I lowered my gaze.
Those weren’t the only things missing from this house. But it was no surprise he hadn’t noticed—his heart hadn’t been here for a long time.
I replied casually, “You’re supposed to replace those things regularly. There are new ones in the bathroom cabinet.”
I headed to my room and took a shower. My phone buzzed non-stop on the bed while I was in the bathroom.
When I came out, I saw more messages from Nina.
Her earlier taunts had been enough to ruin my mood, so I hadn’t replied. But she clearly wasn’t willing to let it go. Now she’d sent screenshot after screenshot of her conversations with Nathan.
The timestamps on the messages weren’t from the past few months—they stretched back years.
Most of the time, it was Nathan pouring his heart out to her.
“Nina, I started dating someone like you suggested. She’s great, and her smile reminds me of yours.”
“Nina, whenever I’m with her, it feels like we’re back to the days when we were inseparable.”
“Nina, how have you been lately? I dreamed about you last night. I miss you.”
“Nina, I might get married soon. I can’t let her down.”
“She’s been through so much with me. Everything I’ve achieved—my career, buying a house and a car in Brookshire—I owe it all to her…”
That was when Nina finally started replying. Once she learned he’d bought two properties in the city, including a luxury apartment that was still being renovated, they fell into each other’s arms.
The messages became an endless exchange of daily updates.
The hangover soup I had made for Nathan after a night of heavy drinking? He sent her a photo. “Look, I’m having soup this morning. What about you?”
The lemons from the tree I nurtured finally bore fruit. His first instinct was to share it with Nina. “See this? Amazing, right? Once they’re bigger, I’ll bring the best one to the office for your tea.”
My hands shook as I held the phone. Knowing I was just a stand-in for her was one thing. Reading these messages was something else entirely.
Even after a hot shower, the cold seemed to seep into my bones.
I wanted to laugh but couldn’t stop the tears from welling up. I wasn’t crying because I felt betrayed—I was crying because it hit me just how long I’d been living as someone else’s shadow.
Every sweet moment I thought I’d shared with Nathan had been passed along to her.
I forced back my tears and replied, “Find better things to do at this hour.”
She replied instantly, “Hannah, don’t push your luck. Even if you stay, Nathan will only marry me. I know you don’t want to let go now that the company’s about to go public, but for the sake of what you’ve done for him, I’ll make him give you $10,000 as a breakup fee.”
“Let’s face it—without Nathan, you’ll never find someone this rich again.”
Ten thousand dollars. I wasn’t sure that would even cover the cost of one wedding table at the Henderson family’s banquet.
Just as I finished reading her message, my door burst open.
“Hannah, why did you put the watch I gave you up for sale online?” Nathan asked, his voice sharp.
