Chapter 3- I Accept the Offer

“What are you talking about?” I stammered, unable to process everything. “You knew?”

He let out a low, breathy laugh under his breath. Slowly, he stood and walked around his desk before leaning against the edge, his expression completely calm, almost as if he had been waiting for this day to come. He crossed his arms, adjusted his glasses, and looked directly at me.

“Yes, Mrs. Valarie. I’ve known everything for the past five months.”

“What?” My eyes widened. “How? How come you never told me anything?”

“Because I didn’t want you to think I was trying to ruin your marriage. Or your friendship with Nova. I saw how close the two of you were.”

“Jesus Christ.” I pressed a hand against my forehead. “And what about the child? Did you know about him too?”

“Yes.” He paused, watching me carefully, knowing I wanted to know more. “It was actually through the child that I found out about them. Nova told me she was going to visit her parents, so I stayed home with Leo for a week. Then he fell sick and needed a little blood. Guess what? I couldn’t donate because I wasn’t his father. So I started investigating. I found out Nova had never even gone to her parents. She was on vacation with your husband, and when she came back I overheard her on the phone talking to him about their child.”

I gulped as a memory suddenly flashed through my mind, Silas telling me he had gone on a business trip. He had lied. They had been together. How cruel and selfish these two were.

“You knew all this time…” I whispered.

Tristan nodded. I sank deeper into the chair, my mind becoming a blur.

“What are we supposed to do then?” I asked, almost as if he controlled everything and I had no idea what my next move should be.

Tristan studied me for a moment before speaking in that same calm, detached voice. “We stop being the only ones who lose. They used both of us as cover for years. They planned a future that required us to be gone or broken. So we take something from them in return. Something they thought only they were allowed to have.”

“What do you mean?” I already knew what he meant. He had suggested it before. I simply didn’t want to believe he was serious.

“We do the same thing to them,” he said simply. “A physical arrangement. No feelings. No future. Just until both divorces are finalized. In that time, I’ll make sure Nova leaves with as little as possible—money, reputation, and any chance of walking back to Silas clean. And you finally get the satisfaction you’ve been missing instead of being left empty-handed. When it’s over, we never speak again.”

“What?” I stared at him. “Satisfaction? Who told you about that?”

He hesitated for a moment. “Nova told me.”

I sighed angrily. Not only was she a backstabber, but she apparently couldn’t keep secrets either.

“We can…” I stopped myself. “No.” I pushed myself out of the chair. “We can’t fight evil with evil. There has to be another way. Thanks for nothing. I’ll figure something out myself.”

I turned toward the door and took another step.

“Wait.” Tristan stood and followed me only as far as the space behind me, maintaining a polite distance. “I’m not asking you to become them,” he said. “I’m offering you a way to stop being the only one left empty-handed.”

I turned around. He reached into his pocket and handed me his business card with his contact information. “Call me. In case you change your mind.”

I looked down at the card, then back at him. “Don’t hold your breath.” I slipped it into my hand and walked out, feeling completely helpless. I just wanted to rest for a while because everything was happening too fast.

When I finally reached home, I was shocked to find Nova sitting in my house with Silas. They were in my house?

“Honey?” Silas called the moment he saw me. “Where have you been? I’ve been calling you.”

Nova immediately rushed toward me and wrapped her arms around me. “Hey, girl! I’ve been trying your number for hours, but you didn’t pick up. Silas told me you weren’t feeling well.”

I sighed, looking at her as she pretended to care about me. “I was at the hospital.” My eyes shifted toward Silas. “I didn’t want to wake you up,” I said. “Why didn’t you go to work?”

“I couldn’t go to work knowing my wife wasn’t feeling well. I stayed home to take care of you. But then we received a visitor.”

Nova smiled at me. “Come and sit. You’re already weak.” She guided me toward the couch and made me sit down in my own house. “I actually came to invite you to my son’s birthday party.”

I sighed. So she couldn’t have simply called? Or had she wanted another excuse to see Silas? Were they really that much in love? Besides, I was pretty sure they had planned the birthday together. “Oh, okay.” I nodded.

“I guess I’ll be leaving,” Nova said.

“No. Stay for lunch.” I forced a smile. I wanted to see how they acted around each other. Nova didn’t even hesitate. She gladly accepted.

I excused myself for a moment to freshen up. Silas immediately offered to come with me, but I stopped him. I couldn’t stand being near him. When I returned, I had composed myself and practiced the smile I needed to wear. But the moment I entered the dining room, something inside me twisted.

Nova was sitting in my seat—the seat she had seen me occupy countless times, yet somehow she had chosen mine. She knew exactly where I always sat. She was already replacing me before the divorce had even happened. And Silas sat beside her comfortably, as though they belonged together.

“Honey, you’re back,” Silas said. “Come and sit here in your own seat. I couldn’t tell the visitor where to sit.”

“It’s okay,” I replied. “She’s our visitor. How could she have known?” I took a seat at the far end of the table.

“Are you okay?” Silas asked. I nodded.

The maid served the food. Throughout the meal they exchanged soft glances, clearly believing I noticed nothing. I kept my eyes on my plate, pretending to follow their conversation about work and me. Then my fork slipped from my fingers and fell to the floor. They did not even look up.

When I bent to retrieve it, I saw their hands beneath the table , fingers tightly interlaced, moving against each other in a slow, familiar caress. That was the final straw.

I set the fork down, picked up my phone, and typed a short message to Tristan.

I accept the offer.

His reply arrived almost at once, as though he had been waiting. A location followed. I lifted my gaze to the two of them, still smiling and playing their polite roles, and thought with cold clarity: Let’s see who plays this game better.