Chapter 30: She Thought He Still Loved Her

Jessica appeared with a sharp scraping sound of a chair dragging across the floor suddenly cut through the cafeteria, loud enough to make several nearby students glance over instinctively.

Before either of them could react, Jessica dropped herself into the empty seat beside Lucas like she still belonged there.

Sofia’s expression immediately stiffened.

Her appetite vanished on the spot.

She had finally gotten a peaceful moment with Lucas after days of awkward uncertainty, only for his ex to suddenly appear like some unpaid debt collector refusing to move on.

Jessica, however, acted completely at home.

Without even greeting anyone, she casually reached for Lucas’s spoon and dipped straight into his food as though nothing had changed between them. One bite. Then another.

She even nodded while chewing.

"Still good," she muttered casually. "You always knew what I liked."

Lucas slowly lowered the drink in his hand.

His expression darkened.

Before Jessica could shamelessly go for a third bite, his hand suddenly shot out and gripped her wrist tightly.

The air around the table instantly changed.

Jessica froze.

For half a second, genuine fear flickered across her face.

Lucas wasn’t smiling.

He wasn’t embarrassed.

He wasn’t acting like the old pathetic version of himself either.

His eyes looked cold enough to make her uncomfortable.

"Put. It. Down," he said calmly.

The calmness somehow made it worse.

Jessica awkwardly laughed and quickly tried to recover, forcing a sweet expression onto her face like nothing happened.

"What?" she said with fake innocence. "Why are you acting like this?"

She leaned slightly closer, lowering her voice.

"So... what’s the plan now, babe?"

Sofia almost choked.

Babe?

The audacity nearly made her laugh out loud.

Still, she kept herself composed and looked directly at Jessica.

"Jessica," she said firmly, "you’re interrupting our meal."

The moment those words landed, Jessica slowly turned toward Sofia like she had just remembered she existed.

Then she laughed.

Not nicely.

That fake, irritating kind of laugh people used right before saying something annoying.

"Oh wow," Jessica said mockingly. "Look at this."

"You heard the rumors too, huh?"

Her eyes swept Sofia up and down.

"The second people started saying Lucas got rich, suddenly you’re interested?"

Several nearby students immediately slowed down while walking past.

Drama.

Campus drama.

Free entertainment.

One guy even quietly whispered, "No way... isn’t that Lucas’s ex?"

Another had already started recording.

Sofia’s face changed slightly.

Jessica’s words hit harder than expected.

Because honestly?

She had wondered the same thing herself these past few days.

Was she suddenly paying more attention to Lucas because he changed?

Because he looked more confident?

Or because rumors about him spread around campus?

Before Sofia could respond, Jessica continued talking nonstop.

"Honestly, some girls are shameless," she scoffed. "Always waiting for another girl to build a man before jumping in."

Lucas finally put his fork down.

Hard.

The sharp sound made Jessica stop talking.

He stared at her for several seconds.

Then laughed softly.

Not because anything was funny.

But because he genuinely could not believe what he was hearing.

"You really want to talk about shameless?" Lucas asked.

Jessica blinked.

Lucas leaned back lazily in his chair.

"You dumped me the second Zack showed up with money."

"You didn’t even wait."

"No loyalty. No guilt. Nothing."

"And now you’re sitting here eating my food like we’re still together?"

He looked genuinely confused.

"Jessica... are you okay mentally?"

A few students nearby burst into laughter.

Jessica’s face instantly turned red.

"Lucas!" she snapped.

But Lucas was not done.

"No, seriously," he continued. "I just want to understand."

"You leave me for another guy, then suddenly hear a rumor I got rich and now you magically remember I exist?"

He tilted his head.

"That level of shamelessness should honestly be studied."

The cafeteria completely lost it.

Someone actually clapped.

Even Sofia almost laughed despite herself.

Jessica looked like she wanted to explode.

Still refusing to back down, she flipped her hair dramatically and crossed her arms.

"Lucas," she said smugly, "stop pretending."

"I know you still like me."

Her voice became sweeter.

"I’ll even give you another chance."

Then she pointed directly at Sofia.

"If you stop wasting time with this little replacement..."

Jessica leaned back confidently.

"I might consider taking you back."

Silence.

Complete silence.

Then Lucas burst out laughing.

An actual laugh.

Deep.

Uncontrollable.

The kind that made tears nearly form in his eyes.

Even Sofia looked stunned.

Jessica frowned immediately.

"I’m serious!"

Lucas wiped the corner of his eye and shook his head.

"Jessica," he said between laughs, "please."

"You really think I downgraded?"

He gestured casually toward Sofia.

"You want me to leave her..."

Then looked Jessica up and down.

"...for you?"

Ouch.

Several students physically recoiled.

That one landed hard.

Jessica’s face twisted instantly.

Humiliation.

Anger.

Embarrassment.

Everything mixed together at once.

Then she snapped.

"You bitch!"

Without warning, she lunged across the table and grabbed Sofia’s hair.

Sofia gasped in pain.

"Jessica!"

"You think you can steal him?!" Jessica shouted hysterically. "I was with him when he was broke! I suffered with him! Now that he’s rich, suddenly you want benefits?!"

The cafeteria exploded.

Phones came out everywhere.

Students rushed closer.

Someone yelled, "Yo don’t stop them!"

Another whispered excitedly, "This is better than Netflix."

Lucas immediately stood up.

For one dangerous second, genuine anger flashed through his eyes.

Honestly, if this happened a week ago, he probably would’ve begged Jessica to calm down.

But now?

He just found her exhausting.

Reaching forward, Lucas grabbed Jessica around the waist and effortlessly pulled her off Sofia like lifting an angry child.

Jessica stumbled backward but still struggled violently.

"You homewrecking bitch!"

"You thief!"

"You stole my boyfriend!"

Lucas finally lost the last bit of patience he had left.

Without another word, he grabbed Jessica by the arm and flung her aside like she weighed absolutely nothing. The force sent her stumbling backward several steps, nearly crashing into another table before barely managing to steady herself.

A startled scream escaped her lips.

The entire cafeteria seemed to pause for half a second.

Then chaos erupted.

"No way..."

"Did he seriously throw her like that?"

"Bro is completely done with her!"

Several students instantly burst into laughter while others shamelessly raised their phones higher, desperate to capture a better angle of the drama unfolding before them.

Jessica’s hair had become messy, and part of her makeup was ruined, but instead of calming down, something inside her completely snapped.

Her chest rose and fell violently.

Her eyes burned red with frustration.

In her mind, none of this was her fault.

Everything had gone wrong because of Sofia.

If Sofia had not shown up, Lucas would still be following her around like before. He would still be the same devoted fool who bought her gifts, waited outside classrooms, and treated her like she was the center of his world.

The more Jessica thought about it, the angrier she became.

"You bitch!"

Without warning, Jessica suddenly lunged forward again at full speed, completely ignoring everyone around her. This time, there was no hesitation in her movements.

Her hands reached directly toward Sofia’s neck.

She genuinely looked ready to strangle her.

Sofia’s expression instantly changed.

Her face paled as panic flashed through her eyes. She had never seen Jessica act this irrational before, and for a moment, she completely froze.

The surrounding students gasped.

"Oh shit!"

"She’s actually crazy!"

"Somebody stop her!"

But before Jessica could even touch Sofia, Lucas moved.

Fast.

Much faster than anyone expected.

His expression darkened instantly, and for the first time since the argument started, genuine irritation showed in his eyes.

Enough was enough.

Lucas stepped forward and grabbed Jessica’s arm mid-motion before she could reach Sofia. Without showing the slightest bit of mercy, he yanked her backward so hard that she nearly lost her balance.

Then he shoved her away again.

Hard.

Jessica stumbled backward like a loose sheet of paper caught in strong wind.

"Get lost, you stupid bitch," Lucas said coldly.

Jessica froze.

For the first time since this whole thing started, she genuinely looked stunned.

Because Lucas had never treated her this way before.

Not once.

The Lucas she knew would apologize first, even when she was wrong. He would lower his head, compromise, and desperately try to make peace.

But now?

He looked at her like she was nothing more than an exhausting problem he wanted gone.

Lucas did not spare her another glance.

Instead, he turned toward Sofia immediately.

Her hair was slightly messy from being grabbed, and she still looked shaken. A faint trace of uneasiness remained on her face, though she tried hard not to show it.

Lucas’s expression softened slightly.

Without saying much, he gently took her hand.

"Come on," he said quietly. "Let’s leave."

Sofia blinked.

Then nodded softly.

For some reason, despite everything that had just happened, warmth spread quietly through her chest.

The two of them began walking toward the cafeteria exit together.

And strangely enough, the crowd actually moved aside for them.

Like some dramatic movie scene.

Students instinctively stepped away, creating a clear path while staring with expressions filled with excitement, envy, and curiosity.

Some people were still laughing.

Others whispered excitedly to their friends.

A few boys could not hide the envy written all over their faces.

"Damn," one muttered quietly. "Girls fighting over him?"

"That’s every guy’s dream."

Another student immediately snorted.

"Dream? Bro, I can’t even get one girl to text me back."

The people around him burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, Jessica stood frozen behind them.

Watching Lucas leave.

Watching him hold Sofia’s hand without hesitation.

Her fingers slowly clenched into fists.

Her nails dug painfully into her palms.

For the first time since their breakup, panic quietly crept into her heart.