Chapter 5: The Ex Returns
1102 Words
(Esther's Point of View)
It was just a whisper at first.
A feeling, a strange shift in the air, as if something was about to disrupt the delicate balance I had carefully started to build with Matthew. I had been trying, in my own quiet way, to get used to my life here. The contract, the coldness of our marriage, the distance he kept—at least it was predictable. I was still playing the role, but I thought I was getting better at it.
That was, until I saw her.
Rebecca.
I didn’t know it was her at first. The woman who stood at the far side of the gala, laughing with a group of people. She looked so poised, so in control, and everything about her screamed power. Her long, blonde hair cascaded down her back like silk, and the red dress she wore clung to her body in the way that only a woman who knew she was beautiful could wear a dress. It was effortless. Too effortless.
But then, her eyes met mine across the room, and it clicked.
Rebecca.
She was staring at me. Not just looking, but staring, as if she knew something I didn’t. As if she was waiting for me to figure it out. And in that moment, I felt something twist deep in my gut. I couldn’t place it at first, but it was a feeling I didn’t want to acknowledge. It was jealousy.
But not just my jealousy.
I watched as Rebecca’s lips curled into a smirk, the kind that sent a chill through my veins. I could feel it—her presence. She was Matthew’s past, and yet here she was, right in front of me, ready to destroy everything I thought I knew about him.
I should have turned away. I should have gone to find Matthew and pulled him away. I should have done anything to avoid the confrontation, but instead, I stayed frozen, watching her as she made her way toward me.
As she approached, I could feel the air growing thick, charged with something I couldn’t name. I held my breath, trying to steady myself, but the words that came next hit me like a slap.
"Well, well. If it isn’t Matthew’s new toy."
Her voice was sweet, dripping with honey, but I could feel the venom underneath. She wasn’t here for small talk. She wasn’t here to be polite. No, she was here to make a point. And I was the target.
I tried to stay calm, forcing a smile. "Excuse me?" I asked, not sure whether I should feel threatened or just plain angry.
Her eyes flickered with amusement as she took a step closer, deliberately invading my personal space. "I said, you’re just a toy. Don’t you know that? Something to pass the time."
I opened my mouth to respond, but the words wouldn’t come. My heart pounded in my chest as I realized exactly what she was doing. She wasn’t just talking to me. She was talking about me. She was trying to make me feel small, insignificant.
"You see," Rebecca continued, her voice lowering, "Matthew doesn’t keep people around for long. You’re just a temporary fix for him. You don’t really think he’s going to let you in, do you? He never lets anyone in. Not really."
The words struck a nerve. I wanted to shout back at her, to tell her she was wrong, that Matthew wasn’t like that. But I couldn’t—because part of me was afraid she was right.
I felt a rush of heat flood my cheeks, my body suddenly stiff. "I think you’re wrong," I said, my voice shaky, but my words firm.
Rebecca tilted her head, studying me. She was enjoying this, the power she held over me. "Am I? You really think he’s going to stay with you? You’re nothing but a convenience. A pretty little distraction."
I wanted to run away, to leave, to avoid the confrontation, but I stood rooted to the spot. I couldn’t let her get under my skin. I couldn’t.
Rebecca wasn’t done. "Let’s face it. You’re just a pawn in his game, Esther. That’s all you’ll ever be."
That was when I saw Matthew.
He walked across the room, his presence as commanding as ever, but his eyes—his eyes flickered between us, an almost imperceptible flicker of something I couldn’t place. He stopped just short of us, and his gaze hardened when it landed on Rebecca.
"Rebecca." His voice was low, a warning.
I couldn’t see his expression, but the way he spoke her name—like he was grinding his teeth as he said it—made something churn in my stomach.
Rebecca smiled sweetly, her eyes never leaving me. "Matthew, darling," she purred, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "I was just having a little chat with your wife. She’s so... charming."
His jaw clenched, and for a moment, the tension between the three of us was suffocating. I could feel Matthew’s frustration rising, the storm inside him just waiting to break.
"I think it’s time you left," Matthew said, his voice colder than I’d ever heard it.
Rebecca raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Leaving so soon? But we were just starting to catch up." Her eyes flicked over to me, the smirk still plastered on her face.
Matthew didn’t budge. "I said, leave."
Rebecca’s smile faded just slightly, but she didn’t argue. Instead, she turned on her heel and walked away, but not before throwing one last glance over her shoulder at me. "You’ve been warned," she said softly, just loud enough for me to hear. "He doesn’t stay with people like you."
I stood there, staring after her, my heart hammering in my chest. Every part of me wanted to scream at Matthew, to ask him why he let her speak to me like that. Why he didn’t defend me. But I didn’t. I couldn’t.
Matthew stepped closer to me, his presence overwhelming, but I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or just more confused. His eyes were fixed on me now, and for a moment, there was nothing but silence between us.
"Esther," he finally said, his voice softer than before, but no less guarded. "She doesn’t know what she’s talking about."
I didn’t say anything. I just stared at him, trying to make sense of everything—what he said, what she said, and what it all meant for me.
But the uncertainty that clung to me, the fear that maybe Rebecca was right, it wouldn’t go away. Not yet.
- Writer
