"Divorce? Celeste, are you serious?" My best friend, Maya, sounded genuinely shocked on the other end of the line. "After everything? All those years you spent loving him?"

"Love is a finite resource, Maya," I replied, my voice flat, devoid of the emotion she expected. "And mine for Holden ran dry."

She fell silent, a rare occurrence for her. She knew my history with him, the decade-long devotion that had consumed my youth. She had seen me at my lowest, orbiting him like a desperate satellite, begging for a scrap of his affection.

I remembered the exact moment I first saw him. It was at a university debate, years ago. He was on stage, all sharp lines and effortless charm, his dark hair falling just so, his eyes intense and captivating. The room buzzed with his presence, and every girl in the hall was mesmerized. He was already a legend on campus, and even then, his heart belonged to Isabelle Collier.

Isabelle, with her glossy blonde hair and perfectly sculpted features, would sit in the front row, usually late, exchanging knowing glances with him. He would pause his brilliant arguments, just for a second, a gentle smile touching his lips only for her. Everyone saw it. Everyone knew. And I, a shy, bookish girl in the back, watched it all, my heart aching with a love I knew would never be returned.

I loved him from afar for ten years, a silent, painful devotion. Ten years of watching him spoil Isabelle, indulge her every whim, forgive her every transgression. She was flighty, always breaking his heart, running off with other men, only to return when she got bored. And he, like a faithful puppy, would always take her back.

Until he didn't.

One day, Isabelle left for good, or so we all thought. Holden, heartbroken and adrift, started going on blind dates. My chance. I used every connection I had, every favor owed, to somehow get myself into his dating pool. My heart hammered with a desperate hope.

I showed up to our first "date" in a cream-colored dress, my hair styled in soft waves, just like Isabelle used to wear. It was pathetic, I knew, but I was desperate. I walked in, and his eyes, dull from disappointment, lit up for a fleeting second. Not for me. For the ghost of her.

He proposed after three dates. His words weren't romantic. "You remind me of her," he said, his voice low and distant. "You're... safe. Predictable."

My heart sank, a lead weight in my chest, but I said yes. I would take any crumb he offered. I would be his safe harbor, his predictable wife. I would be everything Isabelle wasn't, everything he thought he wanted.

For five years, I played the part. He bought me expensive jewelry, lavish homes, and designer clothes. He gave me everything money could buy, but never his heart. He would occasionally reach for me in the dark, a phantom touch, a brief moment of intimacy when he was lonely or tired from work. I always pretended not to notice the underlying ache, the desperate need for a real connection that was never there. I simply closed my eyes and pretended it was love.

Then, Isabelle returned.

And everything shattered.

I was pregnant, already sick for weeks, battling constant nausea and fatigue. One afternoon, Isabelle showed up at our house, unannounced. She was stunning, as always, a vision of effortless beauty. And she was cruel.

"Still playing the perfect little wife, Celeste?" she sneered, sipping a glass of champagne she'd poured herself. "Don't you know Holden only married you as a placeholder?"

My stomach churned, bile rising in my throat. I clutched my belly. "Get out, Isabelle. You're not welcome here."

She laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Oh, honey. This is Holden's house. Which means it's my house too, whenever I want it to be." She then deliberately splashed champagne on my dress.

A wave of dizziness hit me. I swayed, my hands flying out to steady myself. "Isabelle, I'm not feeling well. Please, just leave."

She smirked. "What's wrong, Celeste? Can't handle a little competition?" She then lunged, grabbing my arm, twisting it. I cried out, a sharp pain shooting through my abdomen.

Just then, Holden walked in. He saw Isabelle on the floor, weeping, clutching her knee. He saw me, pale and trembling, my hand instinctively going to my stomach.

His eyes, cold and condemning, landed on me. He didn't ask. He didn't investigate. He just knew.

"What did you do, Celeste?" His voice was a whip.

"I didn't–" I started, but he cut me off.

"Go to your room. And don't come out until I tell you to."

He carried Isabelle away, comforting her, while I staggered to our bedroom, the pain in my abdomen intensifying. I locked the door, curled up on the bed, and waited for him to come back, to ask, to understand.

He never did.

The pain worsened. I called out, then screamed, but no one came. The house was silent, filled only with my desperate pleas and the growing agony. I bled, for hours, alone, until consciousness slipped away.

I woke up in a hospital bed, the antiseptic smell burning my nostrils. The fluorescent lights overhead were blinding. Holden was there, standing by the window, his back to me.

He turned, his face etched with something that looked like guilt. "Celeste," he began, his voice rough. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"Didn't know what, Holden?" I whispered, my voice raw from screaming. "That I was bleeding? That I was losing our baby?"

He flinched. "The doctor said it was a miscarriage. They couldn't save it." He handed me a folded check. "It's a substantial amount, Celeste. Enough to compensate for... everything."

"Compensate?" I laughed, a broken, hollow sound. "You think money can compensate for a child? For five years of my life? For my heart, which you systematically dismantled piece by piece?"

He frowned, clearly uncomfortable with my uncharacteristic outburst. "I truly am sorry, Celeste. I know I was wrong. But Isabelle... she's fragile. She needs me."

The words hit me like a physical blow. Isabelle. Always Isabelle. My child was gone, a part of me ripped away, and his concern was still for her.

That night, for the first and last time, I cried in front of him. Not for the baby, not for my shattered dreams, but for the naive fool I had been. For the woman who had wasted ten years loving a man who saw her as a placeholder, a convenience, a shadow.

When I woke up the next morning, the tears were gone. Replaced by a cold, unwavering resolve. I filed for divorce. I applied for the overseas transfer. And I deleted every photo, every message, every trace of Holden from my phone.

My love for him was dead, and I had no intention of mourning. My new life had just begun.

Chapter 2

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