Chapter 5

My legs felt weak.

I couldn’t move.

It was like my body had stopped listening to me the moment I saw her.

Mirabel stood up slowly, smoothing her dress like she had all the time in the world. Then she started walking toward me.

“It’s been a long time, Rel.”

The nickname twisted something deep in my chest.

My fingers curled into my palms, nails pressing into my skin, but I kept my face still. I wouldn’t give her anything. Not in front of him.

“You look…” she tilted her head slightly, studying me like I was something to be examined. “You look the same.”

I didn’t respond.

I couldn’t. Because if I said something, my voice would break.

“I met with Dominic and told him I wanted to see my best friend,” she continued lightly. “We came here but you weren’t home. Welcome back, we have a lot to catch up on.”

She stopped right in front of me.

Too close.

The scent of her perfume hit me.

She leaned in like she was about to hug me.

“Who would’ve thought my best friend would end up marrying my ex-boyfriend,” she whispered against my ear.

My body went cold.

When she pulled back, I didn’t look at her.

My eyes went to Dominic.

I waited for just one word. One sentence. Something that would tell me I wasn’t standing here alone. But he said nothing. And that silence…said everything.

My throat felt tight.

“What is she doing here?” I asked quietly, still looking at him.

He raised a brow, like I'd asked why the weather was bad.

“She just said she came because she missed you.”

The words felt like something sharp sliding under my skin.

“Do you have no regard for me?” My voice shook before I could stop it. “Bringing another woman into our home?”

“It’s not a big deal, don’t start, Aurelia.”

Not a big deal.

I stared at him.

So this…

This humiliation…

This feeling crawling under my skin… It meant nothing to him. Of course it didn’t.

I didn’t.

“Not a big deal?” A dry sound left my throat. It almost sounded like a laugh. “You know she didn’t come here because she missed me.”

“I’m sorry,” Mirabel cut in softly.

I turned to look at her.

She looked… different now. Softer. Almost fragile.

“I thought I would feel better after my divorce if I talked to my friend,” she said. “We haven’t seen each other since high school. I thought we could catch up.”

Her eyes lowered slightly.

“But I guess you don’t even want to see my face. It’s okay. I’ll leave.”

For a second, I just stared at her.

She hadn’t changed.

Not at all.

She turned to Dominic. “Your wife doesn’t want me here.”

His jaw clenched.

He looked at me for a second before looking away again.

“I’m leaving,” Mirabel said as she walked back to the couch and picked up her bag.

“I’ll drive,” Dominic said.

Something inside me cracked.

“Wait,” he added quickly, reaching for her hand. “Let me get something upstairs. I’ll take you home.”

His voice was softer.

Careful.

His fingers wrapped around hers like it was natural.

Like it had always been.

Mirabel nodded.

“Okay.”

He walked past me without looking at me.

I didn’t turn.

I couldn’t.

I just stood there, staring at nothing.

The sound of his footsteps faded as he went upstairs.

Silence filled the space he left behind.

Then I felt it.

Mirabel stepped closer again.

I turned slowly.

She was smiling.

Not the soft one she had just shown him.

The real one.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

She let out a small laugh.

“You really thought you got him?”

The words landed heavier than I expected.

“I left him,” she continued, like she was talking about something insignificant, “but he couldn’t forget me.”

She took another step closer.

“Do you know how many times he called me? How much he begged me to come back to New York?”

Something inside me folded in on itself, quietly giving up.

I didn’t say anything.

“Do you even know why he married you?” she asked.

My fingers curled again.

“He found out I got married. You were just… there. A substitute.”

Substitute. The word echoed in my head like something I had always known…but never dared to say out loud.

“He thought he could forget me,” she added with a small shrug. “But obviously he couldn’t.”

I wanted to say something.

Anything.

But what do you say when you finally understand your place in someone’s life… and it’s nothing?

“Because the moment I landed, I called him… and he came running.”

I swallowed hard.

“I told you back then, didn’t I?” Her voice dropped slightly. “You’ll never get him. I won’t allow that.”

She smiled.

“And I’m back now. I’m not leaving this time.”

My chest felt tight.

“Count your days,” she said softly. “He’ll leave you. And when he does, he’ll marry me.”

I didn’t react.

I couldn’t.

Because the worst part wasn’t what she said. It was the fact that I believed her.

Then the question came out before I could stop it.

“Do you even love him?”

She blinked.

Then laughed.

“I didn’t,” she said honestly. “But now…”

She tilted her head slightly.

“A man who would do anything for me?” she smiled. “What’s there not to love?”

Something inside me sank.