Page 123 of My Husband’s New Fiancée

And for the next three hours, the rest of the world disappears.

Bianca. The attacks. The fear. None of it exists anymore.

Only numbers. Hypotheses. Chemical reactions. And that familiar obsession.

Louane proposes modifications.

I dismantle her reasoning.

I offer my own.

She tears those apart in return.

For the first time in two years, I feel like I belong somewhere again.

Alive.

*

I have lunch with Louane in the company cafeteria.

We join several researchers. Former colleagues. A few new faces.

The atmosphere, awkward and tense at first, gradually begins to relax.

Until Bianca stops by our table with the head of marketing.

“Valeria, I see you’re reconnecting with your old colleagues... Did you tell them why you disappeared for two years, or are you leaving them in the dark like the rest of us?”

Ah.

She’s trying to regain control. Her wedding just fell apart, and she still found the energy to come after me here.

Around me, my coworkers shift uneasily in their seats. Louane opens her mouth, ready to step in, but I stop her with a slight shake of my head.

“What do you want, Bianca?”

“How could you do this to your own friends? To your husband? I can’t even understand it.”

I smile at her.

“I’ll admit, you’re very good at this. Tell me, is it a natural talent, or do you rehearse your lines in front of a mirror?”

Her smile falters for a fraction of a second.

“You’re talking nonsense.”

“Really? Then why are you here instead of just walking away? Why come over to my table if your goal wasn’t to make me uncomfortable and humiliate me?”

She shoots a quick glance at the people sitting around me.

Seeing the curiosity in their eyes, she realizes they’re wondering the same thing I am.

Her tactic changes immediately. Her expression turns sorrowful.

“I don’t know what happened to you or why you’re so defensive, but I want you to know I’m here for you. Even if Dante never forgives you, my door will always be open.”

I look at her without answering.