Chapter 3

I got into a taxi and gave the address where I had lived for five years.

When I opened the door, I saw Daniel's coat on the rack. Next to it hung a woman's jacket, light-colored, made of thin fabric. It looked like it had been there for a while, draped over the hook like it belonged. I looked at it for two seconds, then did not touch it.

I did not have much to pack. Over the past five years, I had put most of my money into his company.

When I opened the drawer to get my passport, my fingers brushed against a small box that had gathered dust. I opened it. Inside was a silver bracelet, thin and delicate, with a small stone that was not worth much.

He had bought it at a vintage shop eight years ago. He put it on my wrist that night and said, "Alessandra, I have nothing right now. I know this is not much. But I promise you, one day I will buy you something better."

I thought that night was the best night of my life. That bracelet was proof that I had chosen something for myself. Not an arrangement. Not a transaction. My choice.

I believed him. I believed him so much that I went to my grandfather and told him I would marry no one else. He was quiet for a long time, then said, "Eight years. If he has not married you by then, you come back."

I thought I would not lose. Now I knew that the one who had been wrong all along was me.

I was about to close the box when I heard the lock turn. Daniel came in, shaking rain from his umbrella. When he saw the open suitcase in the bedroom, his brow furrowed.

He walked over and put his hand on my suitcase. "You are really leaving? Over this?"

I moved his hand away. "It is not about this."

"Then what is it?" He stood there, looking at me. "I have traveled for work before. You never acted like this. Megan is new. I am just looking out for her. You used to understand. When we were starting out, we worked around the clock, and you never complained."

He let out a breath, his voice softening. "I do not know when you became this sensitive. You used to say 'Go, I have it covered.' Now I mention a non-refundable ticket and you are packing your bags. Everything I do is for us. The bigger the company gets, the better our life will be."

"Megan is young. She does not know how things work yet. I do not want her to struggle alone. You always told me to be more considerate. Now that I am, you are upset."

He looked at me with a tired confusion, like he genuinely could not understand why I was making such a scene.

I looked back at him, and I felt the last bit of warmth in my chest cooling, piece by piece. In his mind, my patience and my sacrifice had become reasons I was not allowed to be unhappy now.

"Daniel." I said his name quietly. "Are you really not seeing it, or are you choosing not to?"

He paused, like the question caught him off guard. Then his phone lit up. He glanced at it, and I saw his eyebrows lift slightly. He typed one word and turned the phone face down.

"Work," he said.

I did not press. He continued, "I will be in Miami for a few days. Do not leave before I get back. When I return, we will get married. I mean it. Whatever you want, I will give it to you. Will that make this right?"

I looked at him and smiled. "Daniel, we are not getting married anymore."

He stood there, like the words had not fully reached him. My phone lit up too.