Chapter 3

Reina was Darian's new secretary, five years younger than me and right in the prime of her youth.

She was radiant and loved to laugh. Whenever she smiled, those two dimples made her look absolutely adorable.

I didn't go over. I admitted that I backed down. I was terrified of hearing an answer I couldn't handle.

I was supposed to be the rightful one, but at that moment, I felt like an outsider, like a mistress, too scared to step forward.

I peeked at Reina's medical record. It was nothing but a simple scratch, barely worth mentioning.

The doctor sneered, "Honestly, if you'd come any later, the wound would've healed on its own."

But Darian was still fussing over Reina, taking care of her with tenderness I knew all too well. It was the same look he used to give me, and only me.

Now, Darian looked at me like I'd stolen something from him.

"You already have all of me. I really don't know how long you plan to keep this up. Do you want to keep me on a leash or something? Milena, you're suffocating me," he said.

Darian saw I wasn't saying anything and added, his eyes full of obvious disgust and exhaustion.

I wondered when I started obsessing over whether I was losing Darian.

It all began after we got married. Darian started coming home later and later, random women would text me just to mess with me, and he was constantly making headlines with new scandals.

Severe depression hit me, and I spent night after night unable to sleep.

My weight dropped from a hundred pounds to barely eighty, so frail that I felt like a gust of wind could knock me over.

Darian was my only remedy. As long as he was near, I felt safe. My dependence on him grew into something unhealthy, almost an addiction.

When kids didn't get the gift they wanted, they threw tantrums and cried.

I was like a wild animal cornered with no way out, resorting to all sorts of desperate measures to make Darian come home.

The only thing echoing in my mind was the urge to see him.

Things started to look up after I got pregnant. All my attention shifted to the baby, and I was desperate for him to be born, so I wouldn't have to face everything alone anymore.

It was then that I realized I didn't really need Darian. What I needed was a sense of security. I was just so lonely.

I just couldn't handle being alone, always scared that someday, a bunch of scary strangers would barge in and shatter my world.

I pictured them violating me, ripping my clothes apart, and slamming my head into the coffee table.

I never wanted to remember that dark memory, but it haunted me like a nightmare, constantly tormenting me.

Darian knew all about it. Back then, he would patiently hold me, comfort me, and let me breathe in his familiar scent. Only then could I finally get some sleep.

But later, Darian would just say I was being overly sensitive, asking why I couldn't just let the past go.

It turned out that empathy only showed up when someone actually loved you.

Now, hearing the way Darian was so eager to push me away, I felt a bit lighter inside, like a weight had finally been lifted.

Since we both ended up resenting each other, I thought we should just let go and move on.

Darian said, "And stop bothering Reina. She got scraped by an e-bike while trying to save me.

"Don't blow things out of proportion and start thinking I'm hooking up with her."

So, in Reina's story, I was the one bothering her. Funny, since she was always posting provocative updates just to mess with me.

Reina somehow got my WhatsApp, and right after, she posted a picture of her coffee on her feed, with Darian faintly visible in the office behind her.

The caption said: [My boss was worried I'd be unsafe heading home alone, so he stayed late to keep me company and even got me coffee. He's the best!]

So what was I doing then? I was doubled over with stomach pain, desperately calling Darian for help.

He picked up, but his voice was full of irritation, like he couldn't be bothered.

"Other women don't act this dramatically when they're pregnant. Just drink some hot water and go to bed," he said coldly.

He couldn't care less if I was suffering. He was too busy staying late at work with someone else.

My health was always a mess, and after losing so much weight, everything was out of whack.

Even the doctor warned me it wasn't the right time to get pregnant. I was sure Darian was aware of that.

When he loved me, he'd say I was so delicate and needed his protection.

But now, he just said I was being dramatic.

What a cruel irony it was!

I raised my eyes and spoke calmly, "I just had a miscarriage. From now on, whoever you're with, whoever you care about, it's no longer my concern."

In the empty room, my words were the only sound, quiet but resolute.