From Darkness to Light: Darwin's Rise

Chapter 0004

Darwin stared at the undies in Luke's hand, feeling as if the ground was falling out from under him. His eyes moved to Lisa, filled with hurt and betrayal. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

Lisa met his gaze defiantly, her earlier panic replaced by contempt. "OK fine, since you’ve found it already..." she sneered. "I've been with Luke for months now."

"Months?" Darwin spat. "You've been lying to me and cheating for that long?" The betrayal cut him like a knife.

Lisa rolled her eyes. "Oooh, Please, don't act so surprised." Lisa said and tossed her hair.

Her words cut deep, but Darwin refused to back down. "After everything we've been through, you throw it all away for him?" he spat, gesturing angrily at Luke. "Why, Lisa? Help me understand why you would do this!"

Lisa rolled her eyes dismissively. "Please, it was never going to last with you. Did you really think I'd stay with a poor fool like you? I want a good life, not a life of struggling to pay the bills. Luke can give me that."

Darwin's head swam with hurt and betrayal. He wanted to deny the truth staring him in the face, but he couldn't refute the evidence. His mind flashed back to all the times Lisa had dismissed his concerns, assured him nothing was wrong. The realization that she had been lying to him for so long was almost more than he could bear.

Luke watched the scene unfold with amusement, enjoying Darwin's pain. "It's really quite simple," he cut in silkily. "Lisa wants the finer things in life. And I'm more than happy to provide for her...in every way." He smirked as he emphasized the last words.

Rage bubbled up inside Darwin at Luke's arrogance. All he wanted to do was wipe that arrogant smirk off Luke's face.

His hands balled into fists at his sides as he rounded on the other man. "You think this is funny?" he snarled. "You ruined my marriage just for your own entertainment?"

But then Luke spoke up again, twisting the knife even further. "And don't you find it funny that the amusement park you rented for her birthday was actually owned by my family?" He laughed cruelly. "She knew all along it was just a waste of your pitiful savings."

That was the final straw. Darwin lunged at Luke, hands outstretched to wrap around his smug throat. "You!" he screamed. "You set me up from the start just to humiliate me!"

Luke merely shrugged, completely unrepentant. "Guilty as charged. It was just too fun watching you scramble to afford it, not realizing Lisa had already chosen me long ago." He flashed a smug smile.

Darwin had heard enough. With an inarticulate cry of rage and anguish, he launched himself at Luke, fists flying. Pain and heartbreak fueled Darwin's rage as he pummeled the man who had stolen everything from him.

But as he pounded away, he felt a sharp blow to the back of his head. He collapsed to the ground, dazed and bleeding.

"You thought you were going to win, didn't you?" he heard a familiar voice say. Darwin looked up to see Lisa, a vase in her hand.

Darwin was shocked and confused. How could this be? How could Lisa hurted him?

As Darwin struggled to regain his senses, blood trickling down the side of his face, he stared at Lisa in disbelief. "Lisa, how... how could you do this to me?" he managed to gasp, his voice filled with both anguish and confusion.

Lisa's eyes hardened as she looked down at him, the vase still clutched tightly in her hand. "You were always so blind, Darwin. Blind to what I truly wanted, blind to the fact that Luke could give me everything you couldn't."

Darwin's heart ached as her words cut through him. "I loved you, Lisa. I gave you everything I had, everything I am. How could you turn against me like this?"

Lisa's bitter smile widened. "Love wasn't enough, Darwin. Love doesn't pay the bills or give me the life I've always dreamed of. Luke can offer me that. He can give me the security and the excitement I crave."

"Is material wealth all that matters to you, Lisa? Is it worth destroying everything we had?" He asked wiping the blood that was dripping down his face.

Luke, his smug grin firmly in place, approached Lisa, and draped his arm possessively around her waist. "You see, Darwin? She chose me. She desires the life I can provide for her."

Darwin's voice trembled with a mix of pain and anger. "You're both blinded by your own selfish desires. But remember, Luke, happiness built on deceit and betrayal is destined to crumble."

Luke sneered dismissively. "Don't bother with your lectures, Darwin. It's far too late for that now. If you don't mind, Lisa and I have some unfinished matters to take care of."

Darwin felt a sinking feeling as Luke's words sank in. He stood there, helpless, as Luke drew Lisa into a kiss. His shock nearly overwhelmed him at the possessive way Luke held her and the intensity of their embrace.

Locking eyes with Darwin, Luke's gaze held a mocking glint as he led Lisa towards the bedroom. "You see, Darwin? This is what she truly desires. And I'm going to give it to her, right here, on your bed.”