I packed lunch that morning. Cassian's favorite. Grilled chicken, arugula, the vinaigrette he liked from the deli on Lexington. I put it in the glass container with the blue lid. The one I always used.
I told myself I was being a good wife.
But my hands were steady as I closed the lid. My face was calm. I wasn't sure what I was looking for. I only knew I needed to see.
Manhattan Presbyterian was fifteen minutes from our apartment. I'd made this trip dozens of times. Brought him coffee during double shifts. Dropped off his reading glasses. Played the role.
The lobby smelled like antiseptic and cafeteria food. I signed in at the desk. The security guard knew me. He smiled and waved me through.
Cassian's office was on the fourth floor. I took the elevator. Watched the numbers climb. My reflection in the steel doors looked composed. Professional. Like I was just dropping off lunch.
The hallway was quiet. His door was half-open.
I heard her before I saw her. A light laugh. Young. Comfortable.
I stepped into the doorway and stopped.
Daisy Ruiz was sitting on the edge of Cassian's desk. Not in a chair. On the desk. Her legs crossed. Her white coat unbuttoned. She was holding a mug in both hands. Sipping slowly.
My mug.
The ceramic was cream-colored. There was a line engraved on the side in delicate script. *"In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours."* A line from a poem I'd loved since college. Cassian had it custom-made for our fifth anniversary. He'd given it to me over breakfast. Told me it reminded him of us.
Daisy was drinking coffee from it.
I stood there. Perfectly still. My hand tightened on the lunch container.
She tilted her head back and laughed at something Cassian said. He was standing by the window, his back to me. His shoulders were relaxed. His voice was warm.
Then I saw her wrist.
A delicate gold bracelet. Four tiny charms. Each one a four-leaf clover. The light caught it as she gestured.
I stopped breathing.
Three years ago. A walk through Central Park. Early autumn. The leaves were just starting to turn. We'd stopped by the pond. Cassian had pointed at a jewelry store window across Fifth Avenue. There was a bracelet on display. Gold. Delicate. Four-leaf clovers.
"That's pretty," I'd said.
He'd squeezed my hand. "Next anniversary. I'll get it for you."
I'd smiled. Kissed his cheek. Believed him.
Daisy was wearing it now.
She turned her head and saw me. Her eyes widened. Just slightly. Then she smiled. Slow. Easy.
"Oh," she said. "Mrs. Elliott."
Cassian turned. His expression didn't change. No guilt. No surprise. Just a faint tightening around his mouth.
"Milena," he said. "I didn't know you were coming by."
I held up the container. "Brought you lunch."
Daisy slid off the desk. She set the mug down. Right in the center. Like it belonged there.
"I should get going," she said. She picked up a tablet from the desk. Tucked it under her arm. Walked past me. Close enough that I could smell her perfume. Floral. Light. The same scent that had been on Cassian's coat.
She paused in the doorway. Looked back at him. "See you later, Dr. Elliott."
Then she was gone.
I stepped inside. Set the container on his desk. Next to the mug.
Cassian closed the door behind me. "What are you doing here?"
I pointed at the mug. "That's mine."
He glanced at it. Shrugged. "Someone left it in the break room. I grabbed it this morning."
"It has my poem on it."
"Milena—"
"And the bracelet," I said. My voice was quiet. Steady. "The one you promised me. She's wearing it."
His jaw tightened. He crossed his arms. "It's a common design. You can get it anywhere."
"You said you'd buy it for me."
"I said I'd think about it."
I stared at him. "No. You said next anniversary."
He sighed. Rubbed his temple. Like I was giving him a headache. "Milena, you're being paranoid."
"Am I?"
"Yes." His voice was sharp now. Clipped. "You show up unannounced at my workplace. You accuse my intern of—what, exactly? Stealing your jewelry? Drinking from your mug? Do you hear yourself?"
I didn't answer.
"This is embarrassing," he said. "For both of us."
I looked at the mug. At the engraving. At the faint lipstick print on the rim.
Then I looked at him.
"Okay," I said.
He blinked. "Okay?"
"You're right. I'm being paranoid."
His shoulders relaxed. "Thank you."
I picked up my purse. Turned toward the door.
"Milena."
I stopped. Didn't turn around.
"I love you," he said. "You know that."
I nodded once. Then I walked out.
I didn't take the mug with me.
I left it there. On his desk. With her lipstick still on the rim.
Because I didn't need it anymore.
I had something better.
I had clarity.
