Chapter 4

The Woman in the Mirror

The ride home was silent.

Adrian sat beside Elena, his attention fixed on his phone.

Emails.

Business.

Numbers.

Elena watched the city lights move across the window.

She could still feel the warmth of his hand from the balcony.

The memory came and went quickly.

She looked down at her fingers.

After several minutes, Adrian spoke.

“You left the banquet early.”

“I was tired.”

“You should've told me first.”

Elena looked at him.

“I didn't think it mattered.”

His fingers paused over the screen.

He looked at her briefly.

“You've been emotional lately.”

Elena said nothing.

She turned back toward the window.

The car moved through another intersection.

A red light washed briefly across the glass.

Adrian's phone lit again.

He glanced at it and typed a short reply.

Elena watched his reflection in the window.

She didn't ask who was calling.

Another minute passed.

Adrian finally lowered the phone.

“You're still upset.”

Elena looked down at her hands.

“I'm not angry.”

Adrian studied her for a moment.

“Then what is it?”

She looked at him.

“I don't know.”

He seemed ready to say something else.

Instead, he turned back toward the window.

The silence returned.

When they reached the penthouse, neither spoke as they entered.

The familiar quiet of the house surrounded them.

Adrian loosened his tie.

“I have a conference call with Tokyo in twenty minutes.”

“Of course.”

He looked at her.

Elena slipped off her heels near the staircase.

Adrian started toward his study.

Then he stopped.

“Don't stay awake waiting for me.”

Elena looked at him.

“I won't.”

Adrian turned his head.

For a moment, he simply looked at her.

Something in his expression changed.

Then it disappeared.

He continued toward the study.

Elena remained by the staircase.

She watched him walk away.

The study door closed.

She stood there for another moment.

Then she turned toward the bedroom.

Elena closed the bedroom door behind her.

She changed out of her dress and stood before the mirror.

The woman staring back at her looked composed.

She removed her earrings and placed them on the dresser.

Then the necklace.

She reached for the bracelet on her wrist, but stopped halfway.

The faint mark left by it caught her attention.

She rubbed it with her thumb before setting the bracelet beside the others.

Her phone rang.

“Maya.”

Elena answered.

“Hey.”

“You're home?”

“Yes.”

“How was the rest of the night?”

Elena sat on the edge of the bed.

“Quiet.”

Maya was silent for a moment.

“Did you talk to Adrian?”

“A little.”

“And?”

Elena looked down at her hands.

“He forgot.”

Maya sighed softly.

“He apologized.”

“Did that make it better?”

Elena was quiet.

“I don't know.”

There was a pause.

“You're tired,” Maya said.

Elena looked toward the mirror.

“Yes.”

Maya didn't push her.

Instead, she asked, “Are you going to sleep?”

“In a little while.”

“Don't stay up thinking about him.”

A faint smile touched Elena's lips.

“I won't.”

They ended the call.

Elena placed the phone beside her.

For several seconds, she sat without moving.

Then she heard the study door open downstairs.

His footsteps crossed the hallway.

They stopped.

Silence followed.

Elena looked toward the bedroom door.

For a moment, she expected him to come upstairs.

He didn't.

She turned back toward the mirror.

Her reflection looked strangely unfamiliar.

She reached for the wedding ring on her finger.

Her thumb moved slowly across its surface.

The ring caught the light.

Elena lowered her hand.

She wasn't ready to take the ring off.

Not tonight.

She stood and walked toward the window.

The city stretched beneath her, bright and restless.

Behind her, the house remained quiet.

And for the first time, Elena didn't feel the need to fill the silence.

Near midnight, Elena left the bedroom to get some water.

The penthouse was quiet.

Only the city lights reached through the glass walls.

She walked toward the kitchen.

As she passed Adrian's study, she heard voices.

She slowed.

The door was slightly open.

“Claire's proposal makes the most sense,” someone said through the speakerphone.

Adrian answered calmly.

“I agree.”

Elena stopped.

Claire.

“She’s brilliant,” another voice said. “Honestly, Adrian, you two always worked well together.”

A brief silence followed.

Then someone laughed.

“People still talk about how shocked they were when you married Elena instead.”

Elena's hand tightened around the glass.

She didn't move.

Then Adrian spoke.

“It was the right decision at the time.”

Elena stared at the half-open door.

At the time.

She stepped back quietly before anyone noticed her.

She returned down the hallway.

Past the kitchen.

Past the bedroom door.

She stopped only when she reached the darkness of her room.

The glass remained untouched in her hand.

She set it down.

Then sat on the edge of the bed.

She heard his words again.

It was the right decision at the time.

Elena closed her eyes.

She didn't cry.

She simply sat there, listening to the silence around her.