The Unseen Wife, The Unloved Fiancée
animals should have been comforting, but my heart felt like a hollow space in my chest. I had told my family a
"Morning, beautiful. Thinking of you.
as moving on to the next ite
ided to go for a run, a long one. As I neared the city center, I saw a sma
was wearing a simple but elegant white dress, holding a small bouquet of lilies. They we
having a small, legal ceremony today, before
uld see me, my body trembling with a fresh wav
ked, her voice laced with mock concern. "Pr
e. It'll be a big, public proposal at the Tate Corp gala. It has to be public, so everyone sees me
," Janice said, wrapping
l yours," he replied
d game of honoring his dead brother. A
onight. Put on that blue dress I love. A car will pick you
ing. He was inviting m
nd me. But a cold resolve began to form in the pit of my stomach. If he wanted
ing with crystals. Hundreds of people from the city's elite milled around, sipping champagne. I saw Jaxon standin
hand and kissing it. "Yo
ce, too," I said
Jaxon walked onto the stage, a microphone
you all tonight." He looked directly at me, his eyes shining under the spotlight. "Elfrieda Stewart, yo
ld almost hear the "for my brot
box from his pocket. He opened it to revea
e the happiest man in the
is hopeful, fake expression. I thought about the list, about Janice, about th
ces beaming with pride. I couldn't shatter their happiness like
red into the microphone he held o
inger. It felt heavy, cold, and foreign. As he stood to kis
ve the stage had broken from its chain. Ited to get away. My first instinct was to
moving t
stood, her hand over her mouth in a perfect picture of fe
ed her arm. He wrapped his arms around her, shielding
ven glance
and heavy, fell from above and struck my arm. A searing pain shot through me, and I cried ou
od, my pained expression. But his attention was immediately pulled back to Ja
othed her, his voice a low, comf
into one of annoyance. "Elfrieda, get off the s
arms and carrying her through the panicked crowd toward the exit. He left me standing
ld, dead certainty that settled in my heart. I wa
or rushed up to meet me was my brother Jameel, his face a
strils. My arm was bandaged and in a sling. Jameel was asleep in a cha
ispered, my
you're awake." She squeezed my h
was automatic, a reflex from
ned. My brother stirred
voice rough with anger. "He hasn
A picture of Jaxon and Janice sitting at a cozy, 24-hour cafe. Janice was sipping a hot chocolate, a small bandage on her arm. The capt
e and showed it to m
el's face turned a dark, dangerous shade of red. He
d through gritted t
wife, and I finally let myself feel the full, unadulterated rage. I
o busy "working." He was actually on a secret vacation with Janice in the Bahamas. I saw the trip photos on her private account later. The stress of his absence, the gnawing suspicion that somet
rayal, broke something inside me. A sob
" my mother cried, gat
etween sobs. "I lost the baby. He was with her. He w
held me tighter, her own tears soaking my hair. Jameel just stood there, his fists
rrored my own. "Why, Elfrieda? Why did you stay
al piece of the ugly truth falling into p
f confusion and grief. "Denzel? What doe
zel loved me. But he was sick, and he knew he was dying. So he made Jaxon promise
tation of his brother's last wish, finally settled over us. It wasn't
ce on the chair where Jaxon should have been.
y voice quiet but fir
rs fumbling. "I'm leaving him. I'm leav