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1182 Words
Sara's pov
Three days. For three days, I had tried to stop thinking about Mike. It was useless.
The man I had been searching for like a lost treasure had been searching for me too. That knowledge sat in my chest like a stone. But one question kept me awake at night. Why? Why didn't he leave his number that morning? Why did he leave the hotel before I woke up?
That one mistake. That one stupid, careless mistake. It was the reason we couldn't be together now. Because in three months, I was marrying his father.
Three months.
I lay in the guest room bed and stared at the ceiling. The wedding planning was in full swing. Rebecca had thrown herself into it like it was her own wedding. For the past two days, we had looked at flowers, tasted cakes, picked colors. She was so happy. So excited to have me as a sister.
And a small part of me, a part I hated to admit existed, didn't want the wedding to happen.
That part was named Mike.
But I loved Andrew. I really did. He came into my life when I was still broken from that night. When I had given up hope of ever finding the mystery man again. Andrew saved me. He showed me what stability felt like. He gave me things I never had.
Money. Security. Love that didn't run away in the morning.
Andrew spoiled me. Nice bags, nice cars, trips to places I only saw in movies. He changed my life. He changed me. I was a better person because of him.
And then his son showed up. The one man who could ruin everything.
It was so crazy. So unfair. The universe had a sick sense of humor.
Since I arrived at the mansion, Mike and I had not spoken alone. Not once. We saw each other at meals. We sat through family movie nights. We exchanged looks across the room. That was all.
But every look reminded me. Every glance brought back that night. His hands. His lips. The way he made me feel like I was the only woman in the world.
He is the best.
The words left my mouth before I knew I had spoken them. Out loud. At the breakfast table.
Everyone stopped eating.
"Excuse me?" Andrew asked, fork halfway to his mouth.
I froze. My brain scrambled for something, anything.
Think, Sara. Think.
"You mean the cook?" Mike's voice cut through my panic.
I looked at him. His face was calm, but his eyes were alert. He was saving me.
"Yes!" I said quickly, probably too quickly. "The cook. This food is amazing."
Andrew's face relaxed into a smile. "Oh, you mean James? He is the best I have ever known. I would really love it if he could be my cook in heaven."
Rebecca laughed. I smiled and looked down at my plate. When I looked up again, Mike was watching me. I gave him a tiny nod. Thank you.
He nodded back. Just a little. Just enough.
"So Mike," Rebecca said, reaching for more bread. "Having not seen Vanessa around. Have you hired another PA?"
Mike shook his head. "No, she'll be here anytime soon. I gave her two days off."
And right on cue, the front door opened. A woman walked in.
Red hair. Bright, almost unnatural red. She was tall and curved in all the right places. Her face was the kind of beautiful that made you feel small. She walked like she owned the room before she even entered it.
"This is Vanessa, Sara," Rebecca said with a grin. "Mike's PA and secret lover, I think."
Rebecca laughed at her own joke. I tried to smile.
But Vanessa's eyes had already found me. And the look in them made my skin cold.
She stared at me like she knew me. Like she had been waiting for me. Like I was an enemy she had expected to see.
I looked away first. I stood up, muttered something about needing rest, and walked to the large living room. I sank into a chair and tried to calm my heart.
For about fifteen minutes, I heard their voices from the other room. Mike and Vanessa, talking. Probably about business. I didn't care. I tried not to care.
But I did.
After a while, I got tired of sitting alone. I decided to go find Andrew in his room. Just being near him made things feel normal again. Made me remember why I was here.
I walked down the long hallway. The house was so quiet I could hear my own footsteps.
"Sara."
The voice came from behind me. I turned.
Vanessa stood there, arms crossed. Her red hair caught the light like fire. She was smiling, but it wasn't a nice smile.
"Don't give me that fake smile, Sara."
My face fell. "What?"
She stepped closer. "I know why you are here."
"I don't know what you're—"
"Stop." She held up a hand. "I know you are the lady from the hotel. Some years ago. I know you have been looking for him. And I know he has been searching for you too."
My mouth opened, but no words came out.
Vanessa laughed. It was a cold sound. "So let me give you a piece of advice. Stay away from my man. Unless you want to lose both Mike and Andrew."
My man. She called him her man.
"Wh...what are you talking about?" I finally managed. My voice sounded weak. Guilty.
Vanessa's eyes narrowed. "I have spent two years keeping women away from him. Two years making sure no one got close. I thought I had succeeded. But then you show up. Using Andrew to get to him."
"I'm not using anyone—"
"Save it." She stepped closer, her face inches from mine. "I'm telling you this once. Stay away from Mike. He is mine. I don't care what happened between you two in that hotel. That night is dead. Bury it. Or I will make sure both men in this house know exactly what kind of woman you really are."
My heart pounded. My hands shook.
And then I looked over her shoulder.
Mike was standing there. At the end of the hallway. Watching.
I don't know how long he had been there. Five seconds. Five minutes. Long enough.
His face was unreadable. But his eyes moved from me, to Vanessa, and back to me.
Vanessa must have seen something in my face. She turned slowly. When she saw him, her whole body changed. The anger dropped away, replaced by a smooth, professional smile.
"Mike," she said softly. "I was just welcoming Sara properly."
He didn't answer her. He just kept looking at me.
And I stood there, trapped between them, wondering how much he had heard. Wondering what happened next. Wondering if my whole world was about to crash down around me.
The silence stretched on.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
And only God knew what was coming next.
- Writer
