Chapter 2
370words
The spotlight swung over and found him.
He stood smoothly, tugging his suit jacket into place.
My legs gave way. I clutched the table edge as tears spilled down my face, a knife-like pain radiating from my core through my entire body.
I pressed a trembling hand to my stomach. The child growing inside me now felt like the cruelest joke.
I watched this stranger—this man I thought I knew—stride confidently toward the podium.
Everything had been an elaborate lie.
The man I'd loved with every fiber of my being, the man I'd literally given a piece of myself to save.
In his eyes, I was nothing but a footnote he could erase at will.
Through my tears, I saw the spotlight sweep past me and land on a painfully familiar figure to my left.
She glided toward Marcus on stiletto heels, clutching a bouquet of roses.
They embraced with practiced familiarity.
Marcus beamed as he leaned into the microphone.
"And now, at this momentous occasion, I'm thrilled to introduce our newly appointed Design Director, Miss Melanie Sinclair."
"She'll be my right hand in all upcoming projects. With Director Sinclair's talent, I have no doubt our company will shatter expectations this quarter."
The room erupted in applause as whispers rippled through the crowd.
"Is she the secret wife everyone's been gossiping about?"
"They say his wife was overseas, and Sinclair just got back from abroad…"
"He's had her by his side at every event lately. And here I thought Morgan was the faithful type who avoided other women out of devotion to his wife. Guess we know who the wife is now."
A memory flashed through my mind.
Early in our marriage, I'd lovingly prepare lunch boxes and bring them to his office.
Every time, he'd make me wait in the café downstairs.
As my visits became more frequent, his irritation grew.
"Don't you have your own life? You don't need to orbit around me every day."
"This place is a gossip mill. I don't need you stirring up rumors. Just stop coming altogether."
Now I understood. From the very beginning, I was never meant to stand by his side.
