"You've been driving me home? I thought—" Illana was confused when she got out of the car and found Lucas next to her, not the man named Scoth, the whole way she didn't notice anything because they were silent together and Illana's eyelids were closed.
"Yes, Illana. That man has run away, please don't come into contact with strangers. I'm afraid he's using you." He helped Illana walk to the lobby of the apartment.
"Eum, thank you. Sorry to trouble you, Uncle Lucas."
They entered the elevator, Lucas didn't need to ask Illana for the floor and unit number of the apartment since he had been here before. He was saddened to see the woman's condition.
"I don't know what shook you up to come to a nightclub, such a place is not friendly to you, Illana."
"Sorry. I just wanted to immerse myself a little. I wanted to forget."
Lucas was silent, they exited the elevator to Illana's apartment unit.
"How much is the pin?" Lucas asked. "Can you press it yourself?"
Illana shook her head, her eyes red and wide. "My head hurts so much." She rattled off a series of pin numbers for the entrance to her unit.
"I see." After pressing the pin, they entered. "Where would you like to rest?"
"My room."
Lucas helped her lie down on the bed, took off her heels, and pulled the blanket over her.
"Rest well, Illana. I need to get back to the club to get my car." He walked to the door after making sure Illana was safe.
"Uncle."
Lucas' steps halted, he turned his head. "Yes, Illana. Do you need anything?"
The woman paused, leaving them staring in silence. Lucas wondered, while Illana was still considering—should he really ask about the curiosity in her head?
"Yes, Illana. Do you need anything?" Lucas repeated the question.
"I want to know." She took a deep breath. "Are they getting married?"
The man blinked, trying to deduce if Illana was referring to his nephew.
"Why the silence, Uncle? I'm sure you know since you are Mark's family."
"Mark is my nephew, but I really don't know anything about his relationship with Deborah. I haven't set foot in that house since the last time I came and cursed at Steve, we also met that day."
This means that the last time Lucas saw Steve or Mark was a month ago.
"Are you deliberately hiding something from me? You must know that their relationship is getting closer, and they might get engaged soon. Don't try to comfort me, Uncle! My world has collapsed despite trying to fix it. I can't hold on any longer." Covering her face with both palms, Illana sobbed as she sat on the bed.
Lucas was silent, the effect of Illana's heartache was effective enough to stimulate compassion in the man; his gaze became sad.
Not only had he not seen Steve and Mark, but Lucas hadn't seen Illana since that day, and now they had accidentally done so.
"Illana."
She lowered her hands, looking down at Lucas, who was still standing at the door.
"Go home, Uncle. Tell Mark that he's beaten me, tell him he's won. He managed to hurt me." She couldn't stop crying, even though she had tried to ignore her broken heart for the past month. The wall she had built up had to crumble as Illana was again disturbed by her ex-husband's betrayal. "How do I stop this, huh?"
"Illana." Lucas approached, then sat down in front of the woman. "I don't even know how to comfort you; I don't have any defense for my family. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Illana."
"I always have trouble swallowing my food, even my body trembles when I have to stand up, then swallow sleeping pills every night so I can rest, but those who hurt me seem to be busy cheering. Why are these people so heartless, Uncle? What did I do wrong?"
Illana had no reason to complain to her parents, they assumed she was feeling better and had accepted her divorce after getting back to work. Illana didn't want to make them sad because she was so fragile, she didn't want to lie to anyone anymore, her heart was broken from the divorce.
"I went to the nightclub because my frustration had returned, now everyone at Cinnamon must be discussing this divorce. Can I just burn the building down?" Besides frustration, she was also affected by the effects of alcohol, making her lips very prone to slurring their words. "I want to bury those people so they'll stop harping on my problems."
"Illana, you should rest." Although he hesitated when his hand floated in front of Illana's face, he managed to find the courage to wipe away the woman's tears. "You must be quite busy and tired from the day. You can sleep while I wait in the living room if you need anything. Okay?"
Illana laughed bitterly. "You just can't comfort me, damn it! Have you never faced a woman, Lucas Griggori? Are you just like that evil Mark, huh?"
Lucas blinked in surprise at the outburst. He rarely came into contact with women, especially if they would only interfere with his work, so it was difficult to be gentle like the caring men that many people liked. When Lucas tried to pull off this anomaly in front of Illana, he was rebuffed.
Lucas tried to hold his temper, catching his breath so that he could better deal with Illana, the woman affected by reasonable frustration, perfectly entitled to let her emotions out.
"Illana."
"Uncle. Am I not enough for Mark? Does that mean I lack so much?" Illana's voice became soft; she looked down as she touched her neck because it hurt. "Is Deborah more everything than me?"
It's natural for anyone to need validation after being betrayed by their partner, and Illana often thought about what went wrong for Mark to treat her this badly.
The woman looked back at Lucas, her face still wet. "Am I ugly and unworthy of standing next to him, Uncle? What does he want from me? Why not be honest so I can clean up?"
"No, Illana. No, no, no. Don't feel like you're so guilty or have so many flaws. I'm not going to defend my nephew, he's the one most at fault for this. You're perfect. I'm sure many men want you."
"Really? So, why did Mark Griggori ditch me in favor of his ex-girlfriend?"
Lucas couldn't answer, but imagined that if Scoth had managed to take Illana with him, there must be a lot of things that could be used—while Illana's psyche was shaken.
"Why am I not better than Deborah? Didn't she leave Mark and bring him down? While I came to rescue and heal her every broken heart? Why does she treat me so unfairly, Uncle?"
"Illana, listen to me." Unable to listen to her moans any longer, he dared to pull Illana into his arms, rubbing her back as he spoke in a voice full of calm and support. "Mark is a fool; he is the most naive man and the biggest loser for leaving you. He hasn't understood the law of karma, he's been mean to you, so forget him, Illana. Let's rebuild your life with a lot of joy. I will support whatever decision you make, even though I am part of the Griggori family. Relax, I'm with you."
***