Tome I « Attends encore 2/3ans et in shaa Allah j'te marie.»

[Alma]

I stood by the window longer than I should have, my fingers lightly gripping the edge of the curtain as my gaze drifted once again toward the dining table behind me.

Everything was set

Today wasn’t just our anniversary. It was also my birthday.

My eyes lingered on the table, taking in every small detail I had spent the entire evening arranging, and for a moment, I allowed myself to imagine how it's going to be.

A quiet dinner.

A small smile.

Maybe even a conversation that didn’t feel forced.

My lips curved faintly at the thought.

I turned back to the window just in time to see a car pull into the driveway.

My breath caught before I could stop it.

Mason.

Relief spread through me so quickly it almost felt like warmth, and for the briefest moment, everything inside me softened.

The tightness in my chest loosened, my shoulders relaxing as a small, hopeful smile found its way to my lips.

Maybe he hadn’t forgotten.

Maybe he just got caught up in work.

The sound of the door unlocking echoed through the house, quiet but enough to send my heart into a faster rhythm.

I moved toward the entrance without thinking, stopping just a few steps away from the door.

The door opened and Mason stepped in.

"Hi, baby," I said softly, my voice carrying more hope than I intended.

Mason's eyes flicked toward me.

Just briefly.

No pause, no smile, no softening of expression that said he was glad to see me.

And just like that, he walked past me.

Like my presence in the room required no response at all.

The smile on my lips faded.

I turned slightly, watching his back as he moved further into the house, his steps heavy, uninterested, detached in a way that had become far too familiar.

For a moment, I stood there, telling myself not to read into it.

He’s tired.

It’s been a long day for him.

I turned toward the dining table

The candles were still burning.

The plates are still untouched.

I let out a quiet breath.

Maybe he just needed a moment.

Holding onto that fragile thread of hope, I made my way upstairs.

Each step felt slower than the last, the earlier warmth in my chest fading into something heavier.

By the time I reached the bedroom, I hesitated only briefly before pushing the door open.

"Mason," I called softly.

He didn’t turn.

"Mason, is something wrong?" I continued, stepping further into the room. "I was trying to welcome you and..."

"I did hear you," he cut in, his voice flat.

I stopped mid-step.

"I just got back," he added, irritation creeping in without restraint. "And what I need right now is distance, I'm tired."

The words didn’t just land—they settled, heavy and suffocating, pressing against my chest in a way that made it difficult to breathe past them.

"Mason I know you just got back but you should have at least said hi to me."

"And who made that rule?" He snapped, making me flinch, I took a step back, my hand curling tightly beside me. "Are you daft that you don't know when to read the fucking room?"

The question struck harder than it should have.

"I… I didn’t mean to upset you," I managed, though even to my own ears, the words sounded like something I had said far too many times before.

Silence stretched between us again, thick and uncomfortable, pressing in from all sides.

"I've just been working all day trying to make tonight special for us," I said after a moment, forcing the words out despite the tightness in my throat.

He frowned slightly, as though the idea itself irritated him.

"And what’s special about tonight?”

"You… don’t remember?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"If this is about you trying to make my day worse than it already is, Alma, I am not in such a mood," he said, brushing past it like it held no weight at all.

"Baby, it’s my birthday and our anniversary today," I said quietly. "Don't tell me you forgot?"

He stared at me for a moment.

I expected a smile, for him to tell me he didn't forget but instead he let out a short, dismissive scoff. "And what exactly am I supposed to do with that information right now?”

My throat tightened.

"Mason, what are you saying?" I said quickly. "Today is a special day, I just thought maybe we could...spend time together, have fun, and..."

That was all I wanted.

But he stared up at him and laughed under his breath.

"Alma, I don't have such time and you know it, and please let me be, I had a stressful day."

My lips parted, but no words came.

"Mason all I'm asking is to spend today with my husband, eat and drink together, is that too much to ask of you?"

"That's your problem, you're always asking for something," he said coldly, staring deep into my eyes. "And rather than eating all day, look after yourself...you've been looking terribly out of shape "

My heart stopped.

I blinked. "Mason, did you just..."

Before I could finish, his phone rang, the sound cutting through the room like a blade.

Mason looked at the screen.

And everything in him shifted.

The tension in his shoulders disappeared instantly.

His expression softened.

His eyes changed.

And then he smiled. It was small, but real.

I stood there watching it happen, something cold spreading through my chest.

He answered immediately, pressing the phone to his ear.

"Tessy?"

My stomach dropped at the name.

"Tessy, what’s wrong?" Mason's voice changed completely—urgent now, alert, focused.

I took a small step forward without thinking.

"You’re stuck?" he continued, already grabbing his keys from the dresser. “Where exactly are you?”

My heartbeat quickened as I stared at my husband.

"Just hold on, I’ll be there now," Mason said quickly, already rushing toward the door like I didn't exist in the same space anymore.

"Mason, where are you going?" My voice came out shaky before I could stop it.

He didn’t slow down.

"Tessy needs me. She’s stuck on the road."

My chest tightened.

"You’re leaving?" I asked, disbelief rising in my throat. "Right now?"

He finally looked at me.

But there was no hesitation in him.

"I just said Tessy needs me."

"And I don’t?" The words came out sharper than I intended, breaking halfway through. "You’re really going to leave your wife on a special day like this to go over to that woman?"

His expression changed instantly.

"Listen Alma, don't you ever refer to Tessy like that woman ever again." Something dangerous flashed in his eyes. "She's not just any woman," he said coldly. "And right now, nothing is more important than going out there to make sure she's safe."

I blinked slowly, tears burning my eyes as I took a step forward without realizing it

"Mason, you're choosing Tessy, your ex-girlfriend over your own wife on a day like this?" The word slipped out before I could stop it.

Mason's hand paused on the handle, and my heart skipped.

And just when I thought my husband would really change his mind, his shoulders went stiff as he stared back at me.

"Don’t wait up for me," he said, pulling the door open. "I’ll likely not be home tonight."

And just like that, he stepped out and the door shut behind him.

The words didn’t sink in immediately.

They just…hung there.

And then it hit me.

Slowly.

Painfully.

I was being left behind.

On a big day like this.

For another woman.