Lauren tried to ignore God's petty, condescending tone and focused on the door separating her from Theo. Desperately searching her heart and mind for a way out of this mess and back into Theo's arms, she felt a gnawing unease. Something was off between them—she could feel it in her bones.
God wasn’t done with his “I told you so’s,” continuing to remind Lauren of her massive mistake. “This is what happens when you put yourself before the ones you love.” Lauren ignored his words, touching and staring at the door as if it held the answers. “You lose them to your ways,” God finished.
Lauren’s patience wore thin. She closed her eyes tightly and breathed in to calm her temper. God wasn’t fazed; he shared that stubborn streak with all his children. He pressed on, “Are we going to let go of this ridiculous wager now? There’s no need to keep it going. Being with her is only going to confuse things for her, and the last thing we need is for you to interrupt her duties.”
That was the last straw. Lauren scoffed and turned to engage in the conversation God insisted on having. “Is that what you think this is? A farce? Some ploy to continue a plan? It was genuine in every other sense aside from placing a wager with you.”
God was intrigued, never missing a chance to remind his children of their flaws. “Luce, your only interest in her is for what, not who, she is. The very wager you offered was based on your narcissism! You never once thought of the outcome should something like this have happened.”
“Our marriage was true until you—”
“YOUR EGO. IS. THE PROBLEM!” God's voice thundered, shaking Lauren to her core. She stood silently, like a child facing a parent's wrath. “It’s always the problem, and you never seem to realize that the consequences you face are the direct outcome of the choices you make. It doesn't matter what I decided to tell her; your choices brought us here.”
Lauren fought back tears, anger boiling within as she realized God was right. She remembered the day she made the wager, cursing her own stupidity. Turning back to the door, she waited for Theo. “She knows the truth,” Lauren whispered. “She knows my heart.” She sank to the floor, waiting. God shook his head. “So be it,” he said before vanishing.
Time passed, and Lauren waited. Her head in her hands, she barely noticed when the door finally opened. Theo stood in the doorway, looking different. Lauren stood up, ready to speak, but Theo interrupted. “I want to separate.”
Lauren was taken aback. “Separate?” she asked, following Theo into the living room. “Yes, separate,” Theo responded calmly but quickly. “Can we talk about this?” Lauren pleaded, grabbing Theo’s hand. “No,” Theo said firmly.
Desperate, Lauren begged for Theo’s attention. “Theo, please. Just talk to me. Separating is a bit extreme, isn’t it?” Theo turned from the closet door to face Lauren. “No, it’s not. It’s exactly what I should do after being betrayed by the devil.”
“Come on, baby. That’s so unfair. I couldn’t tell you what was going on, but my love for you is real,” Lauren pleaded. Theo laughed bitterly. “Poorly is an understatement.”
Lauren stepped closer, forcing Theo to look into her eyes. For a split second, she saw that Theo didn’t look at her the same. It wasn’t forgiveness or coldness; it was a stranger’s gaze. Theo no longer saw Lauren; she saw Lucifer.
“I promise you, our marriage and my love for you is real,” Lauren said, her voice trembling. “I know you found out about Universus, about my father, about me... and I know that’s a lot, but I want to be by your side. I want to help you figure out who you are, the power you have, and what we can do together.”
Theo backed away, nodding as she realized what all of this was about. “There it is,” she said, walking toward the front door and opening it. “What? There what is?” Lauren asked, confused. Theo turned with finality. “I’m going to figure out what this means. I’ll learn about who I am and the power I have.” She waved her hand, and a sleek black sports car with chrome rims materialized in the driveway. “And I won’t need you.”
Stunned, Lauren watched as Theo got into her new car and drove off. She felt intense sadness wash over her, so distracted that she didn’t notice the gust of wind behind her until a hand touched her shoulder. Recognizing the voice, she knew exactly who it was. “Bro, was that… Uni?” Gabriel asked softly.
Lauren broke down, sobbing into her brother’s chest. “She’s gone, Gabriel. I—I lost her.” Gabriel embraced his sister, holding her tightly as she cried.
To Be Continued...
Thanks for tuning in. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and can already see where I'm going to take the next. I haven't written any new pages yet but don't worry I will so don't forget to tune into next weeks saga of The Devil She Knew.
But what did Luce expect? Lol she has cyclist but someone’s heart in front of her like it want a big deal🤦🏽♀️