04
The next morning, I woke up with my usual blank expression on the bed, but something was different. Jester was sitting on the edge, scrolling through his phone.
“It’s our anniversary,” he said flatly. “My phone calendar reminded me ”
A knife couldn’t have cut deeper. My breath hitched, but I kept my face still, refusing to let him see the storm brewing inside me. He’d forgotten again. Forgotten the years we’d shared, the promises we’d made. Forgotten me He pulled out his phone and calculated how long we’d been married. He’d forgotten the number until his phone told. him. If I hadn’t set the reminder myself months ago, he wouldn’t even remember.
The silence in the room was suffocating. I stared at the ceiling, trying to remember how we got here, how the man who once looked at me like I was his whole world could now barely muster a glance
“Some college friends called,” he continued, oblivious to my silence. “They’re coming over tonight. They said they want to check on you.”
Check on me. The irony wasn’t lost. I was a ghost in my own home, and now they were coming to see if I was still breathing.
That night, our friends arrived with gifts and food. Despite my blank façade, they cheered me up like I was normal, like I wasn’t silently screaming. For a moment, I felt I belonged. My friends had always been my family since I was an orphan. They knew me better than anyone, or at least they used to.
I remembered one wild college party when Jester had declared, “Among all of us, I will become Mauve’s real family. She’s my mate. We’ll be together forever.” His voice had been filled with such conviction, his eyes shining with love. I’d believed him. God, I’d believed him.
A hot tear slipped down my cheek at the memory. One of my friends, Pia, noticed and wiped it away gently. “You’re loved, Mauve. We believe that you will wake up soon, and we will party like those good old days”
I wanted to believe her. I wanted to hold onto that small, fragile hope. But the warmth didn’t last.
From the corner of my eye, I caught Amber’s sour expression as she watched Jester laugh and talk with our friends She sat off to the side, a dark cloud in the room. For once, he ignored her entirely. I grinned inwardly st
I tonight, she didn’t belong here Not with my people. Not with my mate.
But the triumph didn’t last. Suddenly, Amber clutched her belly and cried out, “My stomach hurts!*
The room fell silent Jester’s head snapped toward her. Without hesitation, he rushed to her side. “Damn, what did you eat to make your tummy feel upset?”
Our friends exchanged confused looks, whispering among themselves as Jester scooped her up. Her lips curled into a smirk as he carried her away
“I’m taking her to the hospital,” he announced in a panicked voice. Not a glance, not a word for me.
The door slammed shut behind them. My friends stared at him, stunned. One of them finally said, “He left his
mate for her?”
My fists clenched, nails digging into my palms so hard it hurt. Even on our anniversary. Amber had ruined everything. She’d taken him away again.
For the first time in a long while, I let my rage consume me. Images of smashing her perfect façade, of tearing down the lie she’d built, filled my mind. But I stayed still. Outside, I was a statue, unmoving and unreadable. Inside, I
was a storm
This was the last time she would humiliate me.