Chapter 2

Ella Keith POV:

The walk home felt endless, my body moving on autopilot through the rain-slicked streets. Each step was heavy, each beat of my heart a dull thud against my ribs. Five years. Five years I' d poured into him, into us. Five years of unwavering belief, of quiet support, of giving every piece of myself.

I remembered his grand promises, whispered in the dim light of the historic theater we' d found together. "We'll bring it back to life, Ella. Our legacy. Our home." The words now echoed like a cruel joke, twisting in the wind. He'd performed a role, and I had been the naive audience.

My wrist throbbed with a vengeance, a constant, nagging reminder of the physical cost of my devotion. The doctor had warned me about stress, about how it could exacerbate the nerve damage. But how could I not be stressed? My entire world had just imploded.

The phone buzzed in my pocket. It was Graham. I let it ring, then answered on the last beat, my voice surprisingly steady. "Hello?"

"Hey, where are you?" His tone was clipped, impatient. "I' m going to be late tonight. A last-minute strategy meeting with Kassidy. You know how it is."

He didn' t even wait for my reply. Just a quick, dismissive declaration. The words were a practiced lie, worn smooth from repetition. I knew where he was. I knew who he was with.

"Okay," I said, the single word hanging in the air, heavy with unspoken meaning.

There was a pause on his end. I could almost feel his confusion through the phone. He was used to my questions, my concerns, my quiet worry. My calm must have thrown him.

"Alright then. Don't wait up." He hung up before I could reply, before I could tell him that waiting was no longer an option for me. The long, agonizing wait for him to see me, to cherish me, was finally over.

Sleep didn't come that night. The rain outside mirrored the storm raging inside me. I stared at the ceiling, the shadows dancing, until my phone vibrated with a notification. It was a social media alert. A new post from Kassidy Holloway. A sick flutter started in my chest.

I clicked on it. There, beaming, was Graham. His arm was casually slung around Kassidy's waist, her head tilted intimately towards his shoulder. They were at a fancy restaurant, the kind he said was too expensive for "campaign funds." The caption read: "Celebrating a successful day with the most brilliant mind in politics! So proud of all you're achieving, G! #FutureSenator #PowerCouple."

Power Couple. The hashtag twisted the knife. It wasn't just an affair. It was public, flaunted, a statement to the world. And I was nowhere in the picture. The comments below were a landslide of adoration, of congratulations, of people celebrating their connection. My breath hitched.

Just yesterday, Graham had looked at me, soaking wet after I'd tried to get medicine for my throbbing hand, and said, "Honestly, Ella, you look like a drowned rat. Can't you ever present yourself better? You're a reflection on me." His words were cold, devoid of any warmth, any concern. Now, seeing this picture, his face alight with genuine happiness, a happiness he hadn't shown me in years, I felt a deep, chilling emptiness.

I tossed the phone onto the bed. No. Not emptiness. Something else. A slow, steady burn. A resolve. I was done being his victim, done being his shadow. The rain outside intensified, lashing against the windowpane. I watched it for a long time, the rhythm a strange comfort. I was done waiting for him to see me. I was done bleeding for a man who didn't even notice the wound.