Chapter 8: The Woman Who Chose Him
Marcus drove away from the wedding alone.
Nobody tried to stop him.
Not Evelyn.
Not Nathan.
Not Brielle.
For the first time in years, he needed silence.
The city lights blurred through the windshield as rain began falling.
He kept thinking about the same question.
Why me?
Why had Brielle chosen him?
Was it love?
Or was he simply the next escape?
He arrived at his apartment after midnight.
The place looked exactly the same.
Her shoes were still near the door.
Her favorite blanket was still on the couch.
A framed picture of them stood beside the television.
Two people smiling.
Two people pretending they had nothing to hide.
Marcus picked up the picture.
He almost threw it.
But he couldn’t.
Because the worst part was this:
Some memories were still real.
Not everything had been fake.
A knock came at the door.
Marcus froze.
He already knew.
“Marcus.””
Brielle’s voice.
He didn’t answer.
Another knock.
“Please.””
After several seconds, he opened the door.
She stood there without the wedding dress.
Without makeup.
Without the perfect image.
Just Brielle.
The woman he loved.
And the woman he no longer understood.
“I need to tell you something.””
Marcus stepped aside.
“Come in.””
She entered quietly.
Neither of them sat.
Finally, Brielle spoke.
“I didn’t meet you by accident.””
Marcus looked at her.
The words hurt because they confirmed his fear.
She closed her eyes.
“But not for the reason you think.””
He said nothing.
“After my daughter died, I spent years trying to survive.””
Marcus looked down.
“I was broken.””
“I know.””
“No, you don’t.””
Her voice cracked.
“You saw the version of me I wanted you to see.””
She walked toward the window.
“When I met you, I didn’t know who you were.””
Marcus frowned.
“What?””
“I met you at the coffee shop.””
He remembered.
A rainy afternoon.
A spilled drink.
Her apology.
Her laugh.
“You were just Marcus.””
She turned.
“I didn’t know your last name.””
That surprised him.
“Then when did you find out?””
“Two weeks later.””
“And you stayed.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
She looked at him.
“Because by then I loved you.””
Marcus looked away.
“Then why keep hiding?””
“Because every time I wanted to tell you, I remembered what happened before.””
She sat down.
“I thought if you knew I was still legally connected to Daniel, you would leave.””
Marcus’s voice was quiet.
“You made that choice for me.””
“Yes.””
“And that’s what hurts.””
Her eyes filled.
“I know.””
The rain hit the windows harder.
For a moment, they were just two people who had lost something.
Not enemies.
Not strangers.
Just two people standing in the ruins of a relationship.
Then Marcus asked:
“What did Nathan mean?””
Brielle became still.
“About me choosing you?””
She nodded.
Her face changed.
“I didn’t want him to tell you.””
“Why?””
“Because it makes everything look worse.””
Marcus waited.
She took a deep breath.
“After I left Daniel, I had nowhere to go.””
“Okay.””
“I stayed with a friend.””
“And?””
“That friend worked at Carter Industries.””
Marcus’s expression changed.
“My family’s company?””
“Yes.””
She looked down.
“That’s how I learned about you.””
The room became colder.
“So you did know who I was.””
“Not at first.””
“But eventually.””
“Yes.””
Marcus felt the old wound open again.
“Why?””
She whispered:
“Because Daniel was looking for me.””
Marcus froze.
“What?””
“He had connections. Money. People everywhere.””
She stepped closer.
“I found out he had been tracking my movements.””
“And you thought coming near me would help?””
“No.””
Her answer was immediate.
“I thought you were the safest person I knew.””
Marcus stared.
“You barely knew me.””
“I knew enough.””
“How?””
She looked at him.
“Because I watched you.””
The confession sounded terrible.
Even she knew it.
Marcus stepped back.
“Watched me?””
“I needed to know if you were like Daniel.””
His expression changed.
“And?””
“And you weren’t.””
She started crying.
“You were kind when nobody was watching. You treated employees with respect. You helped strangers who could never help you back.””
Marcus looked away.
Those words should have comforted him.
They didn’t.
“Brielle, you still lied.””
“I know.””
“And you married me while still married to someone else.””
“I know.””
“Then what do you want from me?””
She looked at him.
“I want you to know that my love was real.””
Before Marcus could answer, his phone rang.
Unknown number.
He almost ignored it.
Then he saw the message appear.
*Marcus, don’t trust Brielle. She’s still protecting someone.*
A second message followed.
A photograph.
Marcus opened it.
His blood ran cold.
It was Brielle.
Standing outside a hospital.
Holding a baby blanket.
But the date wasn’t four years ago.
It was last month.
Marcus looked at Brielle.
She saw the screen.
And all the color disappeared from her face.
“Who sent that?””
She whispered:
“I don’t know.””
Marcus held up the phone.
“Then explain this.””
Brielle stared at the picture.
May you like
And quietly said:
“Because that shouldn’t exist.””
