Chapter 5 The Lie We Live

Mia parked outside their high-top penthouse, holding the wheel of her car till her knuckles turned white. The scene at the hotel ran overtime in her head, replaying in a never-ending loop: Alex's stunned face, Rachel's steady arrogance, and the awful silence that followed her question.

How long?

She had turned and walked away before she received a reply, but she already knew deep inside. And it wasn't a moment of weakness. It wasn't a single mistake. It was a lie that had spiral knitted through the very fibers of their marriage, a betrayal that had been buried and blossomed in the dark.

She creased her eyes up towards the glass sky-scraping building ahead. Behind those immaculate walls and inside was the home she had carefully created - one of illusions.

She took a deep breath and got out of the car. She didn't have time to prepare for this confrontation, but avoidance wasn't an option.

A House of Cards

As soon as her feet crossed the threshold, the scent of Alex's cologne wrapped around her - familiar, yet marred by the recollection of another woman's touch. The penthouse was spotless, as always, as if nothing had changed. But everything had.

Alex was sitting in the dark living room with elbows on his knees, head down. The door closed and he looked up, his face impossible to read.

"Mia-"

She held up a hand, cutting him off. "Don't. I don't want another lie by her."

He let out a breath, raking a hand through his hair. "I wasn't going to lie. I was going to explain."

She laughed bitterly, placing her bag on the marble counter. "Explain? Explain what, Alex? That you've been creeping with Rachel? That every moment we shared, every "I love you" you said was just part of the show?"

"It's not like that."

"Then what is it like?" she asked, folding her arms. "Because from my vantage point this evening, it looked pretty much just like that."

He rose and stepped closer, but she refused to flicker.

"Mia, I never wanted to hurt you.

Her laugh was hollow. "That's the thing, Alex. You didn't just hurt me. You made me believe in things that weren't even real."

His jaw clenched. "I loved you. I still do."

She searched his face, seeking sincerity, searching for something real amid the wreckage of their marriage. But all he saw was a man who had perfected the art of deceit.

"Love?" She shook her head. "Love is not supposed to feel like this."

A Battle of Words

The silence was thick, stretched between them like a wall. Then Alex's face turned dark.

"You like to pretend that I'm the only one to blame here," he said, his voice hot with irritation. "But tell me, Mia, when did you last really see me? Really saw me?"

Mia's eyes widened. "So you're blaming me for your affair?

"No," he said, but his voice gave him away. "I'm saying we've both been sprinkled with this illusion. You were so blinded by making everything look pretty that you never realized how broken we were."

Her heart pounded. "So that justifies lying? Betraying me? Sleeping with her?"

He scoffed, turning away. "You really think it's all about sex? It wasn't. It was about feeling as though I mattered." Like someone really saw me, not only the idea of me you hoped to keep."

An explosion of anger welled up inside Mia, almost choking her. "You mattered to me, Alex. You always did. But you threw that away the second you invited someone into our marriage."

"And what about you?" His gaze was hot now, voice cutting. "Did you ever ask yourself, 'Was I actually happy or was I just playing a part as well?'

The words pierced, but she would not be defeated. "Maybe I was playing a role. Maybe we both were. But I didn't betray you. That's the difference."

Shattered Illusions

The gravity of their talk hung heavily, unbearably, between them. Further than here, this was it, thought Mia, the draft in the air made tangible, they either saved the wreck of them or they shattered.

But then Alex spoke again, and his words made her skin crawl.

"It's something you don't know, Mia."

She tensed. "What now?"

He faltered before letting out a loud breath. "Rachel isn't the only thing I've been keeping a secret."

Her heart stopped. "What do you mean?"

He was looking into her eyes, and she knew at that moment ent whatever he was going to say was going to change everything.

Where is Alex hiding? And will Mia uncover the full extent of his betrayal before it's too late?