A sudden rush of hope shot through my chest.
I stepped into the living room in a hurry, my eyes searching for the figure, the corners of my lips already lifting. “Hon! You’re back?”
My voice was filled with joy.
But the moment she turned around, the smile vanished from my face.
It was Milly.&
She was dressed in a silky, pale pink gown, her hair down in soft waves, makeup flawless, a coy smile playing on her lips. “Slade,” she said softly. “I came to see you.”
My face fell. My voice turned cold. “Why are you here?“>
She blinked, caught off guard. “I missed you. You’ve been ignoring me lately…”
She stepped closer, slowly, like she could close the distance between us by sheer will, her arms reaching out to embrace me. But I didn’t move. I just stood there, staring at her.§
And at that moment, the absurdity hit me hard.
‘How could she ever be Virginia? Milly isn’t my wife. She will never be my wife!‘}
Thinking of that, I shoved Milly away.§
She stumbled back onto the couch, her face stunned and hurt. “What’s wrong with you? I’m your fiancée. I can’t even touch you now?“{ “Fiancée?” I laughed bitterly, my eyes sharp as blades. “Who told you that?“}
She bit her lip, trying to look fragile. “Didn’t your PR team already announce it? There’s even a video… Slade, we’re already like this. Why can’t you just accept it?“}
I stepped forward, my rage barely contained.§
“Drop the act, Milly. I know everything. You planned the whole thing–with the baby.”
That made her face pale.
“You really thought i wouldn’t find out? That video’s all over the internet.”}
Her lips trembled. “I–I only did it because I care about you. I was afraid she’d hurt you-”
“Don’t use ‘love‘ as an excuse.”
My voice turned cold. “You weren’t afraid of her hurting me. You were afraid of her staying. Now, she’s gone.”
My voice cracked like a whip. “Isn’t that what you wanted?“}
“Then… Can we start over?” she asked shamelessly, stepping toward me like a woman with nothing left. “Slade, it wasn’t easy for us to get here. She’s not in the picture anymore. There’s nothing standing in our way.”
“We?” I laughed again, more sarcastic this time.”
Finally, the truth was clear.
“I’ll admit it. I used to be obsessed with you. But it was just that–an obsession. It came from guilt, from things I never got closure on. “But she–she’s my fiancée, Milly.
“I didn’t understand love before. But now I do. Every day she spent with me, she never asked for anything. She held our home together while you kept trying to tear it apart!“}
Milly’s eyes filled with tears. She probably never imagined I’d speak to her this way.
“But Virginia is gone!” she cried. “You’re too late! What good is regret now?”
My voice was even colder when I replied, “I only regret one thing–that I was the one who drove her away.
“You think I’ll ever love you just because she’s gone? Never, Milly. Never.
“You should leave. And stop fooling yourself. If you stay, I can’t promise I won’t take revenge for the child you… you took from me.” My gaze turned distant, like she was nothing more than a stranger.
And in my heart, she was.
