Adrian's POV
I sat in my car outside Maya's new building for the third time this week, staring at that mysterious photo on my phone.
Maya. Smiling at another man. Holding his hand.
Who is he?
The unknown number never answered my question. Just sent that cryptic message about her "new beginning" and then went silent. I'd tried calling back, texting again—nothing. Like whoever it was had disappeared into thin air.
But I couldn't get that image out of my head. Maya's smile. That genuine, radiant smile I hadn't seen in years. The smile that used to be mine.
Now it belonged to someone else.
I checked the time. Four-thirty. My assistant had called twice, Richard had left three voicemails about the unsigned papers, and Mom had sent a dozen texts asking if I'd "come to my senses yet."
I ignored all of them.
The building door swung open, and my heart jumped into my throat.
Maya.
She was carrying a large canvas and a bag of art supplies, struggling slightly with the weight. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and she wore old jeans with paint stains on them. No makeup. Just Maya, looking more like herself than she had in years.
When had she started painting again? She'd loved art in college, but after we got married, she'd packed away her supplies. Said she didn't have time anymore.
I'd never asked her to do that. Had I?
She was halfway to the building entrance when she glanced toward the parking area and froze. Our eyes met through my windshield, and I saw her entire body tense.
I got out of the car quickly, before I could lose my nerve.
"Maya—"
She turned and walked faster toward the door.
"Maya, wait!" I jogged to catch up, putting myself between her and the entrance. "Please. Just five minutes."
Her face was ice. Not angry—that would've been better. Just cold. Empty. Like I was a stranger she'd rather not deal with.
"Move, Adrian."
"I need to talk to you."
"No, you don't. You need to sign the divorce papers and leave me alone." She tried to step around me, but I shifted to block her path.
"I can't sign them."
"Why not?" Her voice was flat, tired. "I made it easy for you. No alimony. No fighting. Just sign and we're done."
"That's the problem. I don't want to be done."
Maya laughed, but it was a harsh, bitter sound I'd never heard from her before. "Now you don't want to be done? After three years of barely looking at me? After three years of working late and canceled dinners and sleeping on opposite sides of the bed?"
"I know I messed up—"
"You don't get to do this." Her voice cracked slightly, the first hint of emotion breaking through. "You don't get to show up now and act like you suddenly care. Where was this three months ago? Six months ago? A year ago when I was begging you to notice me?"
The canvas slipped from her grip, and I caught it automatically. She snatched it back.
"I'm sorry," I said desperately. "Maya, I'm so sorry. I was stupid and blind and—"
"And I'm done." She pushed past me, her shoulder brushing mine. "Sign the papers, Adrian. Let us both move on."
"Is that what you're doing?" The question burst out before I could stop it. "Moving on? With him?"
She stopped, her hand on the door handle. "What are you talking about?"
I pulled out my phone with shaking hands and showed her the photo. "This. Who is he?"
Maya stared at the screen, her face going pale. "Where did you get that?"
"Someone sent it to me. An unknown number." I moved closer, trying to read her expression. "Who is he, Maya? Are you... are you seeing someone?"
For a long moment, she didn't answer. Then she looked up at me with eyes that held something I couldn't identify. Hurt? Anger? Sadness?
"Does it matter?" she asked softly.
"Yes! Yes, it matters!"
"Why?" She stepped closer, and I could smell her shampoo—the same one she'd used for years. Lavender. "Why does it matter, Adrian? You have Lily Chen. You've always had Lily Chen. So why do you care if I have someone?"
"I don't have Lily! I never had Lily!"
"Then why did you marry me while looking at her?" Maya's voice broke completely now, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Why did you say 'I do' while wishing it was her standing next to you?"
"That's not—I didn't—"
"I saw you, Adrian. At our wedding. The way you looked at her when she walked in late. The way your face fell when you realized you were marrying me instead." She wiped her eyes roughly. "I saw it, and I convinced myself I was imagining things. That you loved me. That I was enough."
"You are enough—"
"Don't!" She held up her hand. "Don't you dare say that now. Not after three years of proving otherwise."
"Maya, please—"
The building door opened, and a man stepped out. Tall, with dark hair and an easy smile. He saw Maya crying and his expression immediately shifted to concern.
"Maya? Everything okay?"
My stomach dropped. It was him. The man from the photo.
"I'm fine, David." Maya quickly wiped her tears. "Just heading up."
David's eyes moved to me, and something passed between us—male recognition, territorial assessment. He stepped closer to Maya, protective.
"This is Adrian," Maya said quietly. "My... my husband. Adrian, this is David. My friend."
Friend. The word hung in the air like a challenge.
"I should get inside," Maya said, not looking at either of us. "Adrian was just leaving."
"Maya, wait—" I reached for her arm, but David moved between us smoothly.
"I think the lady wants to go inside," he said. His voice was calm but firm. Not threatening, just... certain.
"This is between me and my wife," I said, hearing the growl in my own voice.
"Soon to be ex-wife," Maya corrected from behind David. "Sign the papers, Adrian."
She pulled open the door and disappeared inside. David gave me one last measuring look before following her. The door clicked shut with a finality that made my chest ache.
I stood there alone on the sidewalk, feeling more helpless than I'd ever felt in my life.
My phone buzzed. Another text from the unknown number: Now you see what you're losing. Still think you can fix this?
I wanted to throw my phone across the parking lot. Instead, I typed back furiously: WHO ARE YOU?
The response came quickly: Someone who's been watching your marriage fall apart for three years. Someone who knows all your secrets, Adrian. Including the one about your wedding day.
My blood ran cold. *What are you talking about?
You know exactly what I'm talking about. The real reason you married Maya. The promise you made. The lie you've been living.
My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold the phone. How could anyone know about that? I'd never told anyone. Not my mother, not Richard, not even Lily.
*What do you want?*
*I want you to tell Maya the truth. Before it's too late. Before David does.*
*David knows?*
*David knows everything. And he's not afraid to tell her. Question is—will you be brave enough to tell her first?*
The phone went dead. No matter how many times I called or texted, nothing went through. Like the number had been disconnected.
I looked up at Maya's building, counting windows until I found one with lights turning on. Was she up there with David right now? Laughing? Crying? Telling him about our confrontation?
My chest hurt. My head hurt. Everything hurt.
I got back in my car and sat there as the sun set and shadows stretched across the parking lot. Other residents came and went. Lights flickered on in windows all around Maya's. But I couldn't make myself leave.
Around nine PM, my phone rang. Richard.
"Adrian, we have a problem."
"What now?"
"Maya's filed a motion to expedite the divorce. She's requesting a court date in two weeks. With or without your signature, this marriage is ending."
Two weeks. Fourteen days to figure out what I wanted. To find the courage to tell Maya the truth. To fix three years of mistakes.
Or to lose her forever.
"Adrian? Did you hear me?"
"Yeah," I said hoarsely. "I heard you."
I hung up and stared at Maya's window. The light was still on. I imagined her inside, starting her new life. With new art. New friends. New possibilities.
Without me.
My phone buzzed one last time. Not the unknown number—this was a calendar notification.
Mom's Birthday Dinner - Tomorrow 7 PM - MANDATORY
I'd completely forgotten. And knowing my mother, she'd invited half the city's elite. Including, probably, Lily Chen's family.
This was going to be a disaster.
But as I sat there in the dark, watching Maya's window, a thought occurred to me. Maybe it didn't have to be. Maybe this was my chance. My chance to finally tell everyone—my mother, Lily, the entire world—the truth.
Even if the truth destroyed everything.
Even if it meant admitting the one thing I'd been too afraid to face for three years.
I loved Maya. I'd always loved Maya.
And I'd been too stupid to realize it until I lost her.