My breath caught. I’d never seen this box before.
Inside were photographs. Dozens of them. All of Camila.
Camila laughing. Camila naked. Camila in lingerie I’d never seen in any store. Love letters tied with red ribbon. And at the bottom, folded carefully, a pair of black lace panties that definitely weren’t mine.
One photo made my stomach lurch. It showed Camila lying on our bed – the same bed I’d been sleeping in for three years. She was wearing nothing but a smile and holding a sign that read: “Waiting for you, Relly.”
The date stamp showed it was taken two years ago.
Two fucking years ago. When I thought we were happy. When I was planning our future.
“I’m going to be sick,” Esme whimpered.
I flipped the photo over. Written in Camila’s flowing script: “To my only love, Relly. Wait for me. C
My hands trembled as I set the box aside. I needed to get out of this room. Out of this house. Before I lost what was left of my sanity.
But my body moved on autopilot to the walk-in closet. I pulled down boxes from the high shelf, searching for things I’d stored away.
That’s when I found the scarf.
The cashmere scarf I’d spent two months knitting for Darrell’s birthday last year. It was shoved behind old winter coats, covered in dust. Tags still attached.
He’d never worn it. Not once.
“Three months of my evenings went into that,” I whispered to the empty closet.
Next to it sat a small jewelry box. Inside were the diamond cufflinks I’d saved six months to buy him. My first Christmas gift to someone I loved. The receipt was still tucked inside the lid.
The box looked brand new. He’d probably forgotten they existed.
My legs gave out. I sat hard on the closet floor, surrounded by the evidence of my own delusion.
“We gave him everything, Esme’s voice cracked. “Our heart, our body, our fucking soul.” to stand. There had to be more. I searched through his side of the closet until I found his journal tucked behind a shoebex.
The entries from the past month made me want to vomit:
Table asked about marking again today. God, she’s so fucking clingy. Camila would never be this desperate.”
“Sometimes I close my eyes when I’m inside Sable and pretend it’s Camila underneath me. The sounds are almost the same.”
The way Sabir langis reminds me how different she is from Camila. The fake can never replace the real thing.”
“Called Camila comight after Sable fell asleep. Just hearing her voice made me hard. Two more weeks until she’s back.”
The journal slipped from my numb fingers.
This is why I could never properly connect with his wolf” Esme whispered. “He was never truly ours.”
I stumbled to the bathroom and threw up until nothing was left. When the heaving stopped, I splashed cold water on my face and looked at myself in the
The woman staring back looked bollow. Broken
No more
I went back to packing with mechanical precision. Every photo of us went into the trash. Every gift he’d given me – the cheap jewelry, the drugstore perfume, the clearance-rack clothes – all of it went into a garbage bag.
Them I found his laptop on the desk.
Banking records. Three years worth.
My account showed monthly deposits of exactly $2,000 – just enough for groceries and basic expenses. But Camila’s name appeared on transfer after transfer, $10,000 here. $25,000 there. Over $300,000 in the past year alone.
The most recent entry was dated yesterday: “Camila Ross – Welcome home gift – $50,000”
While I was cooking him dinner and planning our future, he was funding another woman’s life.
I pressed my hands against my mouth to keep from screaming.
A car door slammed outside.
I rushed to the window and peered through the blinds. Darrell’s BMW was pulling into the driveway. Through the windshield, I could see two figures.
They’re back.
I grabbed my suitcase and headed for the stairs. Halfway down, I heard voices outside the front door.
“Relly, I can barely walk.” Camila’s voice was slurred with alcohol and satisfaction.
“I’ve got you, baby.” Darrell’s voice was tender in a way he’d never used with me.
The door opened as I reached the bottom step.
They stumbled inside together, Darrell’s arm wrapped possessively around Camila’s waist. Her dress was wrinkled and her lipstick was smeared. Dark hickeys covered Darrell’s neck.
The smell hit me immediately. Sex. Sweat. The unmistakable musk of two people who’d been fucking in a car.
So that’s what the crushing pain in my chest was. The mate bond had felt his betrayal in real time while I was packing upstairs.
She was on her period, I thought numbly. They fucked anyway.
Oh!” Camila spotted me first. Her surprise looked genuine for half a second before transforming into smug satisfaction. “Sable! You’re still awake.”
Darrell’s eyes fixed on my suitcase. His expression shifted from post-sex bliss to mild annoyance.
“What’s with the luggage?” He didn’t move away from Camila. “Are you trying to get my attention?”
I gripped the handle tighter. “I’m giving you two some space. Don’t want to be the third wheel.”
Camila’s smile widened. “Oh sweetie, you don’t have to leave because of me…”
“You don’t need to go anywhere.” Darrell’s relief was barely concealed. “This house is big enough.”
“Is it now?”
“I mean, we’re all adults here. We can handle this maturely.”
Camila’s face darkened. “Darrell, what exactly are you suggesting?”
‘I’m saying there’s no reason for anyone to make dramatic decisions tonight.”
I adjusted my grip on the suitcase. “I’m not being dramatic. I just think some time apart would be good for everyone.”
His shoulders relaxed. ‘Exactly. Just some time to… adjust to the new situation. You’re being incredibly understanding about this, Sable.”
Understanding. The word tasted like poison.
So where will you stay? Nearby?”
‘Close enough. I have some things to think about.”
“Things?”
“About what I want. What I’m willing to accept.”
His eyes lit up with barely hidden excitement. “Take all the time you need. I’ll be here when you’re ready to talk.”
He actually thinks I’m going to come crawling back. That I’ll accept being his side piece while she gets the throne.
“Let him think that,” Esme advised coldly. ‘Let him dig his own grave.”
“I should get going.” I pulled the suitcase toward the door. “It’s late.”
“Drive safe.” Darrell’s voice carried false concern.
Camila giggled and pressed closer to him. “Come on, let’s go to bed. I want to show you how much I missed you.”
The door closed behind me just as I heard Camila’s breathy moan: “God, Relly, I need you inside me again…”
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