Three years.
That was how long I had stood by Kane. Three years of early mornings, late nights, and endless cups of coffee while we built his company from the ground up. I gave up my acceptance to Oxford. I stepped out of the spotlight, letting my own ambitions fade into the background so I could be his anchor.
Today was our third anniversary. I held the small, velvet box in my hand, the custom-engraved watch inside feeling heavy with meaning. We had agreed to meet at the St. Regis. He said he had a surprise for me.
I walked down the plush carpeted hallway of the tenth floor, the silence of the corridor thick and expectant. Room 1042.
The door was slightly ajar.
I pushed it open, the words of greeting dying on my lips.
Kane stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, his back to me. His hands were tangled in someone's hair. Not mine.
Mia.
His new assistant. The one he insisted was just a kid, just someone who needed a mentor.
She had her arms wrapped around his neck, her body pressed flush against his. He was kissing her. Not a quick peck, but a deep, consuming kiss that spoke of familiarity and hunger.
"Kane," she murmured against his mouth, her voice a soft purr. "When are you going to tell her?"
"Soon," he promised, his voice rough, the sound sending a violent shudder down my spine. "I just need a little more time. I promise, Mia. It's you I want a future with."
The velvet box slipped from my fingers, hitting the floor with a muted thud.
Kane froze. He turned, his eyes widening in shock as they met mine.
"Iris," he breathed, the color draining from his face.
Mia didn't pull away. Instead, she rose on her tiptoes, pressing a deliberate kiss to his jawline. Over his shoulder, her eyes locked onto mine. A slow, triumphant smile spread across her lips.
The warmth that had lived in my chest for three years vanished, replaced by a cold so profound it burned.
"Iris, wait," Kane said, taking a step toward me, his hands raised as if approaching a wild animal. "It's not what it looks like."
"Don't," I snapped, my voice sounding foreign to my own ears. Sharp. Hollow. "Do not insult my intelligence, Kane."
"I can explain," he pleaded, the panic clear in his tone.
"Explain what?" I asked, stepping fully into the room, the anger sharpening my focus. "That you've been sleeping with your assistant? That you're promising her a future while I'm out buying anniversary gifts?"
Mia stepped out from behind him, smoothing her skirt. "Iris, please. We didn't mean to hurt you."
"Shut up," I said, the venom in my voice making her flinch. "I wasn't talking to you."
I turned my gaze back to Kane. The man I had sacrificed everything for. The man who was currently looking at me like a stranger.
"Three years, Kane," I said, the words falling like stones. "I gave you everything."
"I know," he said, running a hand through his hair. "And I'm grateful, Iris. I really am. But things change. People change."
"Grateful," I repeated, the word tasting like ash. "You're grateful."
I looked at the two of them, standing together, a united front. The betrayal was a physical weight, pressing down on my chest, making it hard to breathe. But I refused to break. Not here. Not in front of them.
"Keep the watch," I said, gesturing to the box on the floor. "Consider it a parting gift."
I turned on my heel and walked out, the sound of the door clicking shut behind me echoing loudly in the quiet hallway.
The tears didn't come. Only a cold, hard resolve settling over my heart.
Kane thought he could just discard me. He thought he could take everything I gave him and walk away unscathed.
He was wrong. So very wrong.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. A message from an unknown number.
*I saw what happened. If you want payback, meet me at the bar downstairs.*
