The clock ticked louder with every passing minute. Nine o’clock. The hands on the wall mocked me with their steady rhythm. He said he’d be home before evening. Evening had bled into night, and still, I sat alone.

I had dressed for him. A soft dress he always liked, the one that hugged me just enough to make his eyes darken. I had even slipped on lipstick, something I hadn’t done in weeks. The table was set, candles flickering, and in the oven, his favorite lasagna with extra meat, just the way he loved it.

The bell had rung, and I had opened the door with my heart racing, only for my smile to die the instant I saw her standing beside him. Natalie. She carried herself with easy grace, her perfume filling the air as if she belonged here.

I let them in, silent, cold. The candles still burned on the table, the lasagna sat waiting, but the sight of her at his side stole away all the hunger I had.

Reid noticed the food and gave me a smile. “You even made lasagna? Karline, you spoil me.”

I forced a nod, lowering my eyes. “I thought… we’d have dinner together.”

Natalie slid into the chair opposite him, her smile bright. “It smells wonderful. Karline, you really are amazing.”

I sat at the table, pushing the food around my plate. Reid and Natalie fell into their own rhythm, talking about their childhood, about places and names that meant nothing to me.

“Do you remember the time we skipped class to go to the lake?” Natalie’s laugh rang across the table.

Reid chuckled, his eyes warming. “How could I forget? You nearly drowned and blamed me for pushing you in.”

“You did push me,” she teased.

Their laughter filled the space between us. I pressed my lips together, setting my fork down with a soft clink. My appetite was gone.

“I think I’ll go lie down,” I said quietly, rising from my seat.

Reid’s laughter faded as he looked at me, surprise flickering in his eyes. “You’re going to bed already?”

“I’m tired,” I murmured, avoiding his gaze.

He frowned slightly, leaning back in his chair. “Baby, are you okay? You barely touched your food.”

“I’m fine,” I lied, my voice cool.

Natalie shifted uncomfortably, but Reid’s eyes stayed on me. “Karline…” he said softly, as if he wanted me to explain.

I offered a tight smile. “Enjoy your dinner. Good night.”

Before he could say more, I turned and walked toward the bedroom. My heart pounded, my throat ached with words I didn’t want to say in front of her.

Behind me, I heard Reid’s voice, lower this time. “She’s not usually like this. I’ll check on her later.”

The door closed behind me, muffling their voices, but not the ache in my chest. I lay down in bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering if Reid even realized how far away from me he already felt.

I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. The laughter from the dining room had faded, replaced by the muffled hum of conversation and then the sound of the front door closing. Silence followed.

A moment later, I heard footsteps. Steady. Familiar. They stopped at the bedroom door.

“Karline,” Reid’s voice was low, careful. He pushed the door open, his tall frame filling the doorway. “She’s gone.”

I didn’t answer. I shifted on the bed, turning my back toward him. My chest tightened when I felt the mattress dip as he sat beside me.

He reached out, brushing his fingers over my arm. “Baby, talk to me. Why did you leave the table like that?”

I swallowed hard, fighting to keep my voice steady. “You seemed… comfortable enough without me there.”

His brows drew together, his hand pausing. “What does that mean?”

I finally turned, meeting his eyes. “You promised me today. You said you’d be back before evening. Instead, you walked in at nine at night..with her.” My voice cracked on the last word.

Reid sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. “I know I’m late. I didn’t realize it would take so long. Natalie just… needed someone to talk to about the case. She’s been through a lot.”

“And I haven’t?” My words came sharper than I intended. “Do you know how it felt? Sitting there in this dress, waiting… cooking your favorite meal, only for you to walk in with another woman by your side?”

His eyes softened, and he cupped my cheek. “Don’t say that. You know what you mean to me. Karline, you’re my wife. My everything. I would never put anyone above you.”

“Then why,” I whispered, tears threatening, “do I feel like I’m losing you to her?”

Reid leaned closer, pressing his forehead to mine. His voice dropped to a plea. “You’re not losing me. You’ll never lose me. Natalie is just my friend. You… you are my present. My future. My wife.”

I wanted to believe him. His lips brushed mine gently, his breath warm, his words sealing the space between us. But the ache in my chest lingered, the image of them laughing together still sharp in my mind.

When he kissed me deeper, I let him, because part of me still craved him, his warmth, his touch, his love. Yet somewhere in the back of my heart, doubt whispered like a shadow that refused to leave.

Next Day

His meeting was over earlier than expected today so he just invited me for lunch.

Being a Ceo he really doesn't have much time to spend with me..but he still manages to make time to spend with me.

The garden terrace was a picture of elegance. Sunlight filtered through wide parasols, a gentle breeze carried the fragrance of roses planted along the fence, and the sound of cutlery against fine china created a delicate rhythm. Waiters in crisp uniforms glided from table to table, pouring wine into tall glasses.

Reid sat at the head of our table, the perfect image of authority even outside the office. His suit jacket was folded neatly over the back of his chair, his white shirt rolled at the sleeves, but power clung to him effortlessly. He looked like a man who owned the world.

I was still admiring him when Natalie arrived, Adrian walking confidently at her side. His smile was quick, charming, the kind that always felt a little too smooth.

“Reid,” Natalie greeted warmly. “Karline.”

Adrian gave me a longer look before pulling out his chair. “It’s been too long. Karline, you look radiant today. Reid must be very proud to have you by his side.”

Adrian the bestfriend of Natalie.. they used to work in the same hospital together.

He had come for a dinner or too in our home.. and that's where me and Reid knows him.

“Thank you,” I said politely, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

Reid’s hand shifted on the table, his fingers brushing mine briefly as if to remind me he was listening. “Sit. Let’s eat,” he said.

Once they were settled, Reid leaned toward Natalie. “Your case. Has it closed yet?”

Natalie shook her head, her expression somber. “No. It’s dragging on. Some days, I wonder if it’s worth fighting anymore.”

Reid’s voice was steady, reassuring. “You don’t quit. Not until every option is gone. We’ll go through it together again. There will be a way forward.”

Natalie’s lips curved into a faint, grateful smile. “You’ve always had that strength, Reid.”

Adrian cleared his throat and turned his attention to me. “And what about you, Karline? Does he show you that same strength at home, or does he let you see the softer side the rest of us never do?”

I gave a small laugh, glancing at Reid. “He’s… a little of both.”

Adrian leaned in slightly, lowering his voice in a way that still carried. “I envy that. To have both the protector and the man underneath… you’re lucky,.”

Reid’s eyes flicked to Adrian, then to me. He sipped his wine before speaking, calm but firmer this time. “She is more than lucky. She deserves all of me, and she has it.”

Adrian smiled as though the words amused him. “I can see that. Still, it’s rare to meet a woman who could match Reid’s presence. Most would be overshadowed. But you… you shine in your own light.”

The compliment was too direct to ignore. My cheeks warmed, but I managed to smile politely. “That’s kind of you, Adrian.”

Reid set his glass down, his gaze steady now. “Adrian, you’ve made your point. My kar doesn’t need anyone to tell her how remarkable she is.”

I reached for Reid’s hand under the table, giving it a light squeeze. “It’s alright,” I said softly. “He was only being kind.”

The waiter arrived just then with steaming plates of roasted lamb and bowls of pasta. Conversation shifted, but the tension lingered, wrapped in polite smiles and careful glances.

Adrian chuckled as he cut into his food. “Reid, you’re a fortunate man. If I were you, I wouldn’t let her out of my sight.”

This time, Reid only gave a small smile, his thumb brushing against the back of my hand. His voice was calm, but his words held weight. “You don’t have to worry about that. I never do.”

After that meal, Adrian flirted a bit more with me..and i kinda liked seeing jealous Reid...so he can feel now I feel him with Natalie.

even Adrian put his hands on mine for a photo and I let him for a selfie.

I can clearly see Reid's anger, god..

Then we left for home..

***

At night.

it's almost 10pm and we were under the blanket watching movie cuddling with eachother.

My head rested against Reid’s shoulder, his arm heavy and warm around me. His laughter at some silly commercial made my heart flutter, and I tilted my face to him with a smile.

“You’re not even watching,” I teased, poking his chest lightly.

“I’m watching you,” he replied smoothly, catching my hand and pressing a kiss against my knuckles. His lips trailed higher, to my wrist, then my neck, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

“Reid…” My voice broke into a soft sigh as he shifted, pressing me gently back against the cushions. His mouth found mine, hot and hungry, stealing every breath until I was clinging to him.

His hands moved with purpose, sliding beneath my blouse, skimming along my skin as if memorizing every inch. His kisses deepened, tasting of wine and want, pulling me further under his spell. When he pushed the fabric from my shoulder and his lips grazed the curve of my collarbone, I could only moan his name.

“Reid… don’t stop.”

“I don’t intend to,” he murmured against my skin, his voice thick with desire. He was already unbuttoning, his tshirt discarded, his body pressing closer, harder, until the shrill buzz of his personal phone shattered the moment.

He froze.

I blinked up at him, breathless, watching the frustration flicker across his face as he reached for the phone. “Ignore it,” I whispered, pulling him back down. “Please. Stay with me.”

But he had already seen the name flashing on the screen. His expression tightened. “I have to take this.”

The warmth between us chilled instantly. I knew without asking who it was. My stomach sank.

“Hello,” he said, his voice shifting from passionate to composed in an instant. He listened for a moment, then straightened, running a hand through his hair. “Alright. Stay calm. I’ll be there.”

My chest clenched. “Natalie,” I said flatly. “It’s her again.”

Reid didn’t deny it. “She’s at the police station. There’s been some kind of misunderstanding. She needs help.”

I sat up, my blouse still hanging loosely from one shoulder. “Now? Reid, it’s ten o’clock at night.”

He reached for his jacket. “I can’t leave her like that.”

I caught his arm, my voice low and trembling with frustration. “And what about me? What about us? I need you tonight. I…” My lips brushed his ear, desperate, aching. “I want you. Can’t you see? I’m burning for you. Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”

He closed his eyes briefly, pressing a kiss against my lips, slow and lingering. “Baby… we’ll continue after I come back. I promise.”

“I don’t want after,” I whispered, my hands fisting in his shirt. “I want now.”

For a moment, his resolve wavered, his breath hitching as my lips trailed his jaw. But then he pulled back, his voice steady. “Kar… I have to. She’s in trouble.”

The heat inside me twisted into anger. I shoved his chest lightly, my voice sharper than I intended. “Always her. Every time she calls, you run. Do you even hear yourself? It’s like she owns a part of you I can never touch.”

His eyes darkened, but not with anger. With something heavier. “That’s not true. Don’t ever think that.”

“Then prove it,” I hissed. “Stay.”

For a long second, silence stretched between us, broken only by the ticking clock on the wall. His hand brushed my cheek, tender despite the storm in my words. “You’re my wife. My only love. But right now, she needs me. And I can’t walk away from someone who’s asking for help.”

Tears burned in my eyes. “And I need you, Reid. Doesn’t that matter?”

His thumb caught the tear before it fell. “It matters more than anything. Which is why I’ll come back, no matter how late it is. And when I do, I’ll finish what we started.” His lips pressed one last, lingering kiss against mine.

Then he stood, his figure framed in the doorway as he grabbed his keys. “Wait for me, baby.”

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me in the silence, in the ache, in the fire that had nowhere left to burn.

I couldn’t sit in that empty house another second. The silence pressed against me like a cage, every tick of the clock mocking the fact that Reid had left me again. For her.

When the driver looked up in surprise as I came down the stairs in a fitted black dress and heels, I didn’t even give him the chance to ask.

“Take me to a club,” I ordered.

“Madam… at this hour?” he hesitated.

“Yes. And wait outside for me. Don’t follow me in,” I said sharply, sliding into the car.

The city lights blurred past the window, neon signs glowing against the dark sky. By the time we pulled up to the club, the music was already pulsing from inside, bass vibrating through the pavement. I stepped out, the night air brushing against my bare shoulders, and walked straight in without looking back.

Inside, it was chaos in the most intoxicating way, flashing lights, bodies pressed together, the smell of alcohol and perfume thick in the air. For the first time that night, I felt alive.

I made my way to the bar, ordering a glass of red wine, when a familiar voice caught me off guard.

“Well, if it isn’t Mrs. CEO,” Adrian drawled smoothly from a stool nearby, his glass of whiskey in hand.

I turned, startled, but quickly composed myself. “Adrian.”

He grinned, his eyes scanning me slowly. “You look… different tonight. Not the elegant hostess from the restaurant. More like a woman who came to forget something.”

I sipped my wine, meeting his gaze without flinching. “Maybe I did.”

He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Let me guess. Reid’s busy again?”

The way he said it, with that mocking edge, made my chest tighten. I gave a small laugh, more bitter than amused. “What else is new?”

Adrian chuckled, taking another sip of whiskey. “And so you came here. Alone. Brave… or dangerous?”

“I told the driver to wait outside,” I said casually, though my heart thudded faster under his gaze.

His lips curved. “So technically not alone. But still lonely.”

I turned away from him, letting the music pull me. “Maybe I don’t want to talk. Maybe I just want to feel.”

Before I could overthink it, I walked toward the stage where the DJ’s lights flashed and the beat was strongest. A few people were already dancing, but I climbed onto the platform, the spirit and anger giving me courage I didn’t know I had.

From the stage, my eyes caught Adrian’s. He was leaning back at the bar, his gaze locked on me, a slow smile spreading across his face. He lifted his glass in a silent toast.

I laughed, breathless, spinning under the lights, but inside my chest, something twisted. Freedom felt good, but it also burned. Because no matter how high the music lifted me, a part of me still wished Reid had been the one watching.

The club lights spun faster, colors bleeding together as I sat back at the bar. My glass of spirit was nearly empty, the last drops burning as they slid down my throat. I wanted the heat, the numbness, anything to quiet the storm inside me.

But as I set the glass down, the room tilted slightly. My vision blurred, the edges softening in a way that made my stomach twist.

“Another?” Adrian’s voice came smooth beside me, though it sounded far away, as if underwater.

I shook my head, pressing a hand to my temple. “No… I think I’ve had enough.”

He chuckled, low and amused. “Funny, I thought you came here to let go.”

I tried to laugh, but it came out weak. “Not like this…” My words slurred faintly, and I hated how heavy my tongue felt.

Adrian leaned closer, his face much too near. “Then how about a dance instead?”

I blinked, trying to steady my gaze. “No. I don’t… I don’t want to dance.”

But before I could push back, he was already tugging at my hand, strong and insistent. My legs wobbled as I stood, the floor swaying beneath me.

“Adrian..stop. I said no.” I tried to pull free, but my strength was slipping, my body betraying me. The music thundered in my ears, drowning out my words, drowning out everything.

He led me to the stage, my heels stumbling on the steps, my heart pounding in confusion. I wanted to resist, to shout, but all that came out was a faint, broken sound.

And then I felt it..his lips brushing against my cheek, his mouth grazing the sensitive skin of my neck.

“No…” I whispered, my hands pressing weakly against his chest. But my arms felt like water, useless, sliding off him.

“Shhh,” he murmured, the crowd cheering around us, mistaking my struggle for play.

The lights were too bright, the music too loud. My vision tunneled, his face the only thing clear, his breath hot against my skin. I tried again to push him away, but my body wouldn’t listen.

Everything blurred into noise, into heat, into helplessness. And then there was nothing but the dizzy thrum of the music and the weight of him holding me there.

Reid’s POV

By the time we stepped out of the police station, the clock on my dashboard read past midnight. The streets were quiet, the city lights muted, as though the world itself had gone to sleep while I was still running.

Natalie walked beside me, her steps heavy, her eyes red. Her hands fidgeted with the strap of her tote bag, the one she always carried to the hospital. I knew what was inside, scrubs, her stethoscope, half-used notepads. Even in her worst moments, she never left them behind.

“I don’t know how much more of this I can take,” she whispered, voice breaking. “I spend all day saving lives, watching strangers breathe again because of me, and then I come home to… nothing. My house is gone. My parents are gone. And now the case keeps dragging on. I feel like I have nowhere left.”

She sank down on the curb, covering her face with her hands. The sob that tore out of her chest wasn’t graceful, wasn’t restrained it was raw, wounded.

“Natalie…” I crouched beside her, unsure what to do. I wasn’t the man to comfort with soft words, but seeing her break like that tugged at the part of me that remembered our childhood. She had once been a girl with scraped knees running after me in the fields, begging me to let her play with us. Now she was a woman who kept everyone else alive but couldn’t keep herself from falling apart.

“You can’t stay like this,” I said quietly. “Come to my house tonight. Rest. We’ll find a solution in the morning.”

She sniffled, lifting her face. “I can’t impose on you and Karline, especially not after the shift I just came from. I probably still smell like antiseptic.”

“You’re not imposing,” I cut in firmly. “You’re in trouble. And I help the people I care about. That’s final.”

She gave me a watery smile, murmuring a thank you, brushing at the sleeve of her cardigan where a pen was still clipped, another trace of the hospital she couldn’t leave behind. But my chest tightened. Because even as I said it, all I could think of was Kar waiting for me at home. The look in her eyes when I left her earlier… the anger, the hurt. I clenched my jaw, speeding the car toward my house.

When we finally arrived, I stepped out quickly, scanning the windows. The living room lights were off. The house was too still.

“Kar?” I called softly as I entered, placing Natalie’s bag by the door. My voice echoed through the hall. No answer.

My heartbeat picked up. She always waited for me, no matter how angry she was. Even if she pretended to sleep, I would still find her curled in our bed. But now, the house felt empty, wrong.

I checked the bedroom first, bed neatly made, no sign of her. The kitchen, plates untouched, the lasagna she’d made for me earlier still covered on the counter. My throat tightened at the sight.

“Natalie, stay here,” I ordered, sharper than I intended. She opened her mouth, but I didn’t wait.

I searched every room, calling out her name louder now. “Karline! Where are you?”

Nothing.

A flicker of panic shot through me. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and when I pulled it out, I saw a message from the driver.

“Sir, Madam is at the club. She told me to wait outside.”

My blood ran cold.