Page 104 of The Substitute Fiancée

He nods.

“Have a good week, Sam.”

“You too, Alexander.”

After he leaves, I stand motionless by the window for a while, overwhelmed by a sudden wave of sadness.

Emelyne knocks on the door, two mugs of herbal tea in hand. She gives one to me, then sits on the bed.

“You okay?” she asks.

“Yes. I will be.”

She studies me for a long moment, then pats the mattress.

“What’s wrong?”

I take a deep breath.

“I don’t know if being with Alexander—for real—is a good idea.”

She doesn’t interrupt, gives me time.

“On New Year’s Eve, he told me about his relationship with Kristel. About their parallel lives, that empty comfort. And I realize he’s in denial. Three years isn’t nothing. You don’t share that much time with someone without it leaving marks.”

I sit up straighter.

“He minimizes it to protect himself. But he was going to ask her to marry him.”

“You think he hasn’t moved on?”

“I think he’s buried all of it very deep. And I’m afraid of the explosion when it comes back up.”

She considers this.

“And it affects your relationship?”

“Yes. Everything happened too fast. He came out of a painful breakup, and three weeks later, he’s with me.”

My voice trembles.

“I’m afraid of being a bandage. A way to numb himself, to fill the void. But when routine sets in, what will be left? Will he regret it? Will he wake up one morning realizing he never truly chose me—that he was just running from Kristel?”

Tears spill over. Emelyne wraps her arms around me.

“You might be overthinking things…”

“Or maybe I’m being clear-eyed. He’s trying—I see that. But I’m not sure he’s emotionally available. How could he be, when he hasn’t processed what came before?”

I wipe my eyes.

“And with the IPO, he’s going to disappear into work. There won’t be room for me anymore.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“Take a step back. Focus on my degree. Give him space. And give myself some, too. To figure out whether what we’re living is real… or just an illusion.”

“You want to break up?”