Chapter 3 No.3

"Oh, Craig, do not blame her," Chanel sobbed from the floor, clutching his arm. "She is just upset. I am sure she did not mean to push me."

Her words were a masterstroke of manipulation, painting Dessie as unstable and violent while casting herself as forgiving and magnanimous.

A murmur went through the crowd.

"I cannot believe she did that."

"She always seemed so quiet. She must be obsessed with Craig."

Craig helped Chanel to her feet, his arm protectively around her waist. He glared at Dessie. "What is wrong with you? Have you lost your mind?"

The words struck her with the force of a physical blow. She remembered their first anniversary, in a small restaurant he'd booked under a false name. He had leaned across the table, his hand covering hers, and whispered, 'It will always be you and me, Dessie. Our secret against the world.' The man who had spoken those words and the one who now stood protecting his co-conspirator were two separate beings, their images tearing apart in her mind.

Chanel pressed the advantage. She looked at Craig, her eyes wide and tearful. "Craig, honey, she keeps saying she is your wife. What is going on?"

Everyone turned to Craig, waiting for his explanation. He looked at Dessie, his eyes filled with resentment, as if this whole embarrassing spectacle was her fault for not remaining silent.

He took a deep breath. "Dessie and I were colleagues. That is all. I do not know why she has developed this... fixation."

The words were a calculated execution.

"Chanel is my wife," he announced to the room, his voice firm and clear. "We have our marriage license. In fact, we are hosting a small wedding reception next month to celebrate with everyone."

The announcement sealed Dessie's fate. It was his word, the manager's word, against hers. He had documents, a public relationship, a celebration. She had nothing.

Every last shred of hope that he might, on some level, still care for her, dissolved into ash. He did not just not love her. He did not respect her. He did not trust her.

The looks from her colleagues shifted from suspicion to a uniform mask of contempt. She was a pariah, a madwoman, a wrecker of homes.

Craig did not stay to enjoy his victory. He began to lead Chanel away, but stopped and turned back to Dessie. His voice was low and menacing.

"You will write a formal letter of apology for your behavior today. And you will post it publicly. If you do not, I will make certain you face the professional consequences."

He left. The crowd dispersed, whispering among themselves. Dessie stood alone, an outcast in her own workplace.

She laughed to herself, a bitter, hollow sound. The man who used to praise her brilliant mind now saw her as nothing more than a hysterical woman to be managed and silenced.

Later that day, she returned to the house she had once called home. It felt alien now. She was not sure why she came back. Perhaps a part of her needed one last confrontation, away from prying eyes.

To her surprise, Craig was there. He had cooked dinner. The table was set for two.

"Dessie, you are home," he said, his tone gentle, as if the scene at the office had never happened.

The hypocrisy was a nauseating vapor in the air. He had publicly destroyed her, and now he was playing the part of the caring husband.

"I know today was hard," he began, placing a plate of food in front of her. "I could not say anything at the office. My position is too sensitive right now."

She stared at him, a knot of muscle tightening in her chest, constricting her breathing until each inhalation was a shallow, desperate effort, as though the very air had grown too thin to sustain her.

"This thing with Chanel... it is a marriage of convenience. Her family has connections that are crucial for my next step at headquarters. It is purely business."

He sat across from her, his expression earnest. "Just give me some time. A year, perhaps two. Once I am secure, I will divorce her and bring you to the city. We will be together again. I just need you to trust me. Do you not trust me?"

She looked at him and saw a complete stranger. The man she loved would never have asked her to endure this. He would not have stood by while another woman flaunted a stolen life in her face.

He saw the disbelief in her eyes and sighed, as if she were being difficult. "Look, Chanel is going through a lot. She is very fragile. We must be sensitive to her feelings."

His concern was all for Chanel. For her, there was only a demand for patience and a hollow, insulting promise. She thought of the previous week, of the apartment listings spread across their kitchen table, of his finger tracing the floor plan she preferred. The memory of that man, the one who discussed their shared future, now seemed a phantom, a cruel ghost conjured to mock the woman standing before this stranger.