Chapter 3 THREE YEARS OF LIES

Three years. That's how long Lola thought her marriage had meant something. Now, staring at Daniel, those years felt like a joke she'd been the last to get. His words still rattled through her head-two cold syllables, "Long enough." Not an apology. Not even an explanation. Just a verdict handed down without warning.

Lola stood rooted to the white-tiled floor. Divorce papers shook in her grip. The rain outside kept pounding the windows, wild and relentless, but the room around her felt so damn quiet. Quiet enough that she could almost fool herself into believing this wasn't happening.

But Daniel had already turned his back. End of story. Three years, brushed away like dust on his sleeve. Lola watched him cross the room. He went straight to the hospital bed-to Vanessa.

Vanessa, propped against the pillows, looked up at him with a hopeful glimmer. Daniel picked up a bowl of soup, like nothing was wrong, and started tending to her-careful, gentle. Everything about him softened. He tucked a blanket around Vanessa's legs, his expression warm. This was the same Daniel who'd snapped at Lola just moments ago, and now he was all patience and care for another woman.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked, voice tender.

Vanessa smiled, small and grateful. "I'm fine. I was just worried about the baby."

That word-baby-hit Lola right where it hurt most. Her hand moved unconsciously to her stomach. Nothing there. Empty. Just hours ago, there'd been hope. The child she was so sure Daniel would want. A secret she'd been excited to share.

Now she pressed her palm to her flat belly and tried to swallow past the ache in her throat. The room spun a little. She caught herself against the wall, fighting weakness in her body-but stubbornness held her in place. She needed to understand how it all fell apart.

She glanced around at the stiff white sheets, sterile walls, harsh overhead lights. Daniel fit perfectly in this picture-a loyal man tending his lover's bedside. It felt like someone else's life. But this was hers. Or it had been, up until now.

Three years. Three years believing in a love that, maybe, never existed.

Her mind jumped back before she could stop it. She remembered their wedding day-sunlight flooding through stained glass, roses everywhere, that shimmer of excitement. Daniel waiting at the altar, tall and steady. He'd taken her hands, looked right at her, and made promises. She had wanted so badly to believe those words.

"I promise to love you. To protect you. To build a future together." She'd believed every word. Because Daniel Carter didn't seem like the kind of man who lied.

And now-this. Lola let the memory crumble.

She drew a shaky breath and forced out the only question that mattered, even if it came out barely above a whisper.

"Daniel."

He turned. Vanessa went silent, watching.

"Did you ever love me?"

That's all she wanted to know. She could take the truth.

Daniel just watched her. No emotion on his face. He set the soup aside, almost absent-minded.

"Lola, you're emotional right now."

She let out a half-laugh, more air than sound. How many times had she heard that lately? "Just answer the question."

He sighed, sounding bored. "You're asking the wrong question."

She clenched her fists. "Then what's the right one?"

Daniel glanced at Vanessa, as if asking her opinion. Vanessa had this little smile, smug and pleased, twisting her lips.

Then Daniel said it. "I respected you."

Respected. Lola felt her chest go hollow. "That's not what I asked."

His tone turned cold, clinical. "You were reliable. The house ran smoothly. You were... suitable."

Suitable. That was all she'd ever been to him? Lola's vision clouded as every shared breakfast and late-night conversation replayed in her mind, suddenly stripped of meaning.

Vanessa's soft laugh cut the silence. Lola shot her a look, but Vanessa only hid her mouth behind delicate fingers, pretending to apologize. The mockery was clear.

Lola forced herself forward, voice ragged. "When we stood at the altar... When you promised to love me..."

Daniel didn't miss a beat. "I never said I loved you."

That hit harder than anything else. Suddenly she questioned everything. Maybe she'd filled in the blanks herself, let hope color over the silent spaces.

Vanessa ran her hand over her growing belly, slow and satisfied. Lola caught the movement and finally, the truth dawned-she'd never really been Daniel's choice. Just his safe bet.

Her voice dropped, nothing but a whisper. "Then what was I to you?"

He looked straight at her and didn't bother to soften the blow.

"You were only a convenient wife."