Forgotten Luna: I'm Done Playing the Substitute

Chapter 2

Isabella

I didn’t sleep. I couldn't, so I lay beside him, staring into the darkness, and listening to the steady

rhythm of his breathing as if it belonged to a stranger, because maybe… it did.

The man who had walked into that bathroom, the man who had whispered her name like it meant

something sacred, that wasn’t my husband.

Or maybe he never had been.

I turned my head slightly, watching him in the faint glow filtering through the curtains. His face was relaxed now, free of tension, free of guilt and worse, free of me.

One arm was thrown over his head, his chest rising and falling in a slow, even rhythm. He looked peaceful, clearly untouched by what he had done and what I had heard.

My fingers tightened slightly around the blanket while my thoughts roamed.

Three years. Three years of marriage, and he had never once touched me like that. Not even close.

So it wasn’t that he didn’t want intimacy..It wasn’t that he was tired, or trying to “protect” me.

No. He just didn’t want me.

The thought settled into my chest, heavy and cold, like it had been waiting there all along.I squeezed my eyes shut, but sleep refused to come. Every time I drifted close, I heard it again, Elisa.

My throat tightened. I turned onto my side, facing away from him, and pulling the blanket closer around myself like it could shield me from the truth.

It didn’t, nothing did. I was still lost in thoughts when the sound came suddenly.

My eyes opened instantly at the soft ping that filled the room. For a moment, I thought I had imagined it,but then it came again.

I frowned slightly, glancing toward the bedside table but William didn’t stir.

Of course he didn’t.

Carefully, I pushed myself up, moving slowly so I wouldn’t wake him. My leg protested immediately, a dull ache flaring as my weight shifted, but I ignored it..I had learned how to move through pain a

long time ago.

I reached for his phone, then hesitated, but only for a second. I knew his password, I always had, but

I had never used it. I trusted him, so there was no need to give through his phone, but after what had happened tonight…

Another notification lit up the screen, cutting me off. My gaze dropped and I froze.

Elisa.

The name stared back at me like it had been waiting. My fingers tightened around the phone as another message followed, then another.

The screen kept lighting up, over and over again, her name appearing again and again like a quiet, persistent knock I couldn’t ignore.

I swallowed.

“You shouldn’t,” I whispered to myself, barely audible. “This isn’t who you are.”

But that name, after tonight, after everything, was more than enough to crack my resolve.Slowly, and carefully, I slipped out of bed, glancing back once to make sure he was still asleep.

He didn’t move.

I stepped out of the room and into the hallway, the cold floor biting against my bare feet as I made my way toward the study.

Each step felt heavier than the last, like I already knew what I was about to find… and was walking toward it anyway.

I didn't stop until the door clicked softly shut behind me. The study was dark, the only light coming from the phone still glowing in my hand.

I sat down slowly, my grip tightening as I stared at the screen. One message stood out. It was a video, sent just moments ago. My heart began to pound, slow and

uneven.

Don’t open it.

I should have put the phone down, I should have walked away, but instead, I tapped play..

The video loaded instantly and laughter filled the quiet room. It was bright and lively, and I didn't miss the way my chest tightened. The camera moved, unsteady, capturing flashes of a crowded

room, people talking, glasses clinking, music humming softly in the background.

It was clearly a celebration, and then I saw William. He stood in the center, a glass raised in his hand, and his expression different.

There was warmth in his eyes, real warmth. The kind I hadn’t seen directed at me in a long time, if ever.

“Welcome home,” he said, his voice clear even through the recording.

He was smiling, not the polite smile he gave me, not the tired one, but a real one. The room erupted in cheers, someone turned the camera, and she appeared.

Elisa.

I didn’t need an introduction, I didn’t need confirmation. I just knew.She stood close to him, her smile bright, and effortless, like she belonged there. They shared a hug, and a peck on the cheek, before the video ended.

The room fell silent again, but the echo of his voice remained.

Welcome home.

My fingers trembled as I lowered the phone slightly, my vision blurring. So that was where he had been, not in a meeting, nor trapped in work.

He had been there, with her, celebrating her return while I sat alone, waiting, and watching candles burn out on a cake I had made for myself.

A broken sound slipped past my lips before I could stop it. My hand flew to my mouth, pressing hard as if I could force it back down, but the tears came anyway, blurring everything.

My shoulders shook as I sobbed quietly, not wanting to wake William. Even now, I didn't want him realizing that I knew the truth.

I had hoped that it was just a bad dream, that he would have an excuse for what had happened,but I guess I was wrong.

Very very wrong.