One

 Katherine’s POV

I woke up before sunrise, just like I always did. The house was still and quiet, the kind of silence that made you feel small inside it. I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Lester, and wrapped a robe around me before heading downstairs.

Every morning for the past three years, I made him breakfast eggs, toast, and coffee exactly the way he liked it. It had become more than a habit; it was my way of holding on. Holding on to us.

The kitchen lights flickered on, and I started the routine I knew by heart. The smell of butter hit the pan, the coffee machine hummed softly. I moved quietly, like a ghost in my own home.

By the time he came down, the table was perfectly set. I smiled at him, waiting for the small, simple things: a glance, a thank you, maybe a kiss on the cheek.

But he didn’t even look at the plate.

“Cancel dinner tonight,” he said, adjusting his tie in the mirror by the doorway. “I have work.”

That was all. No good morning. No smile. Just those four words, clipped and cold.

I nodded, pretending it didn’t sting. “Okay,” I said softly, forcing a smile that felt too heavy for my face.

He didn’t notice. He never did anymore.

When the door closed behind him, I stood there for a moment, listening to the echo fade through the empty hallway. The smell of burnt toast lingered, mixing with the bitter sting of rejection. I threw it in the trash and just stared at the counter, wondering when I had become invisible in my own marriage.

Later that day, I had to drop off some company documents at his office. It was supposed to be quick — just hand them to his assistant and leave. But as I walked up to the reception desk, I heard them whispering.

“She’s coming to the Moonlight Ball,” one of them said. “Selene the special guest Mr. Lester invited himself.”

Selene.

The name hit me like a slap. I hadn’t heard it in years, but it still carried a weight that made my stomach twist. Lester’s ex. The one he used to talk about with a softness I’d never heard again.

I stood frozen for a moment, clutching the envelope in my hand. My throat felt dry, my pulse too fast.

That night, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. As he scrolled through his phone on the couch, I asked quietly, “Are you seeing Selene again?”

He looked up, frowning like I’d just accused him of a crime. “Don’t be ridiculous, Katherine. You’re being dramatic.”

The way he said it sharp and dismissive made something inside me shrink.

He stood up and walked to the kitchen counter, leaving his phone behind. I wasn’t the kind of woman who snooped, but when the screen lit up a few seconds later, my eyes went there on instinct.

S with a heart beside it. 

My breath caught. My heart seemed to stop and start again all at once.

I looked away, my chest tight, my palms cold. I walked into the bathroom and locked the door before the tears could fall.

The woman in the mirror looked nothing like me. Her eyes were tired and red, her lips trembling. My face was pale, washed out under the harsh light. I didn’t recognize the person staring back. She looked like someone who had been trying too hard for too long.

But still, I held on. Because that’s what I did. I convinced myself it was just a misunderstanding that love could survive on effort alone.

When the Moonlight Ball finally came, I told myself I’d prove to everyone, maybe even to him, that our marriage was still something beautiful. I wore a silver silk gown that shimmered under the lights. My hair was pinned perfectly, my makeup flawless. I looked like the kind of woman who had everything.

Reporters crowded me the moment I arrived. Flashes went off in my face. “Mrs. Walker! Over here!” “What’s your secret to a perfect marriage?”

I smiled for the cameras and laughed at their questions. Every answer was practiced, every gesture calculated. “We’re happy,” I said. “Lester’s been busy, but we make it work.”

Inside, my hands trembled. But on the outside, I was perfect.

Then I saw him.

He stood near the back of the ballroom, behind a marble pillar. His posture was relaxed, that familiar easy confidence in the way he leaned slightly against the wall. For a moment, I almost felt proud until I saw who was standing with him.

Selene.

Her hair was styled in soft waves, her dress sleek and black, cut perfectly to draw attention. She laughed softly, her hand resting on his chest. And then, before I could even process what I was seeing, she reached up and kissed him.

Slowly. Intimately. Like they were the only two people in the room.

The sound around me faded the music, the chatter, the clicking of cameras. It all blurred into a dull, distant roar. My chest tightened, my knees went weak. I couldn’t breathe.

Selene’s eyes flicked up mid-kiss and met mine. Her smirk was small but deliberate. Then she leaned close to Lester and whispered something in his ear. He laughed.

He laughed.

That was what broke me.

I turned away before anyone could see the tears building in my eyes. But I could feel them following me, the reporters, the photographers. My heels clicked against the marble floor, echoing through the ballroom as I pushed past the crowd. The silver fabric of my gown caught the light with every step, gleaming and shattering like broken glass.

Outside, the cold air hit me hard. I didn’t know where I was going, I just needed to get away. My hands were shaking as I pulled off my ring, twisting it over my knuckle until it finally came loose.

It sat in my palm, small and bright under the streetlight. That tiny band of gold had once meant forever. Now it just felt like a lie.

I wanted to cry, scream, break something but nothing came out. Just silence.

I thought about the breakfasts, the quiet mornings, the forced smiles. I thought about every time I’d told myself to be patient, to understand, to love harder. And for what?

For him to throw it all away so easily?

A sharp pain spread in my chest. 

I looked down at the ring one last time before closing my hand around it. My fingers trembled, but my voice didn’t when I finally spoke.

“If he can betray me this easily,” I whispered, my throat tight, “then I’ll destroy him just as easily.” I swore.