MORE THAN JUST A STAND-IN

Chapter 10: Tangled Threads of the Heart

The silence that followed Albert’s confession was louder than any scream Sallyanna had ever heard. It rang in her ears, throbbed in her chest, and echoed in every cell of her being. He had used her. From the very beginning, it had been a lie, a manipulation of her love-starved heart.

She sat still for a long time, her breathing shallow, her fingers trembling slightly on her lap. Albert stood only a few feet away, staring at her with something that looked too much like guilt to ignore, but also not enough like remorse to console.

"I should go," Sallyanna finally said, her voice brittle.

"Please don’t. Not like this," he pleaded.

She stood, her chair screeching slightly against the tiled floor, a sound as jarring as the emotions cracking her open inside. "You planned this. You knew exactly what you were doing."

Albert stepped forward. "At first, yes. I won’t lie to you. It was a setup. But it changed, Sallyanna. You changed it. I didn’t expect to feel anything—not after what happened with Alora—but you made it impossible not to."

"Don't you dare bring her into this!" she snapped. "I'm not your replacement."

"You’re not!"

Her eyes stung. Tears threatened to spill, but she forced them back. She wouldn't let him see her cry. Not now. "Then what am I, Albert? A rebound? A puppet? A fool?"

"You’re the only person who’s ever made me feel like I deserve better than my past," he whispered.

That softened her for a fraction of a second, but the wound was too raw. "Words. That's all they are."

She grabbed her bag and walked toward the door, but Albert moved faster, blocking her path. "Let me make it right."

"How? You can't erase what you've done."

"No, but I can show you what it meant to me. All of it. You—you weren't supposed to mean something, Sallyanna. You weren't part of the plan. But you became the most important part."

His words lingered, each syllable pulling her in two different directions. One half wanted to believe him, to imagine a fairytale where mistakes could be forgiven. The other half had finally learned how to stand.

She stepped around him. "I need space. If you really mean what you say, don’t chase me. Give me time."

He didn’t move. Only nodded once, sharply, like a man realizing he might have lost the only thing that ever mattered.

Back at her apartment, the silence was even more suffocating. Everything reminded her of him. The mug he favored for his morning coffee. The throw blanket they once curled under during a storm. Her reflection in the mirror, which seemed older now. Wiser. Hardened.

Her phone buzzed. A message from Julia.

**"Are you okay? I heard you left the office early."

She typed a reply: **"Just needed air."

Julia didn’t push. She never did. A true friend who always knew when silence was a better comfort than conversation.

As the evening sun dipped behind the horizon, Sallyanna stepped out onto her small balcony, wrapping herself in a sweater. She thought of Albert. Of Alora. Of the cruel trick fate had played. Was she supposed to forgive? To forget? Or to fight for the love that might have been real despite its ugly beginning?

Her thoughts churned until night fell. And then, as the stars blinked into view one by one, she realized she wasn’t ready to decide yet. For the first time in her life, she didn’t have to.

She could take her time. Breathe. Heal.

Let Albert wait.