The Woman You Thought Would Stay

Chapter 3 — The Distance Between Us

The next few days passed quietly.

Too quietly.

Adrian became busier.

At first, I didn't think much of it. His family owned several businesses, and I knew his responsibilities had increased.

But lately, every conversation felt shorter.

Every meeting was suddenly postponed.

Every message became a simple:

I'm busy. I'll call you later.

And somehow, later never came.

I tried not to complain.

After all, we were getting married.

Maybe this was what adulthood looked like.

One afternoon, I decided to surprise him at his office.

I bought his favorite coffee and drove there without telling him.

I wanted to see his reaction.

Maybe I was being silly, but I missed him.

When I reached the building, I sent him a message.

I'm here. Surprise! ❤️

I waited.

No reply.

I called.

Straight to voicemail.

I frowned.

Maybe he was in a meeting.

I walked toward the reception area.

Then I stopped.

Mira was there.

She was standing near the elevator.

My smile disappeared.

"Mira?"

She turned around.

For a moment, she looked shocked.

"Lia?"

I laughed awkwardly.

"What are you doing here?"

She looked at the folder in her hands.

"I... came to see someone."

"Who?"

She hesitated.

"Adrian."

My heart skipped.

"Adrian?"

"Yeah."

She smiled quickly.

"He asked me to bring some documents."

I stared at her.

Something about her answer bothered me.

Not because Mira couldn't see Adrian.

But because she had never mentioned anything about working with him.

"Oh," I said.

She stepped closer.

"You came to surprise him?"

"Yeah."

"He's not here."

I looked toward the elevators.

"Are you sure?"

Mira nodded.

"He left about twenty minutes ago."

I checked my phone.

There was still no message from Adrian.

"Did he say where he was going?"

She shook her head.

"No."

I forced a smile.

"Okay."

Mira reached for my hand.

"Don't worry. I'm sure he'll call you."

I nodded.

"Yeah."

Then the elevator doors opened.

A man walked out.

He looked at us, then at Mira.

"You're Adrian's fiancée, right?"

I smiled politely.

"Yes."

He suddenly looked uncomfortable.

Mira quickly interrupted.

"We should go."

She pulled me toward the entrance.

I looked back at the man.

He was still watching us.

Outside, I turned to Mira.

"Who was that?"

She shrugged.

"Probably someone from the office."

I nodded.

But something was beginning to bother me.

Mira knew too much about Adrian's schedule.

She knew when he left.

She knew where he would be.

And for some reason, I suddenly wondered...

How often had they been seeing each other without me knowing?

That night, Adrian finally called.

"Hey, beautiful."

I stayed quiet for a moment.

"Where were you today?"

"Work."

"I went to your office."

Silence.

"You did?"

"Yes."

His voice changed slightly.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to surprise you."

"Oh."

Another silence.

Then he laughed.

"I'm sorry I missed you."

I smiled faintly.

"It's okay."

I wanted to ask about Mira.

I wanted to ask why she was at his office.

But I didn't.

Because trusting someone meant giving them the benefit of the doubt.

And I trusted both of them.

More than I should have.

"Goodnight, Adrian."

"Goodnight, Lia."

After the call ended, I stared at my phone.

For the first time, I didn't feel completely safe in my own relationship.

I didn't know why.

I only knew that something had changed.

And I was beginning to fear that I wasn't the only person standing between Adrian and his future.