Chapter 2 2

The bedroom was cold. Still.

Katherine stood by the window, arms wrapped around herself as silent tears streamed down her face. Her body trembled-not from the air but from the weight of everything she had just heard. A divorce. After all this. After all they had shared.

Her fingers curled tightly around the edge of the curtain as she stared out at the night sky, blinking through the blur of her tears.

How did we get here? she thought. How could I have been so stupid to believe in forever?

She turned away from the window, walked to the edge of the bed, and sat down slowly. Her hands, shaking, rested in her lap. She couldn't stop the wave of memories that rose unbidden in her mind-taking her back to a night that felt like it belonged in someone else's life.

It was late-close to midnight. The restaurant had closed its doors to the public early that evening, but she hadn't known that at the time.

Kingsley had blindfolded her in the car, teasing her about a surprise. She had laughed the whole way, playfully swatting his arm and demanding to know what he was planning.

When he finally removed the blindfold, she blinked into the warm glow of candlelight.

The entire restaurant was empty-except for them.

Soft jazz music floated through the air, and the table before her was set beautifully, a single red rose lying across her napkin. White petals were scattered across the floor, and a low fire crackled gently in the fireplace nearby.

She had gasped. "Kingsley... what is all this?" He just smiled. "Dinner," he said simply, and offered his hand. "With the love of my life."

He had always known how to make things magical, how to make her feel like she was the only woman in the world. That night had been no different. They ate, they danced in the quiet, empty space, and he held her like the world outside didn't exist.

At one point, he pulled her close, swaying slowly to the music. His lips brushed her temple as he whispered, "I want every night to feel like this. Just us. Just peace. Just love."

Then-when she thought the night couldn't get more perfect-he slowly stepped back.

"I have something else," he said, reaching into his coat pocket.

Katherine had frozen, her breath catching. And then, right there beneath the golden light of the chandelier, he got down on one knee.

She remembered her heart pounding in her ears, her hands covering her mouth as he opened the velvet box. The ring sparkled like a thousand tiny stars.

"I know this is crazy," he said, voice thick with emotion, "but I don't want to wait anymore. I love you, Katherine. I've loved you since the first moment I saw you. You make me feel alive. Real. Like I'm not just some puppet in front of the world. You make me human. And I want to spend every moment of my life making you feel the same. Will you marry me?"

Her "yes" had come out before he even finished the question. She remembered kneeling to the floor with him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he slipped the ring onto her finger.

She remembered how he whispered, over and over, "I love you. I love you. I love you." Like it was the only thing that mattered in the world.

Now, in the silence of their bedroom, the memory burned.

Katherine covered her face with her hands, sobbing softly. "Was it all a lie?" she whispered to herself. "Was any of it real?"

The door creaked open behind her. She froze. Her spine stiffened, but she didn't turn around.

"Katherine?"

His voice. That familiar voice.

She didn't respond.

Kingsley stepped inside, then stopped. The air between them was tense, weighted. He could feel the grief radiating from her like heat.

"I didn't want to hurt you," he said quietly.

She slowly turned, her face tear-streaked and hollow. "But you did."

His eyes softened. "I meant what I said. I'll make sure you're okay. You'll never want for anything."

Katherine rose to her feet. "I don't want your money, Kingsley."

He looked at her, confused.

"I wanted you," she said, voice trembling. "I still do."

For a moment, he faltered. Just for a second, his confident mask slipped, and something real-something pained crossed his features.

But then it was gone.

"Katherine..."

"Don't," she said, stepping back. "Don't say my name like that. Not after everything."

Her hands shook at her sides. "You made me believe in us. You made me hope. You proposed to me like I was the only woman in your world. And now you're trading me in for a public fairytale."

"I love Beth," he said softly.

Katherine's heart shattered all over again. She stood facing him, her chest rising and falling with the weight of her anger and heartbreak. Her eyes-those eyes Kingsley once claimed to love-were rimmed red, but sharp with pain.

"Then why are you still here?" she asked, voice cold. Kingsley held up the folder in his hand. "So you can sign the divorce papers."

Katherine's lips parted. For a second, the words didn't register. When they did, she let out a bitter laugh-more like a choked breath of disbelief. "I can't believe you," she whispered, her voice trembling. "What went wrong? You showed me so much love. You asked me to marry you. You made me believe in everything... What changed?"

Kingsley didn't answer right away.

"Is it... Is it because she's a celebrity?" Katherine asked, her voice cracking. "Because she's From your class? Because my family is nobody and hers is everywhere? Is that why you want to leave me?" She took a step closer, desperate now, needing something to make it make sense.

"What did I do wrong, Kingsley?" Kingsley sighed, his shoulders sagging a little.

"You didn't do anything wrong."

"Then why?" she cried. "Why are you doing this to me?"

He looked at her, eyes filled with something unreadable. "I never really loved you, Katherine."

The words hit like a slap. "I liked you," he continued slowly, almost guiltily. "But I never loved you. The only reason I married you was because of your eyes. Your facial expressions. The same eyes. The same way you smiled when you were nervous. The way you looked at me across the table. Everything."

Katherine's mouth dropped open, her throat tightening painfully. "So I was... what? A Substitute?" Her voice was hollow now. "A shadow of the girl you really wanted?"

"She's always been the one," he said softly. "Even when I left, she never left me."

Katherine's voice rose. "Then why didn't you marry her in the first place? Why leave her? Why find me? Why ask me to marry you if she was always the one?"

Kingsley rubbed his forehead, frustration building behind his eyes. "It's not that simple-"

"It is that simple!" she cut in. "You married me. You stood at that altar. You looked me in the eyes and made vows to me. You never told me anything about her. I didn't even know she existed. And now you're just... throwing me away like I was nothing?" She laughed bitterly again. "You're unbelievable."

Kingsley stepped closer.

"Katherine-" "No," she said, backing away. "If I'm going to sign that divorce paper, if you're going to walk out of here and leave me with nothing but lies, then I deserve the truth. I need to know the full story. I need to understand why." She straightened her back, her voice firm now despite the tremble in her lips. "Tell me why you left her. Tell me why you chose me. And then tell me why you're running back to her now."

Kingsley looked at her for a long time. There was silence-heavy and thick-between them. Then he nodded. "Alright," he said. "If that's what will make you sign the paper... I'll tell you everything." He walked to the armchair near the window and sank into it slowly, the weight of his past suddenly pressing hard on his shoulders. "I'll tell you everything it started with Beth, how it ended, and how I found you. I'll tell you why I thought I could move on... and why I couldn't."

Katherine sat on the edge of the bed, her arms folded tightly across her chest. "I'm listening," she said quietly.