The Man After You

"Hello, my name is Sarah, and I'm calling from the wedding planning agency. We'd like to confirm a few details about your upcoming ceremony with Mr. Hall."

Allison Maxwell paused in the middle of stirring the soup. She was in a good mood and answered with a smile, "Hi. I think you have the wrong number. Mr. Hall and I have been married for seven years, and we're not planning another wedding anytime soon."

The caller hesitated. "I'm sorry. Is this not Camila Dixon, Daniel Hall's fiancée?"

Clatter.

The ladle slipped from Allison's hand and hit the floor. Her ears rang as the words sank in.

"Hello? Are you still there? Ms. Dixon?"

Allison's face was drained of color. "N-No, I'm not Ms. Dixon."

"I'm so sorry. I must have the wrong number." The woman quickly apologized and hung up.

But Allison couldn't calm down.

Her husband's name was indeed Daniel Hall. She married Daniel when she was 21. They had been legally married for 7 years and had a 6-year-old son, Philip Hall.

Camila was no stranger to Allison, either. She was once Daniel's student and now worked in one of his company's labs.

Allison had heard Daniel talk about Camila countless times, and he never missed a chance to praise her. There was no way the call came to her by accident, not when the caller knew both Daniel and Camila's names.

At 10 p.m. that night, Allison sat alone on the couch in the huge living room, waiting for Daniel to come home. She called him several times, but he never picked up.

Finally, just before 11 p.m., he called her back.

Before Allison could say anything, Daniel's low, distant voice came through the phone, thick with impatience.

"I'm busy. What do you want?"

A dull ache spread through Allison's chest. She couldn't remember when hearing from her had become such an annoyance to her own husband.

"Are you coming home tonight?" she asked quietly.

"No. I'm leaving on a business trip this weekend, so I'm staying at the office tonight."

"Do you need me to…"

Allison was about to ask if he needed her to pack a few things and bring them over when a woman's voice drifted faintly through the phone.

"Professor Hall, hurry. The wedding planners are waiting..."

"Alright, I have to go. I'll be busy for the next few days, so don't bother me with things at home."

Daniel hung up before Allison could hear the rest. But she had clearly heard the words "wedding planners."

A chill spread from her heart through her entire body.

By sunrise, Allison was already in a car headed for the next city.

She hadn't slept all night. Her eyes were red and swollen, and exhaustion was written all over her face as she stared blankly out the window.

After driving herself crazy with possibilities all night, she had finally decided she needed to see for herself whether the wedding was real.

She called the wedding planning agency back from a different number and pretended to be a potential client. The employee didn't suspect anything and gave her the address.

As she sat lost in thought, her phone rang. It was someone she hadn't spoken to in years.

Allison stared at the name on the screen for a few seconds before answering.

"Hey, Elliot."

Her voice was hoarse, and her throat felt painfully dry.

"Allie, I'm so glad you picked up." Elliot Doyle sounded genuinely relieved. "You probably know why I'm calling, so I'll get straight to the point. The institute really needs you right now. Come back, and I'll make you director of R&D. Please?"

Allison wasn't in the mood to talk, and her voice stayed flat. "The institute already has you and Dr. Maxwell. I doubt it would make much difference whether I went back."

"What are you talking about?" Elliot asked urgently. "You founded the quantum resonator lab yourself. You know what this research could mean for the entire field. Besides, that position was always supposed to be yours. If you hadn't left seven years ago..."

He let out a sigh.

"I was only meant to fill in for you. Are you really going to make me do this forever?"

Allison was too overwhelmed to think straight. After being up all night, she could barely process what he was saying, let alone give him an answer.

"Let me think about it," she said. "I'll get back to you."

It was a small town, so Allison found the hotel hosting the wedding without much trouble. It was also the only upscale hotel in town.

A large portrait of the bride and groom was displayed prominently in the lobby.

The bride looked radiant, her face glowing with happiness. Anyone could see how deeply she loved the man beside her.

Allison's gaze shifted to the groom. The sight of Daniel's familiar face made her eyes sting.

"Hi. Can I help you?"

A middle-aged couple walked over. The man studied her with suspicion.

"You've been standing in front of my daughter and son-in-law's wedding portrait for a while. Are you here for the wedding?"

Their daughter and son-in-law?

So these were Camila's parents.

"I'm here to see Daniel. I'm his…"

"Oh, you're one of Daniel's relatives," Brandon Dixon said, cutting her off. He clearly assumed she was from the groom's side.

Technically, he wasn't wrong. She was related to Daniel.

Just not in the way he thought. She wasn't some distant relative. She was Daniel's wife.

"Yeah." Allison nodded.

Brandon and Stella Dixon immediately relaxed. Stella even slipped her arm through Allison's. "Well, you're late. Come on, the ceremony's about to start."

With that, the couple led Allison toward the ballroom.

Stella chatted the entire way. "We couldn't be happier with Daniel. He's handsome, well educated, and comes from a wonderful family. Honestly, there's nothing not to like. I'm thrilled Camila is marrying him."

Allison stared at the warm smile on Stella's lined face. Her happiness was clearly genuine.

"Is Daniel good to Camila?"

"Of course he is. He's been wonderful to our whole family, too," Brandon said, his voice full of pride. "He recently helped Camila's brother find a job. He even paid to have our house built and bought all the furniture. Every piece was imported."

"Last month, I had terrible stomach pain," Stella added. "Camila didn't trust the local hospital, so Daniel arranged for me to see specialists at a major hospital in Hampton. He stayed with Camila the entire time and took care of everything. He got me a private room, and he even had the head of the department and the hospital director examine me."

"After all that, it turned out you'd just eaten something bad," Brandon said. "You acted like you were dying."

Despite the complaint, he still looked proud of the attention they had received.

Allison's arm went stiff beneath Stella's hand.

Last month, Allison underwent surgery to remove a thyroid tumor. The hospital required a family member to sign the consent forms and stay with her. She told Daniel well in advance, and he promised to clear his schedule.

But on the day of the surgery, he never showed up. Every time she called, he either declined the call or ignored it.

In the end, Allison signed the forms herself.

During the three days she spent recovering in the hospital, she had no one but a temporary caregiver arranged by the staff.

Later, when she asked Daniel why he didn't come, he said he was helping a very important relative get medical treatment.

When she pressed him for details, he immediately lost his patience.

"Allison, can't you be a little more understanding? It was just thyroid surgery. Your life wasn't in danger. You know how busy I am. Besides, I gave you money to hire someone to take care of you, didn't I?"

As Allison looked at Brandon and Stella's glowing faces, it felt as though countless tiny needles were piercing her heart.

So the very important person Daniel had been taking care of that day was Stella.

Brandon and Stella were about to say more when a member of the wedding staff came over and asked them to take their seats. The ceremony was about to begin.