I should have walked away. I should have gone to my room, locked the door, and never looked back. But my legs wouldn’t move.

I stood in the dark hallway like a ghost, frozen by the voices spilling from the backyard. Their laughter felt like knives, each one sharper than the last. But the voice that gutted me most was his—River’s.

“Well, I’m not sure,” he said, casually, as though deciding what to do with some object he no longer found interesting. “Maybe I’ll send her somewhere far away… or, I don’t know, she’s convenient. Always like a dog, following me around. So maybe I’ll keep her.”

Laughter erupted.

My breath caught in my throat. A part of me wanted to cover my ears, to scream, but I couldn’t. My feet stayed rooted, and the rest of me shattered piece by piece.

Then another voice, probably his best friend, scoffed. “Wouldn’t that provoke Candice, though? Come on, man. You waited for her for seven years. You even flew to London every month just to catch a glimpse of her—and now you’re just gonna let Allison stick around like this? You’re spoiling Allison, and she probably thinks you actually love her now.”

I held my breath.

Then River spoke again—laughing.

“Love her? Oh, no. She’s nothing. Just someone who warms my bed at night.” His voice grew even colder. “Candice… Candice is the love of my life. I plan to marry her soon. Give her everything she deserves.”

The crack in my chest widened. I felt it rupture—sharp, ugly, silent.

I had been a fool.

“Where is Allison, by the way?” another voice chimed in. “Didn’t she get into some car accident? Weren’t you supposed to take care of her?”

River chuckled. “Oh, that? The butler handled it. I had this party to plan for my Candice.”

I think my soul left my body for a moment.

And then Candice arrived, her heels clacking on the patio tiles like the drumbeat of a final sentence. Her voice was honeyed as she approached him. “Thank you for the party… but I think I want some time alone with you. What do you think?”

River laughed again—so carefree, so charmed. “You know I’d never say no to you.”

He stood, took her hand, and disappeared with her inside.

I stumbled backward, tears already streaming down my face, my mouth open in a silent scream.

I rushed to my room and locked the door behind me. But even from there, the hallway filled with the sounds of their pleasure.

The soft moans. The harsh breaths. The sounds of a shared intimacy—one I had foolishly believed was mine.

And all I could do was cry.

The night dragged on. The morning sun was already bleeding through the curtains when the door to my room slammed open.

Ice-cold water splashed against my face, shocking me awake.

I gasped, coughing, drenched and trembling. “What the hell?!”

Candice stood at the foot of my bed, smirking in silk. “Didn’t I tell you to leave?” she said, tossing the now-empty glass onto the floor like it was trash. “What the hell are you still doing here?”

I wiped the cold water from my face, struggling to calm my shaking hands. “I didn’t mean to stay,” I said quietly. “I just came here to get my things. That’s all. I already booked my ticket. I swear—I’ll be gone in ten days.”

Candice crossed her arms, tilting her head like she’d just heard the most amusing joke. “Ten days?” she scoffed. “So you’re still planning to attend on his birthday?”

I looked away. “That’s just when my flight is. I don’t have anywhere else to stay until then… And if I suddenly vanish, River will get suspicious.”

She stepped closer, the scent of her perfume suffocating. “Right, because we wouldn’t want that, would we? You still care what he thinks. You think he’ll come running after you? Please.” Her voice dipped lower, sharper.

“I know you don’t want me telling him that you’re the one who forced me to leave.”

“What are you trying to say? That it’s my fault you’re leaving when you clearly know you have no place after I came back?”

Her hand lifted suddenly, ready to strike me across the face—

But the sound of approaching footsteps made her freeze.

River appeared in the doorway, hair tousled, shirt half-buttoned, eyes narrowing at the scene before him. “What’s happening here?”

Candice turned around in an instant, smile blooming like a flower in sunlight. “Oh, nothing,” she purred, linking her arm through his. “I just wanted to get to know your wife better. Since I’ll be staying here, I thought we could become friends.”

My heart stopped.

“She’s going to stay here?” I echoed, voice cracking.

River didn’t even look at me. “Yes,” he said casually. “Candice is a special friend. So I expect you to treat her right. Be respectful. Serve her.”

I stared at him, stunned into silence.

Candice leaned her head on his shoulder and yawned dramatically. “Speaking of serving… how about you cook breakfast for us? I’m starving.”

They turned to leave, and just before they disappeared down the hallway, River glanced back. “Don’t keep us waiting, Allison.”

And just like that, they were gone. Laughing. Whispering.

Leaving me soaked, humiliated, and shaking.

I sat down slowly on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the water pooling on the floor.

Ten days.

Just ten more days.

The next day, Candice played her role flawlessly.

She acted as if she cared—offering me coffee I didn’t ask for, giving me fake compliments about my “simple but sweet” dress, even laughing at nothing in particular when River was around, like we were just two girls getting along. But I could see through her sugar-coated words. Every smile was laced with venom, every soft voice was an act of dominance.

So I played my part too. I faked indifference. I smiled back. I nodded. I even thanked her for the coffee I never drank.

But beneath the mask, I was unraveling.

River had changed.

He was no longer the man who used to hold me in the dark, whispering that I was his everything. No longer the man who promised me forever.

Now he only had eyes for Candice.

That afternoon, he announced with a tone too cheerful to be real, “We’re going shopping.”

“We?” I had asked, though I already knew the answer.

“Yes,” he said, grabbing Candice’s hand with a smile. “You’ll come with us, won’t you? Help Candice pick things out.”

I didn’t realize help meant carrying her bags, following them like a servant while she twirled in designer stores and modeled dresses like a goddess on a runway.

When shop assistants asked if she was Mrs. Brown, River didn’t correct them.

He just smiled. They even commented on how beautiful his wife was, how lucky he must be.

Still, he said nothing.

He let them believe. And I stood there, holding shopping bags that weren’t mine, watching the man who once told me I was his world now pretend I didn’t exist.

In that moment, I finally saw it—how River had never gone public with our marriage.

At first, I thought it was for privacy. He hated press. I respected that.

But now… I understood. He never wanted the world to know I existed. Because maybe, deep down, he had always been waiting for Candice to come back. And when she did, he wanted things to slide perfectly into place.

I was just… in the way.

When we got home, Candice flopped onto the couch like a spoiled child after a long day at the carnival. “I love shopping with you,” she purred, kissing River’s cheek.

He smiled at her, not at me. Never at me anymore.

That night, while they laughed over wine and talked about things I wasn’t part of, I quietly got dressed and slipped out.

I didn’t tell anyone. I just needed air.

I needed to feel something that wasn’t suffocating.

It was a small graduation celebration. Familiar faces. Loud music. Cheap drinks. Nothing fancy, but it was real. My college friends cheered when they saw me, pulling me into hugs. For a while, I forgot. I danced. I laughed. I drank.

Too much. Far too much. The lights were spinning, or maybe I was. Someone handed me another shot, and I took it without thinking.

That’s when I heard the whispers.

"Isn’t that Candice? River Brown’s girl?” someone said, pointing across the bar.

And there she was. Candice. Laughing with her own circle of friends, dressed like the queen of the night, owning the room.

“She must be his wife now,” someone added, loud enough for me to hear.

Then came the laughter.

“Oh no, poor Allison. Remember how she used to say she was River’s wife?”

“Delusional much?”

“They only share a last name. Coincidence.”

I turned my back. I didn’t want to cry—not here. Let them laugh. It didn’t matter anymore. I’d be gone in days.

I returned to the dance floor, more unsteady than before. My world swayed like a sinking ship.

And then Denver appeared. He has been my friend since college.

“Allison,” he said gently, placing his hands on my arms. “Hey, you’re drunk. You should go home.”

“I’m fine,” I mumbled, even as I leaned into his chest, too dizzy to stand on my own.

“No, you’re not.” He looked worried. “Come on. I’ll take you.”

I didn’t resist when he helped me outside. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around him. I didn’t say anything. I just held on—because at that moment, he felt like the only steady thing in my collapsing world.

I got sober after a while. The air outside the bar had been cold, grounding. Denver didn’t say much, just drove me home while I stared out the window, my thoughts numb and blurry.

When we reached the house, I murmured, “Thanks, Denver. For everything.”

He gave me a soft smile. “Anytime, Al.”

But as I stepped out of the car, I froze.

River was waiting at the door. Arms crossed. Jaw clenched. His first words sliced through the night like a blade.

“Are you cheating on me?”

I blinked. For a moment, I thought I’d imagined it. Then I laughed. Not out of amusement, but disbelief.

“The nerve,” I muttered, stepping closer. “What are you even talking about?”

River didn’t hesitate. He held up his phone and pressed play.

A video. A photo. Me, slumped against Denver, arms around his neck. Laughing. Drunk.

The hug. The one I needed to stay on my feet. Of course, it must be Candice.

“Who is this guy?” River demanded, his voice tight. “Why are you flirting with him?”

“You know him,” I said through clenched teeth. “That’s Denver. My close friend. You’ve met him before.”

“So?” River snapped. “Didn’t I tell you? Stay away from your friends.”

“I went to a graduation celebration,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “A goodbye party.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t think you cared anymore, River,” I said quietly. “If you’d excuse me… I’d like to sleep now.”

But he stepped in front of me. “No. I’m not done talking to you.”

I stared at him, tired. “What do you want from me?”

“I’m asking if you’re cheating.”

“No,” I said flatly. “I’m not.”

River’s eyes narrowed. “If I ever find out you’re lying, Allison, you know this will ruin my reputation.”

I looked at him. Really looked at him. “How?” I asked. “No one even knows I’m your wife. The public? They think you’re single. Or that Candice is the one you love. Only a few of your closest friends even remember my name.”

“That’s not the point,” he snapped. “When you married me, you weren’t allowed to make friends. Or flirt. I am your husband. So act like a wife.”

I swallowed hard. The silence between us cracked like glass.

“Due to this,” he continued coldly, “you’re not allowed to leave the house for days. Understood?”

I didn’t respond. I didn’t cry. I just… sighed. No energy left to argue.

I turned and walked inside, not even looking back. Why was he acting this way? Was it his ego? His pride? Or something else entirely?

I would never know. But that night, while the rest of the house slept, I stayed up and made a quiet phone call.

To a divorce lawyer.

“I’d like to file for divorce,” I said softly.

And with that, the countdown truly began.

The next few days blurred together.

I stayed quiet. A shadow. Candice moved through the house like a queen preparing for a coronation—arranging every detail for River’s birthday celebration.

And I? I simply existed. Watched. Waited. Packed in silence.

The night before the party, I stood in my room, suitcase by the door. My entire life in a single bag.

Candice appeared in the doorway, arms crossed, lips painted in victory.

“Make sure you never come back,” she said, her voice sweet and sharp. “Understood?”

I met her gaze without blinking. “I would never come back. You don’t have to worry. Feel free to be with him for the rest of your life.”

And I meant every word.

Before I left, I walked to the bedside table and placed everything that once tied me to this place.

The signed divorce papers. My wedding ring. A gift I’d saved up for over months: a vintage watch I knew he’d admired once in passing. And a small box of memories. Photos. Notes. A dried rose from our first date.

Maybe he’d throw it all away. Maybe he wouldn’t even notice.

Didn’t matter anymore. I was done.

The next morning, I arrived at the airport early. The sun hadn’t even risen. I watched planes take off, one after another, their engines roaring toward freedom.

Then, I pulled out my phone to send him one last message.

“Sorry, I can’t come to your birthday party. I’m going to have an artist affair.”

I typed quickly, hit send, and shut off my phone as the plane began to move—only realizing later that I had accidentally deleted the word “artist” before sending.

The second I switched my phone back on, a wave of missed calls and frantic notifications crashed over the screen, all from River—freezing me in place.