Chapter 3

The next morning, I got ready and headed downstairs just as Yves came through the front door.

I lowered my eyes and tried to walk past him without a word, but he stepped into my path and held something out to me.

"You've been wanting these. Here."

Inside was a pair of adorable ceramic figurines, beautifully made.

I had wanted something like this for a long time.

Unfortunately...

My lashes trembled, but I didn't take them.

"That's not me."

I looked at the female figurine.

"That's Xenia."

Yves froze for a moment, then glanced down at it.

"Really?"

He studied it again. "I couldn't tell. Maybe you two just look too much alike."

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he added, "You know how I am. I can't remember that many things."

I forced myself to look at him.

No.

Xenia and I looked nothing alike.

I had a small dark mole on the tip of my nose. That alone was enough to tell us apart.

He simply hadn't bothered.

When I stayed silent, Yves clicked his tongue and shoved a hand into his pocket.

"Then tell me what you want. I'll get you something else next time, okay?

"You know I'm not forgetting things on purpose."

I'd heard that excuse more times than I could count, but it had never hurt as much as it did now.

My eyes burned, and I bit down hard on my lip.

His irritation only grew.

"Would you say something? Do you have to go silent on me all the time?

"Xenia told me ages ago that nobody could put up with this side of you. I'm starting to see what she meant."

The tears I'd been holding back finally spilled over.

Yves stared at me for a moment before sighing and pulling me into his arms.

"All right, don't be mad. I only said that because I was angry.

"I'll stay with you tonight... okay?"

His rough thumb brushed my cheek.

"Forget it. I'm tired."

I turned my face away from his touch and went back to my room.

The moment I stepped inside, a message from Xenia popped up on my phone.

[Sarah, Yves is way too generous. I mentioned this dress once last month, and he actually remembered.]

[You're going to have such a good life once you marry him.]

The photo showed a red couture dress.

I'd fallen in love with it the moment it was released and told Yves several times how much I wanted it.

Every time, he'd said it wouldn't suit me and refused to buy it. He always promised he'd get me a different one instead.

He never did.

And now the dress I'd wanted was on my best friend.

Anger surged through me. Fighting the tightness in my throat, I grabbed my phone and stormed back to Yves.

"What is this?"

I held the screen up in front of him.

"I told you I loved this dress. More than once. What exactly is the meaning of this?"

His brows drew together as he took a few steps back, looking genuinely confused.

"You told me that? I forgot.

"I thought it suited Xenia, so I gave it to her. I'll just buy you something else."

There it was again.

I'll buy you something else.

I forgot.

All the strength drained out of me at once.

I lowered my hand, turned around without another word, and went to the office to resign.

My manager tried to talk me out of it.

"This position really suits you. Didn't you say you needed a flexible schedule so you could take care of your husband? Why don't you think it over a little longer?"

I rubbed my fingertips together and shook my head.

"I don't have a husband anymore."

By the time I'd finished handing everything over and made it home, I was exhausted.

Then I heard heavy breathing coming from the bathroom.

Goosebumps rose over my skin.

My legs felt strangely heavy as I made my way toward the door.

Xenia's teasing voice drifted out from inside.

"Did you make it up to her yet?"

"No." Yves sounded lazy and unconcerned. "She's been in a terrible mood lately. I don't even know what she's mad about. It's like she's hitting menopause early."

Xenia gave his chest a playful shove.

"Well, whose fault is that? You can't even remember her name."

Yves answered in an aggrieved tone, "I just don't want to waste my time memorizing all that.

"We're getting married soon anyway. I can smooth things over with her whenever I need to."

Then he laughed softly.

"Besides, she's crazy about my body. One night with me and she'll forget all about it."

"Oh, stop saying things like that."

My breath caught.

My entire body began to shake, my muscles numb and my legs unsteady beneath me.

I shoved the door open.

They both froze before Xenia hurriedly pulled on her clothes.

"Sarah? Why are you home?"

"Don't misunderstand. Nothing happened between us."

Yves, meanwhile, calmly began getting dressed.

"Yeah. Xenia said having a bathtub would make married life better.

"So I bought one and had her try it first to make sure the size worked. Don't overthink it."

My nails dug so deeply into my palms they nearly broke the skin, but I couldn't feel the pain.

I'd told Yves a long time ago that I wanted a bathtub.

He'd always refused, saying it took up too much space.

But one comment from Xenia had been enough to change his mind.

I narrowed my eyes.

Even the dimensions had been customized for her height.

It felt as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over me from head to toe.

Still, all I did was nod calmly.

"Sure. Carry on."