Layover

Ella smiled politely as Daniel's best friend lifted his glass.

"To the happiest couple in the room," he cheered.

Everyone raised their glasses.

"To Ella and Daniel!"

Glasses clinked together.

Ella smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Planning a wedding had been exhausting, and tonight was supposed to be a break from all the endless phone calls, dress fittings, and family opinions.

She reached for Daniel's hand beneath the table.

He squeezed it gently before returning his attention to the conversation.

"You know," one of the ladies laughed, "after the wedding, Daniel won't be allowed to hang out with us anymore."

"Oh, please," Daniel chuckled. "Ella isn't that controlling."

She rolled her eyes playfully.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

The table erupted into laughter.

For a moment, everything felt perfect.

Maybe this was what happiness looked like.

A simple dinner.

Close friends.

The man she had chosen to spend forever with.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the vibration of her phone. It was her mother.

She smiled.

"I'll be right back," she said, standing up.

Daniel nodded without looking away from the conversation.

"Take your time."

Ella walked toward the restroom, answering her mother's call along the way.

"Hi, Mum."

"My dear," her mother's warm voice came through the speaker. "How's dinner going?"

Ella smiled as she leaned against the wall outside the restroom.

"It's going well. Everyone is teasing Daniel."

Her mother laughed.

"They should enjoy it while they can. In a few weeks, he'll officially become your husband."

A few weeks.

Just hearing the words filled Ella with excitement.

After chatting for a few minutes, she ended the call and slipped her phone into her handbag.

She washed her hands, adjusted a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and took a deep breath before walking back toward the private dining area.

She never made it to the table.

Voices drifted from the open balcony beside the hallway.

Male voices.

Laughing.

Daniel's voice among them.

She slowed her steps.

"...I still can't believe you got away with it."

The sentence made her pause.

Another burst of laughter followed.

"What?"

"Come on," another friend teased. "You're getting married in a few weeks, and you're acting like nothing happened."

Ella frowned.

What were they talking about?

She wasn't trying to eavesdrop.

She simply couldn't move.

Then another voice spoke.

"If Ella ever finds out about you and Vanessa..."

Her heart skipped.

"...you're finished."

Silence.

A long silence.

Ella waited.

Daniel would laugh.

He would deny it.

He had to.

Instead...

He sighed.

"It was a mistake."

The world around her stopped.

One of the men whistled softly.

"A mistake?"

Daniel laughed quietly.

"It happened once. It's over."

Someone asked, "Does Vanessa know you're still going through with the wedding?"

"She knows," Daniel replied carelessly. "And honestly, it didn't mean anything."

It didn't mean anything.

Those four words sliced through Ella more deeply than she thought possible.

Nothing?

If it meant nothing...

Why do it?

Her fingers tightened around the strap of her handbag until her knuckles turned white.

Another friend spoke.

"Man, you're lucky. Ella trusts you too much."

Daniel laughed again.

"I know."

That laugh broke something inside her.

She stepped forward.

The sharp click of her heels echoed through the quiet hallway.

Every head turned.

The smiles disappeared.

Daniel's face drained of color.

"Ella..."

No one moved.

No one spoke.

She looked from one face to another.

Some stared at the floor.

Others avoided her eyes completely.

They all knew.

Every single one of them knew.

Only she hadn't.

She stopped in front of Daniel.

Her voice came out surprisingly calm.

"Tell me I misunderstood."

Daniel swallowed.

"Ella..."

She took another step.

"Look me in the eyes..."

Her voice trembled despite her efforts to stay composed.

"...and tell me they were lying."

He opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

She searched his face desperately.

Looking for anger.

Confusion.

Anything that would tell her this was some cruel joke.

Instead...

She saw guilt.

Raw.

Undeniable guilt.

Tears burned behind her eyes.

"How long?" she whispered.

Daniel rubbed the back of his neck.

"It wasn't supposed to happen."

"That's not what I asked."

Her voice was louder this time.

"How long?"

He looked away.

"A few months."

The words landed like a punch to her chest.

"A few..." she repeated weakly.

"...months?"

He reached for her hand.

"Ella, please listen—"

She stepped back as though his touch burned.

"No."

He sighed.

"I love you."

She laughed.

Not because it was funny.

Because it was unbelievable.

"You love me?"

Her eyes filled with tears.

"You stood here with your friends laughing about another woman..."

She shook her head slowly.

"...and you have the audacity to tell me you love me?"

The hallway had fallen completely silent.

Even the restaurant music seemed distant.

Daniel lowered his voice.

"I made a mistake."

"No."

Ella looked straight into his eyes.

"A mistake is forgetting an anniversary."

Her voice cracked.

"A mistake is burning dinner."

She pulled the engagement ring from her finger.

"This..."

She held up the ring.

"...was a choice."

Daniel's expression changed.

"Ella, don't do this."

She placed the ring in his palm.

"I was ready to spend the rest of my life with you."

A tear escaped despite her determination not to cry.

"But I refuse to spend one more day with a man who can betray me and call it a mistake."

She closed his fingers around the ring.

"I hope she was worth it."

Without another word, Ella turned around and walked away.