Chapter 3

Adelard stared at me, his mouth slightly open. He hadn't expected that.

Aurore, however, preened under the attention. "Oh, thank you, Arah! That's so sweet of you." She turned to Adelard, "Honey, I need to go change for dinner. Wait for me at the restaurant, okay?"

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and sashayed towards the elevators, leaving a cloud of expensive perfume in her wake.

I turned and walked towards the restaurant elevators myself, wanting nothing more than to be away from him. But he followed me, stepping into the car just as the doors were closing.

The small space felt suffocating.

"What was that back there?" he demanded, his voice low. "Why did you say that?"

"What's wrong?" I asked, my voice deceptively calm. "It's all an act, right? We're all just playing our parts for Aurore's 'therapy'. I was just playing along."

He flinched, the sarcasm in my voice hitting its mark. He said nothing else.

The elevator opened onto the restaurant floor. I walked in and sat at a small table for two, ordering a steak and a glass of red wine without looking at the menu. Adelard sat down across from me, a silent, brooding presence.

A few minutes later, Aurore arrived, now in a slinky red dress. "Adelard, darling!"

He immediately stood up, pulling out her chair at the large table where their friends were gathering. He was a different person with her, attentive and gentle. He held her hand as they sat down.

Their friends started talking in Korean again, their voices loud and boisterous.

"Look at them! He can't keep his hands off her."

"Hey, Adelard, getting some tonight?" one of them joked crudely.

Aurore blushed and leaned into Adelard's side. "Stop it, you guys!"

Adelard shot them a warning look, but he was smiling. "Watch what you say," he said in Korean, his tone indulgent.

"What's the big deal?" one of them laughed. "We're all just celebrating our future Mrs. Kim!"

The title hit me like a splash of icy water. My fork clattered against my plate. I took a steadying breath.

Aurore's eyes found mine across the room. A triumphant smirk played on her lips. "Oh, Arah," she called out, "I was just thinking. Since you're so supportive, would you be my maid of honor? It would mean so much to me."

The entire table went silent, all eyes on me.

I took a slow sip of my wine before answering. "I'm afraid I can't, Aurore. I'm going to be a bit busy."

I smiled faintly. "I'll be a bride myself, you see."

Before she could process that, she was complaining to Adelard. "But darling, who will be my maid of honor then? I need someone special!"

"You're the only special one here," he cooed, comforting her.

It was the most excruciating meal of my life.

After he walked Aurore back to her room, I stood to leave. But one of Aurore's closest friends, a woman named Chloe, stopped me.

"You should just give up," Chloe said, her voice dripping with condescension. "Don't you get it? You were just a placeholder. Adelard was just using you to get over Aurore. He never really loved you."

The words were meant to be cruel, and they were. But they were also a key, unlocking the final door of my self-delusion. A placeholder. That's all I'd ever been.

The last flicker of love I had for Adelard Kim died right there in that overpriced restaurant. It was a quiet death, with no fanfare, just a cold, empty finality.

Back in my room, my phone lit up. It was a message from Aurore. Attached were dozens of files. Photos. Videos. Scanned letters.

"I thought you should see these," her message read. "Just so you know how much he's always loved me. He's kept every little thing."