked.

Sure enough—right below Lucas' long list of missed calls were a few missed calls and texts from Sebastian.

"Sorry, I didn't see them." She gave a quick explanation. "Going back in... things got messy. So I just left."

She tried to say it like it was no big deal.

Sebastian's eyes glanced at the lonely suitcase in the back seat. He asked, "That's all you have?"

Riley gave a bitter smile but kept her voice light. "Yeah, not much. But hey, I didn't leave your necklace behind, Mr. Torres. Took it with me. Safe and sound."

Sebastian let out a low laugh.