Betrayed By My Fiancée

Chapter 23: Feeling The Weight

I woke up slowly, like my body didn’t really want to agree with the day yet. The room was quiet in that heavy morning way, and for a few seconds I just lay there staring at the ceiling.

No rush.

No movement.

Just me and my thoughts trying to catch up to each other.

And then everything came back.

Dante. Leondra. The silence. The ending I didn’t even get properly; I I I just watched it happen in front of me.

I pushed myself up before I could sink into it again. Staying in bed felt worse than moving, so I chose movement. Anything was better than lying there replaying it.

Clara was still asleep when I got up, face half buried in the pillow, completely gone. I moved quietly so I wouldn’t wake her.

There was something comforting about her being there, even if she wasn’t aware of it. I just didn’t want noise yet.

I got undressed and stepped into the bathroom, turning on the tap and filling the tub.

The sound of water hitting the porcelain was the only thing filling my head for a bit. I waited until it was steaming, then stepped in without hesitation.

The heat hitskin,skin and I exhaled like I’d been holding my breath for days.

I stayed in longer than I should’ve. Just sitting there, letting the warmth do something to my body that my mind refused to do.

Relax it.

Quit down. it.

My hands moved slowly over my skin, like I was trying to bring myself back into my own body instead of floating somewhere else.

Then I saw it.

The ring.

It caught the light even in the steam, like it still wanted to be seen. My fingers paused on my arm, hovering for a second too long. I stared at it without really thinking, and something in my chest tightened again.

I looked away first.

When I got out, I dried off properly and got dressed in my uniform like it was just another normal day. That felt safer. Routine. Something that didn’t ask me how I felt about anything.

Clara was still asleep when I came out. I stood there for a second just watching her breathe, then moved quietly through the apartment. The silence felt different now. Not heavy like last night. Just… empty in a calmer way.

I remembered the keys sitting somewhere between everything that had happened. Mine were still technically with Dante. His was still here. I stared at the door for a second, thinking about locking it, about waiting, about something I couldn’t even name.

Then I didn’t.

Instead, I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a short note for Clara. Nothing dramatic. Just something simple so she wouldn’t panic when she woke up. I left it where she’d see it, then stepped out.

The morning air hit me the second I left the building. It cool andool, sharp enough to wake me up properly. I stood there for a second, then called a cab.

The ride was quiet.

Too quiet.

My thoughts didn’t stay in one place for long. They kept circling back to everything I didn’t want to replay. I leaned my head back and just watched the city pass like it didn’t belong to me for a while.

By the time I got to Vane City, I paid and stepped out. I stood in front of the building for a moment, jbreathing, anding, then went in.

Work helped. It always did.

The teachers greeted me like nothing had changed, like I hadn’t just fallen apart a day ago. I smiled back, small and automatic, and got straight into it. Chairs. Toys. Setting everything up the way it was supposed to be.

If I kept my hands busy, my head stayed quieter.

For a while.

My phone buzzed inpocket,cket and I already knew before I looked.

Dante.

“We need to talk.”

My chest tightened instantly, like my body reacted before my brain even processed it. I stared at the screen for a second too long, then locked it and slipped it away. Not now. I couldn’t do that right now.

I went back to work faster after that. Like if I moved quickly enough, I wouldn’t have to feel anything properly.

But then I heard it.

teachers arehers talking near the shelves, voices low but not low enough.

“Hey, Chloe, do you remember that tall woman who was here?”

“Oh yeah… Leondra, right?”

My hands slowed without me meaning to. I kept facing forward, acting like I didn’t hear.

“She’s apparently going to marry into the Thorne family.”

That name landed heavier than it should’ve.

“But don’t they only have one son?” the other one said, confused. “So someone in this room won’t be getting married then.”

They laughed a little after that, like it was nothing. Like it was just gossip.

I didn’t react. Not even slightly. I just kept cleaning, kept moving, kept my face steady. But something inside me went quiet in a different way. Like a door closing slowly.

The kids arrived not long after, and everything became noise again. Small hands, loud voices, mothers calling out, chaos filling every corner. I slipped into it easily. I always did.

Smile when needed. Speak when needed. Move like nothing is wrong.

Because that’s what I was good at.

By lunchtime, I needed air.

I went to the bathroom and closed the door behind me, locking it.

The click sounded louder than it should’ve. For a second, I just stood there, then leaned over the sink and exhaled hard.

“Okay, Jade… breathe.”

My voice sounded calm, but it didn’t feel calm inside. I splashed water on my face and let it drip down for a moment before reaching for a towel. My hands were steady, but my chest wasn’t.

Then I saw it again.

The ring.

I stared at it for a second longer than I expected to. Then I slowly slid it off my finger.

No hesitation this time.

It felt strange. Not painful. Not freeing exactly. Just… final in a quiet way. Like something had been sitting there for too long and I’d only just noticed the weight of it.

I closed my hand around it and slipped it into my pocket.

Then I left.

Outside, I walked to the café nearby like I always did on lunch breaks. Same route. Same steps. But something felt slightly off, like my body knew before my mind did.

A familiar car was parked nearby.

I slowed down without meaning to, then shook it off and went inside anyway. I ordered my usual, kept my vonormal, andmal, kept my face normal. That was becoming easier than anything else lately.

Then I heard it.

“Nice seeing you here.”

I froze before I even turned.

Mike.

“Oh… Mike, hey,” I said, forcing a small smile that didn’t quite feel real.

But he was already looking at me differently.

Not at my face.

At my hand.

At the space where the ring used to be.

And I felt it instantly.

He noticed.