He Flaunted His Mistress; I Vanished Forever

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In the fourth year of our secret relationship, Jeffrey Gilbert promised me we'd go public this Valentine's Day.

For that one day, I'd hidden it from everyone for four years.

When friends asked if I had a boyfriend, I said no.

When relatives pushed me about marriage over the holidays, I smiled and said I was still single.

At eleven that night, Jeffrey posted exactly what I'd been waiting for.

*No more hiding.*

The photo was two hands laced together, a bracelet on the woman's wrist.

That bracelet was one I'd picked out, a couple's set I'd saved two months' pay to buy.

He'd said it was too flashy. He never wore it once.

I zoomed in and stared for a long time, until I was sure that hand wasn't mine.

The nails on that hand were pointed, done in a French manicure.

Mine had always been rounded.

More than a dozen congratulations in the comments, and not one of them mentioned me.

Of course. From start to finish, no one knew I existed.

I opened my notes app,

and deleted, one character at a time, the draft I'd rewritten a dozen times: “I can finally tell you all he's mine.”

Not a trace left, as if these four years had been empty all along.

……

“Still up?”

The lock at the entryway beeped open.

Jeffrey pushed the door in and tossed his car keys onto the entry cabinet.

I was sitting on the living room couch.

“Waiting for you.” My voice gave nothing away.

Jeffrey took off his suit jacket and draped it over the back of a chair.

He came over and, out of habit, ruffled my hair.

“Didn't I tell you? I had a work dinner I couldn't get out of tonight. I told you to sleep first.”

His tone was gentle, with a touch of reproach, the perfect attentive boyfriend who genuinely cared about his girlfriend.

If I hadn't just seen that post, I might really have believed him.

I tilted my head slightly and dodged his hand.

Jeffrey's hand paused, then drew back easily.

He sat down beside me.

“What's wrong? Upset because I got home late?”

He turned his head to look at me, a smile in his eyes.

I looked at his long, elegant hand.

That was the hand that, a few hours ago, had been laced together with another hand wearing a French manicure.

“Where's the bracelet?” I asked quietly.

The smile on Jeffrey's face stalled for a beat, but he covered it beautifully, calm again almost instantly.

“Which one?” he asked.

“The one I gave you last month. The couple's set.” I looked into his eyes.

Jeffrey frowned faintly, as if trying to remember.

“Oh, that one.” He said it lightly. “It's in a drawer at the office. You know how it is. When I'm meeting clients, wearing something like that isn't really appropriate.”

I watched him quietly.

When he lied, his eyes always looked so sincere.

“Is that so.” I pulled my gaze away and looked at the water glass on the coffee table.

The water in it had already gone cold.

“Of course.” Jeffrey reached out, wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and pulled me toward him.

“Don't overthink it. I know it's Valentine's Day. I couldn't be with you, and that wasn't fair to you.”

He took a jewelry box from his pocket and held it out in front of me.

“Saw it at the counter when I passed by. Thought it suited you, so I bought it. Open it and see.”

I didn't take it.

I knew that brand well. A small, high-end luxury label, where a single necklace cost half a year of my salary.

Jeffrey had always been generous.

He was in the habit of using things to fill the absence of his time, buying off my feelings with expensive gifts.

“Why aren't you opening it?” When I didn't move, he snapped the clasp open himself.

Inside was a diamond necklace, glittering with a cold shine.

It was a limited edition from this spring's collection, discontinued long ago, available only to the brand's top VIPs through returns and exchanges.

And Jeffrey never went to that kind of trouble for me.

“You don't like it?” At my silence, a thread of impatience crept into his voice.

“No.” I finally spoke, and took the box.

“It's beautiful. Thank you.”

Jeffrey smiled, satisfied.

He leaned in and pressed a light kiss to my forehead.

“Good girl. It's getting late. Go take a shower.”

He stood, loosened his tie, and headed for the bathroom.

“Oh, right,” he said, turning back halfway to look at me.

“There's a new project I have to push forward at the company tomorrow. I'll probably be really busy. Plan your own time, don't wait for me for dinner.”

I held the box.

“Okay.” I said.

The bathroom door closed, and the sound of water came soon after.

I took out my phone and opened the messaging app again.

Jeffrey's post was still there.

Not hidden from me. Not deleted.

Was he doing it on purpose, or was he simply certain I would never look?

I opened the photo and zoomed in again.

On that wrist with the French manicure was the bracelet I'd saved two months' pay to buy.

I looked at it quietly for a while, then tapped save.

Once that was done, I got up and walked toward the bedroom.

At the very bottom of the closet sat a suitcase I hadn't touched in a long time.