Chapter 5

Kacie lay alone on the bed, staring at the projected stars on the ceiling. They offered no comfort now, only a reminder of broken promises. The tears had run out. There was nothing left inside her but a vast, cold emptiness.

The next morning, she was woken by the sound of Cedric moving around the master suite closet. He was packing a suitcase.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice raspy.

He didn't look at her. "I found Jayden last night. She was distraught. Kacie, I can't let her go through this alone. I think it would be best if you moved into the old Moon family estate for a while. Just until Jayden feels better."

Her breath caught in her throat. "You want me to leave? So you and she can live here together?"

He finally looked at her, his eyes full of a weary frustration. "The estate is too far for me to commute every day. Jayden needs me here. Can't you just be understanding for once?"

"No," she said, her voice flat. "I want to break up."

He threw the shirt he was holding onto the bed. "Why are you so convinced there's something sordid between me and Jayden? She' s my responsibility!"

His anger was familiar. It reminded her of the man he was before he'd let her into his life, the cold, dismissive mogul who looked at her with disdain.

Then, his expression softened. He sat on the bed and pulled her into a hug. "Kacie, please. Just give me a little more time. I promise I'll sort everything out. We'll go on that honeymoon trip, just the two of us. Anywhere you want to go."

She didn't speak. She leaned against him, but it was just a body resting against another. Inside, she was already gone. When her time was up, he could have this house, his family, and his precious Jayden. It would have nothing to do with her.

"Alright," she said.

At breakfast, Jayden was already in the kitchen, humming as she set the table. She had prepared a full breakfast, acting every bit the lady of the house. She placed a bowl of seafood porridge in front of Kacie.

The fishy smell made Kacie feel ill. Cedric, however, ate with gusto, praising Jayden's cooking.

"So, Cedric, how is it?" Jayden asked, batting her eyelashes.

"It's delicious," he said.

"Better than Kacie's?" she asked, a sly smile on her face.

Cedric fell silent for a moment.

Jayden laughed lightly. "I'm just kidding! Of course, Kacie is the best at everything. After all, you chose her. You felt you had to be responsible after you went into her room by mistake that night, right?"

Kacie's face went white. She looked at Cedric, who was sipping his milk, not denying a word.

Responsible. That's what he had said that morning. Not "I want to be with you." Not "I have feelings for you." Just, "I'll take responsibility."

Her great love story, the one she'd staked the last of her life on, was nothing more than a man's guilty conscience.

After breakfast, Jayden stood by the door, straightening Cedric's tie and brushing a piece of lint from his jacket. They looked like a normal married couple. Kacie was the intruder.

"Sorry, Kacie," Jayden said with a smug look. "Force of habit from work."

Cedric glanced at Kacie. Seeing her blank expression, he seemed to relax. He kissed her on the forehead. "There's a company party tonight. I want you to come with me."

"Okay," Kacie said.

As soon as they left, she walked through the house. Jayden's things were everywhere-her shoes by the door, her skincare products in the bathroom, her favorite mug next to the coffee machine. The home she had so carefully built with Cedric was no longer hers.

She picked up a silver picture frame from the mantelpiece. It was a photo of her and Cedric on the day he proposed. They both looked so happy. The sight of her own joyful, hopeful face was unbearable.

She threw the frame into the trash.

One by one, she gathered all her belongings. With each item that disappeared into a box, a little more of her attachment to this life, to him, vanished.

She would go to the party tonight. And then, she would disappear from his world forever. She would no longer be the obstacle standing between him and his real love.