No More Love after Separation

The small talk in the VIP lounge had just ended.

Louis Sterling, the sponsor of this trip, glanced at Vivienne Holt. She was my husband’s best friend.

Louis frowned and asked, “Mr. Darnell, I went out of my way to book a private island for this trip. I invited you and your wife to celebrate the deal and enjoy your honeymoon while you were at it.

“Mrs. Darnell has been up all night working with us on this deal for the past two weeks, so how come she’s not on today’s flight? Who’s this?”

Unfazed, Braxton explained with a poised smile, “Adeline did work hard on this deal. But she was hospitalized a couple of days ago. The doctor said she needed to rest. A long flight and the humid island air aren’t good for her.

“Vivienne is an old friend of mine. She’s been going through a rough time lately, so I figured I’d bring her along to clear her head.

“You’re happy with the project. So who I bring to your resort really shouldn’t have any bearing on our future partnership.”

Louis was still not fully convinced, but he chose to stop questioning it. He nodded politely and said, “I see. Mrs. Darnell really did push herself too hard. Well, enjoy your trip.”

Louis and his people boarded the plane and left, leaving only the three of us.

I stopped what I was doing and asked in a calm tone, “About what you just said, why didn’t you discuss it with me beforehand?”

I had been looking forward to this honeymoon for three months. It was also meant to celebrate my success.

For fifteen days straight, I slept only three hours a night. To make sure every key clause was flawless, I polished them over and over. I even worked myself so hard that I landed in the hospital with a bleeding ulcer.

This island vacation should have been mine. Instead, it was going to her, his so-called friend who had just gone through a breakup.

Braxton rubbed the spot between his eyebrows. He seemed irritated by my question.

“Adeline, Vivienne just got out of a relationship. She needs to get away and clear her head so she can move on.

“Back there, I couldn’t exactly call you out in front of Mr. Sterling and make him think we’re having problems. I just had to roll with it.”

There it was. The same excuse again.

His calm, certain expression told me there was no point in arguing further.

I had only wanted to see where he stood. I had my answer.

He sensed something off in my silence.

His voice softened. “Come on, don’t be mad. Once I’m back from helping her clear her head, I’ll give you the wedding you want.

“Just consider it my way of making it up to you, okay?”

Looking at his indifferent expression, I thought back to the day we got legally married in the courthouse.

The company was just starting out back then.

To save money, we skipped the wedding ceremony. We just quickly got our marriage license.

Later, whenever I brought up having a wedding ceremony, he would wave it off and say, “It’s just a formality. If a grown man like me doesn’t care about it, what’s there for you to get so worked up over?”

Until today, we never talked about it again.

Just to take Vivienne on vacation, he actually volunteered to hold a wedding ceremony.

I glanced at him and quietly put away the itinerary I had prepared. Then, I turned and got ready to leave the airport.

He watched me go, thinking the promise of a wedding had smoothed things over.

I had not gone far when Vivienne caught up to me.

She put on that aggrieved look, like she had done something wrong, and said, “Adeline, I’m so sorry. I had no idea Brax was going to switch your ticket to mine.

“I was freaking out just now. Maybe I should just stay home. I can’t steal your honeymoon...”