“Oliver, we’ve found a match for your kidney! The surgery is scheduled for next week!”
Oliver’s eyes immediately brightened, his face lighting up with joy. “Really?” He couldn’t contain the excitement in his voice. “Thank you. You’ve worked so hard to get me the kidney. I love you, Bryn.”
His words hit Bryn like a wave and before she knew it, tears were welling up in her eyes once again. She pulled him into a tight hug, her voice thick with emotion as she whispered, “I love you too, buddy. I’ll do anything to make you and Dad happy.”
For a moment, the world outside seemed to blur as she held him, the weight of the moment sinking in. She pulled back slightly, glancing out the window. The winter sunlight poured in, soft and warm, casting a gentle glow over the room, offering a brief respite in the chaos of her emotions.
All of Oliver’s pre-surgery tests had come back normal and with the surgery now set for the following week, Bryn felt a slight easing in her chest, though worry still lingered. As they left the hospital, she pulled out her phone and when she saw the date, it hit her—today was the third anniversary of the day she and Alex had gotten together.
Later that evening, as she prepared dinner, Bryn decided to give the housekeeper the night off. She wanted to do this herself. Within the hour, the table was overflowing with an array of dishes—steaming hot, vibrant with color and rich with aromas that filled the house. Yet, as the clock ticked on and the minutes slipped by, Alex still hadn’t come home.
The food was getting cold. Bryn called him again and this time, the call went through. The noise on the other end was loud — male voices and female laughter, the clinking of glasses.
“Hello?” Bryn kept her voice steady, despite the sinking feeling in her chest.
“Bryn?” Alex’s voice came through, heavy with fatigue and a faint slur, hinting at drunkenness.
“When are you coming home?” she asked, trying to keep the tension out of her voice.
There was a pause, the noise quieting slightly. Alex coughed twice before answering.
“I’m a bit tied up tonight. I’ll be home late. Don’t wait up for me, just go to sleep.”
“Okay…” she said softly, hanging up the phone. She stood there for a moment, staring at the screen, feeling her heart sink further. She knew Alex was lying.
He always coughed before lying.
With a heavy sigh, she silently cleared the table, throwing the dishes away. When she finished cleaning up, she went to bed, but sleep wouldn’t come. Outside the window, the night had deepened, mirroring the darkness in her heart. She longed to ask him, like she used to, why he wasn’t coming home. But the question felt hollow now. She knew she had no right to ask anymore.
The real reason was painfully simple: how much longer could she keep pretending with Alex? How much longer could she continue with this charade that had been her life for so long?
Curled up in bed, Bryn buried her face in her knees, the tears falling freely now. The entire night passed without Alex coming home. And the next day, Bryn arrived at work, her face marked with the exhaustion of sleepless hours, dark circles under her eyes.
It was then that she found out. Alex had gone to Francesca’s welcome party with Hector the night before.
Sitting down at her desk, Hector greeted Bryn with his usual carefree grin, though he paused when he saw her state.
Before Bryn could respond, Francesca appeared, standing behind Hector with a sharp, cold look in her eyes. She spoke with clipped authority. “What does that mean, Hector?”
Hector, sensing the shift in the atmosphere, quickly retreated, mumbling something about needing to take care of a phone call. Francesca stood there, eyes narrowed, her gaze cutting through the air as she turned her full attention to Bryn.
“Miss Miller,” she said, her voice carrying a veiled edge, each word carefully chosen. “You should know your place.”
The words hung in the air between them, heavy with implication. Francesca’s eyes bore into Bryn, making it clear that this wasn’t just a casual remark.
“I’m saying this as your superior,” she continued, her tone becoming colder. “You’ve been working here long enough to understand how things are. Alex is… off-limits. You’d do well to remember that.”
Lately, Bryn had been extremely busy. With her brother’s surgery approaching, she’d been working hard to wrap up her projects so she could take some time off to be with her family.
