I Dominated After Prison

CHAPTER 7

Lucas swallowed hard, his throat tightening as he struggled to steady himself. 

Before he could find the words to respond, Victoria suddenly burst into laughter. 

Her laughter was loud and unrestrained, filled with mockery that immediately drew attention to them.

As Lucas stood there, trying to process the situation, something else caught his attention. 

He realized that Victoria had not arrived alone. 

The passenger door of the car opened, and another person stepped out.

Lucas turned instinctively toward the movement, but the moment he saw the man clearly, his entire body froze.

It was Henry Stones, his best friend from college.

For a brief second, Lucas could not believe what he was seeing. 

His heart lifted unexpectedly, and a sense of familiarity and relief washed over him. 

Out of everyone in the world, Henry was the last person he had expected to meet like this.

“Henry…” Lucas called out, his voice filled with surprise and excitement.

Without thinking, he hurried forward, a genuine smile forming on his face as he spread his arms, intending to embrace him.

“Henry, it’s really you! It’s been so long—”

However, before Lucas could reach him, Henry pushed him away roughly, as though he had just touched something filthy.

Lucas staggered back, stunned.

Henry looked at him with a cold expression, his brows slightly furrowed in irritation.

“What exactly do you think you’re doing?” Henry asked bluntly.

Lucas stood there, completely taken aback. His lips trembled slightly as he tried to respond.

“I… I wanted to hug you,” he said, his voice unsteady. 

“We haven’t seen each other in five years, Henry. Not since we graduated. Seeing you now… I was just happy. I thought…”

He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

Before Henry could respond, Victoria let out another laugh, and this time, Henry joined her. 

Their laughter echoed around them, drawing even more attention.

Lucas became aware that people had started gathering. 

Passersby slowed down, and within moments, a small crowd formed around them, watching the scene unfold with curiosity.

Lucas looked around briefly, then back at them.

“…Are you laughing at me?” he asked quietly.

Victoria stepped forward before Henry could answer. 

She tilted her head slightly, her lips curling into a mocking smile.

“Are you really that dumb, Lucas?” she asked. “Or has poverty already started eating into your brain?”

A few people in the crowd chuckled softly.

Henry then spoke, his tone filled with disdain.

“Tell me something,” he said, looking Lucas up and down. 

“How can someone dressed like this, in prison stinking clothes and who is also standing here picking through second-hand clothes, think he can just walk up to me and hug me as if we are equals?”

Lucas’s brows drew together tightly as he stared at him, struggling to recognize the person speaking.

“Henry… is that really you saying this to me?” he asked slowly, his voice filled with disbelief.

Instead of answering, Henry leaned slightly forward and spat on the ground right in front of Lucas’s feet.

“I want nothing to do with a failure like you,” Henry said coldly.

The crowd reacted with murmurs.

Lucas felt a sharp pain in his chest, but before he could say anything, Victoria stepped forward again, clearly enjoying the moment.

“Do you know something interesting, Lucas?” she said casually.

Lucas looked at her, his expression tense.

“This,” she continued, gesturing toward him and the thrift clothes, “this is exactly the kind of life I would have been living if I had stayed with you.”

Lucas frowned slightly, confusion clearly written across his face as he struggled to understand what Victoria meant.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, his voice steady but uncertain.

Victoria responded with a small smile, one that carried a hint of amusement, as she found the entire situation obvious.

“I’m saying,” she replied calmly, “that I am lucky I left you when I did.”

Lucas did not respond immediately. He simply stared at her, trying to process her words.

“I didn’t leave you for no reason,” she continued, her tone casual and  dismissive. “I left because I had a better option.”

As she spoke, she turned her gaze toward Henry, making her meaning unmistakably clear.

“Him.”

Lucas felt his heart skip a beat, the single word landing heavily in his chest.

“…What?” he asked quietly, almost as if he had not heard her correctly.

Victoria nodded, as she was confirming something that should have been obvious all along.

“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “I left you for your best friend.”

Lucas slowly turned his head to look at Henry, then back at her again, his mind struggling to keep up with the revelation.

“You mean… all this time…” he began, but the words failed him before he could complete the sentence.

Henry, however, showed no hesitation. He crossed his arms and spoke with calmness.

“It wasn’t complicated,” he said. “You were struggling and had nothing to your name. Meanwhile, I had opportunities, money, and a clear future. She simply made the smarter choice.”

Victoria nodded in agreement, reinforcing his statement without a trace of guilt.

“You have to understand something, Lucas,” she added, her tone now carrying a subtle sense of superiority.

 “Love alone is never enough. A woman needs security, comfort, and a certain standard of living. Those are things you could never provide.”

Lucas felt his chest tighten painfully as her words sank in.

“So you left me to date my best friend?” he asked slowly, his voice lower now, more controlled.

Henry gave a  shrug.

“Of course,” he replied, as if it's not a big deal and it's normal.

Lucas let out a dry, bitter laugh, the sound lacking any real humor.

“You were my best friend,” he said, his voice quieter now, but filled with anger.

Henry looked at him without emotion and responded with a single word.

“And?”

That one word cut deeper than everything else that had been said.

Lucas stood there in silence, surrounded by strangers who had gathered to watch the scene unfold.