“Are you sure I should come today?” Sabine asked, her tone gentle, though the hesitation sounded rehearsed. “It’s your anniversary, after all.”
Nikolai let out a low chuckle, amused. “Relax. You know we were never truly married. That’s why I’m planning to marry you soon. I only stayed with her for the company. Once everything’s transferred under my name, I’ll make it official. Honestly, I only kept her around because I pitied her after her parents died… but I should’ve left her long ago. For you.”
Sabine laughed softly. “Nikolai, she still thinks she’s your wife.”
He gave a faint, careless laugh. “She’s blind, Sabine. She won’t even know you’re here. It’ll stay between us.”
Sabine giggled. “That makes things easier.”
Nikolai lowered his voice, teasing. “Even if we slept together right in front of her, she wouldn’t notice.”
Something inside me cracked completely. I thought I had already reached the bottom—but they had found a deeper place to push me.
Still, I didn’t react. I swallowed the pain, wiped the tears from my face, and forced myself to move. Slowly, I stepped into the living room, keeping my voice soft.
“Nikolai? Is that you?”