I dragged myself home, exhausted to the bone. The wedding photo on the wall caught my eye, and this time it looked nothing short of absurd.

Adela. The one they all kept mentioning. She'd been our wedding photographer.

Back then, Leo had visited her studio over and over again, always with the same pretty excuse: he wanted me to look my most beautiful on our wedding day.

Now it all made sense. Every last sign had been there.

I stared at the photo—at Leo's tender smile—and couldn't tell anymore whether it had been meant for Adela or for me.

The next day, I didn't reach out to Leo. Not once. Before all this, I would've texted him every spare moment I had.

Because he hadn't heard from me all day, Leo came home that night.

The second he walked through the door, the interrogation began.

"Rose, why didn't you text me today?"

My face was blank. Unreadable.

"You must've been busy."

Leo opened his mouth, then closed it. He had nothing. Finally, he held out a shopping bag.

"Things are about to slow down soon. Rose, I brought you a gift. I know I haven't been around much lately."

Inside was a bottle of perfume. The floral scent hit me immediately, sharp and cloying.

I was allergic to floral fragrances.

I pushed the bag away.

"Rose, I picked this out especially for you. You don't like it?"

His brow creased, as though I were the one who'd done something hurtful.

"I'm allergic."

Something like realization flickered across his face. He pulled me into his arms.

"I'm sorry. I've been so swamped I forgot. Once this busy stretch is over, I'll make it up to you. I promise."

His clothes carried a different floral scent. Someone else's perfume, sharp against my nose.

"Mm."

I eased out of his embrace, turned, and headed for the bedroom.

"Rose Barnes." His voice hardened behind me. "So I forgot one thing, and you're going to give me attitude? I've been traveling for work—for us, for this home. What's your problem? Can you grow up? You think you're still that eighteen-year-old girl from seven years ago?"

I didn't respond.

Seven years ago, Leo wouldn't even let me walk past a flower shop. He'd cover my nose with his hand, terrified I'd breathe in the pollen.

Behind me, he snatched the perfume bag and hurled it into the trash.

"I spoil you too much. Take it or leave it."

The next day, a crowd of Leo's friends showed up at the apartment for dinner. Trailing behind them was Adela Swanson.

Leo's expression tightened. A flicker of nerves crossed his face.

"Hey, sis!" Adela extended her hand with a bright smile. "I'm Adela. Remember me?"

A custom diamond ring glittered on her finger. On mine sat a plastic band.

My gaze dropped to her swollen belly, round and unmistakable beneath her dress. My hand refused to move.

Leo grabbed Adela's outstretched hand before the silence stretched too long. "Rose has been exhausted lately. Don't take it personally."

At dinner, the air conditioning blew directly onto my back and Adela's.

Leo stood up immediately and switched seats with Adela, shielding her from the cold air.

He'd forgotten. Years ago, I'd slept in a damp, freezing underground parking garage for so long that I couldn't tolerate cold air blowing on me. He used to know that.

"Rose, your makeup looks even better these days." Adela sighed theatrically, one hand resting on her belly. "It's such a shame—now that I'm pregnant, I can't wear any."

Her face was pure provocation.

When Leo noticed my expression souring, he rushed to smooth things over.

"Don't mind her, Rose. Adela doesn't know any better. Don't be so sensitive. She's just joking around."

A cold laugh escaped me. I looked straight at Adela.

"Is that so? With a face that fake, you don't need makeup. You're already wearing a mask."

Leo's expression shifted instantly.

"Rose. That's out of line."

Adela lowered her eyes, lips trembling, tears welling on cue. She excused herself and hurried toward the bathroom.

"Rose Barnes." Leo's voice dropped, each word sharp with disgust. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? From the moment Adela walked in, you've had that look on your face. Fine, take it out on me—but a pregnant woman? Have you no shame? You can't have children, and that's not her fault."

Leo's face flushed red as he pointed at me.

But I was calmer than I expected. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket, turned, and walked back to the bedroom.

Leo seemed surprised by how calm I was.

"Nice one, Leo. She already knows she was wrong."

Hearing his friend say that, Leo assumed I'd gone back to the room out of guilt. A satisfied smile spread across his face.

I closed the door behind me and opened the text message.

Rose, your flight is booked for five days from now.

I looked down at the plastic ring on my finger.

Leo had bought it for me seven years ago. His very first gift to me.

A five-dollar trinket from a street vendor. I'd worn it for seven years.

Before long, someone knocked on my door.

It was Leo.

"Rose, come on out. Adela's not that petty."

My voice was flat. "No thanks."

I moved to close the door.

"Rose Barnes, every person out there is my friend. Do you really have to embarrass me like this? When did you become so inconsiderate?"

Then Adela appeared behind him.

"Leo, let me talk to her."

Leo sighed, nodded, and headed back to the dining room.

The moment he was gone, Adela's expression shifted. Like a mask slipping off.

"Rose Barnes, I refuse to believe you're this stupid. You really haven't figured it out? This baby is Leo's. And his real wife? That's me. So do yourself a favor and get lost."

I let a smile touch the corner of my lips. "Is that so? A 'real wife' who has to hide in the shadows?"

That hit a nerve. Adela's eyes went sharp.

"Don't get too full of yourself, Rose. Who do you think Leo's going to choose?"

And then she threw herself backward.

"Adela!"

Leo and his friends came rushing over.

"I'm sorry, Rose," Adela whimpered, clutching her stomach. "I know it bothers you that other people can get pregnant, but I can't lose this baby. Please, I'm begging you, leave him alone."

Leo didn't even bother pretending anymore.

"Rose Barnes, have you lost your mind? You could've killed her!"

Adela was rushed to the hospital.

Leo stood rigid outside the operating room, eyes locked on the doors.

"Rose Barnes, you'd better pray nothing happens to her."

I let out a quiet laugh. "And if something does? What, is the baby yours or something?"

Leo's hand trembled.

Whispers rippled through the people around us.

"Looks like we've got a cheating scandal."

"The wife caught the mistress."

Leo's expression darkened.

"Rose Barnes, when did you learn to throw around baseless accusations?"

My fists clenched at my sides. "Baseless? You know damn well whether it's baseless."

Something in my tone must have tipped him off, because Leo suddenly grabbed my arm. "Whatever this is, we'll talk about it at home."

I wrenched free. "What's the matter? Afraid she'll lose her reputation?"

That finally set him off.

"You really want to do this? You want to tear everything apart right here?"

"Fine. Let me spell it out for you, Rose Barnes. Adela is my legal wife. You're the other woman. So where do you get off acting like you have the moral high ground?"

"What do you even have? You're a hen that can't lay eggs. I've been more than generous to you. Without me, who do you think would ever want you?"

The man standing in front of me had become a stranger.

I couldn't even pinpoint when it had happened—when he'd stopped loving me.

Seven years of my life, and he'd treated every last one of them like garbage.

"Oh my God, I thought she was the wife. Turns out she's the mistress."

"A mistress acting that entitled? Shameless."

The crowd's whispers fueled Leo's confidence.

My reaction was strangely calm.

In Leo's eyes, that could only mean one thing—I was too afraid to leave him.

"Rose, I don't want to make this uglier than it has to be. Adela can't handle any more stress right now. Just go."

I turned and left.

I didn't pack a bag. There was nothing worth taking.

On the third night, the front door swung open.

The first thing Leo did when he walked in was check whether I'd packed.

When he saw my clothes still hanging in their usual place, the tension left his shoulders.

He'd always remembered what I told him when I was sixteen—that I'd never leave him. So once again, he was certain I wouldn't go.

"Rose, you should understand where I'm coming from. You can't get pregnant, so I had to find another way. Besides, my child would be your child too, wouldn't it?"

"And let's be honest—life is long. I'm a normal man. If you could take care of my physical needs, I wouldn't have had to go looking elsewhere, right?"

Every word out of Leo's mouth was more shameless than the last.

As if all of this were somehow my fault.

"Leo… do you actually still love me?"

His voice carried a thin edge of impatience.

"Of course I still love you. Why else would I have gone through all this trouble to keep it from you until now? Rose, you can't be this selfish. You can't let your condition stop me from having what any normal person needs."

So in the end, I was the selfish one.

My voice shook with barely contained fury.

"Leo, when you were eighteen, you didn't abandon me over this 'condition.' Seven years. And now you're telling me you need this."

He frowned, not a shred of shame on his face.

"We were students back then. All we needed was love, and that was enough. But we're adults now. Love alone doesn't cut it."

"But don't worry. Once Adela has the baby and everything settles down, I'll marry you. And then we'll have a child of our own."

When I didn't respond, he sat down beside me.

His tone softened a fraction.

"Come on, Rose. Everything I'm doing is for our future. And you don't need to worry about Adela—I've already apologized to her on your behalf. She said she's willing to forgive you."

He pulled my head against his shoulder.

"But she's going to be emotional for a while. I'm worried that seeing you might set her off, so just stay at a hotel for a few days, okay? I need to be with her."

In that moment, I knew with absolute certainty: the boy I'd loved was dead.

"Rose, we're not kids anymore. You're mature enough to understand, right? Just wait a little longer. You promised—you said you'd never leave me."

With that, he glanced at the incoming call flashing on his phone and hurried out the door.

When I was sixteen, I waited for his broken heart to heal.

When I was eighteen, I waited for the better days he promised.

This year, I waited for him to marry me.

Now I was supposed to wait for whatever scraps of love he decided to throw my way.

One day passed. Then another. Leo never came back.

Instead, Adela's social media became the last place I saw him.

"Clumsy new dad-to-be."

"Shopping for baby stuff with my hubby—he insists it's a girl, so everything's pink."

"Morning sickness is brutal, but I've got my husband's home-cooked meals to get me through."

I looked down at the takeout Leo had ordered to my hotel door and let out a hollow laugh.

I slipped the plastic ring off my finger and dropped it on the table.

…

At the airport, before boarding, there was no longing, no goodbye. I snapped the SIM card I'd carried for nine years in half, tossed it in the trash, and walked through the gate without looking back.

Our love arrived without warning—mine crashed into me all at once, and his vanished just as fast.

I wished him well. I wished him everything.

I just never wanted to see him again.

Early the next morning, a call came through on Leo's phone.

It was from the hotel.

"Hello, is this Miss Barnes? After you checked out, some clothing and jewelry were left behind in your room. Would you like us to hold them for you?"