Mirabelle’s POV:
Sitting at my desk, I tried to focus on the document in front of me, but the words blurred, and I found myself staring blankly at the screen.
Noah’s voice still echoed in my mind from this morning, his promises sounding sincere, yet his sudden trip left me uneasy.
I had accepted his reassurances, or at least I had tried. When we had resolved our issues, I had wanted to believe him-believe in us-but now I couldn’t shake the doubts that crept into my thoughts.
Why did it have to be so soon? Why did this business trip with Natasha have to be moved up? I was tired of doubting, tired of feeling like I was on the outside of my own marriage, but the timing felt too inconvenient.
Natasha’s name hung in my mind like a dark cloud. The woman always seemed to be right there, just close enough to make me disgusted.
I shook my head and tried to focus again, my fingers drumming nervously against the desk. A knock on my office door startled me, and I looked up to see Claire, a board director, poking her head inside.
“Your secretary must have forgotten to pass the message.” She began, as she stepped inside. Noticing the look on my face she asked. “Is everything alright, Mrs. Sylvester?” I forced a smile, nodding quickly.
“Yes, just… a lot on my mind,” I said, waving her away gently. Claire’s gaze lingered for a moment, then nodded and closed the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts once more.
Smiling, she opened the door again, clutching the folder in her hands tightly. “The meeting with Mr. Greene is in a few minutes. Maybe you’d want to review these notes before you go in.”
I took the folder from her, nodding absently. “Thank you, Claire. I’ll be right there.”
As soon as she left, I sank back into my chair and opened the folder, scanning the notes without really seeing them. My thoughts kept drifting back to Noah. If only I could push the doubts aside, if only I could convince myself that this trip wasn’t a big deal.
But it was a big deal-because it wasn’t just about the trip. It was about everything that would come during and after it.
The fear of having to sign divorce papers a second time had a strong grip on me.
I pushed away from the desk, feeling suffocated. Pacing the room, I replayed the conversation I’d had with Noah that morning. He’d stood there, a towel around his waist, looking so calm.
I had been okay-at least I thought I was-when he first mentioned the trip, but when he said it was happening next week, all those lingering fears I’d tried to bury came rushing back. Was I making too much of this? Was I just being paranoid? I leaned against the window, my forehead touching the glass as I watched the cars below crawl through the city streets.
We had resolved our issues, hadn’t we? I wanted to believe that we were past the worst of it. Yet, the more I thought about it, the more it felt like we were still standing on shaky ground, like one misstep could send everything crumbling down.
My phone buzzed, jolting me back to reality. I snatched it off the desk, half-expecting a message from Noah. But it wasn’t him.
My heart sank as I saw the caller ID: It was an unknown number, but I already guessed it to be Natasha. Because I still recalled the last four digits of her number.
I hesitated to pick the call up at first, but after taking a few deep breaths, I picked it up. “Hello, Mirabelle,” Natasha’s voice was sweet, but there was an edge to it.
“What do you want, Natasha?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of hearing the doubt or fear I was struggling to hide.
“Oh, I just thought I’d give you a friendly heads-up.” She replied, her tone mocking. “You should brace yourself for what’s coming. I hope you’re prepared to lose Noah, because you know as well as I do that he and I… look so perfect together.”
My grip tightened around the phone, knuckles whitening. “Is that why you called?” I shot back, my voice colder now. “To make threats? To try and intimidate me? I know what you’re doing, Natasha, and it won’t work.”
“Am I?” She laughed lightly, a sound that grated on my nerves. “I’m not threatening you, Mirabelle. I’m just being honest. Noah and I will be spending a lot of time together in Shanghai, and well… you know how these things go. You can try to keep pretending that everything is fine, but deep down, you know the truth. He’s already halfway gone.”
My breath caught in my throat, but I refused to let her see how deeply her words cut. “Noah and I are stronger than you think,” I retorted. “Whatever games you’re playing, they won’t work. He’s not going to fall for it.”
“Oh, sweet Mirabelle,” Natasha purred. “It’s not a game. It’s reality. Just don’t be surprised when it all falls apart. I thought you deserved a little warning, that’s all. Take care.”
Before I could respond, she hung up. I sat there, staring at the phone in my hand, my heart thudding in my chest. Every muscle in my body felt like it was coiled too tightly, ready to snap.
She had called me just to plant that seed of doubt, to rattle me, and I hated how well it had worked.
I was supposed to be better than this-stronger. I had trusted Noah, or at least I had told myself that I did. But Natasha’s words were like poison, each one.
The intercom buzzed. My secretary’s voice crackled through the speaker. “Mrs. Sylvester, Mr. Greene is ready for you now.”
For a moment, I couldn’t move. My legs felt weak, my thoughts spiraling out of control. I reached out and pressed the button, my voice shaking. “Tell Mr. Greene… tell him the meeting is postponed. I need a moment.”
I released the button and let the phone slip from my fingers, slumping back into my chair. My eyes stung, but I refused to let the tears fall. I couldn’t let Natasha win, but right now, I felt like I was losing a battle I didn’t even realize I was fighting.
“Will nothing really happen?” I whispered to myself, my voice breaking. I wanted to believe that Noah would keep his promise, that this trip wouldn’t change anything between us, but the doubt was already there, gnawing at my confidence, and I wasn’t sure I could silence it.
Sighing, I leaned back, closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to regain some control.
The truth is, I had no idea what was going to happen next.
All I could do was wait-and hope.