Page 128 of The Substitute Fiancée

Someone who might one day be worthy of you.

The words blur in front of my eyes. I read them again. Once. Twice.

“Well,” Emelyne murmurs, leaning toward me, “your guy knows how to talk.”

I shrug, trying to keep my face neutral despite the emotion tightening my chest.

“Yeah. But will he keep his promise?”

Mara looks at me with gentle warmth.

“Only time will tell. But for now, live your life. Don’t wait for him.”

I nod.

She’s right. This year is too important. I can’t put my life on pause for a man and his promises.

42. Violation of Trust

Alexander

I had never been to therapy before.

In my world, you deal with problems by working harder, by stacking goals, pushing forward at all costs. You don’t sit across from a stranger and talk about your feelings.

I expected vague advice. Kind but empty generalities. But from the very first session, I understood how much a competent professional could help me move forward. Not faster, but better. Deeper.

Dr. Lebrun’s office is in the seventh arrondissement, on the third floor of a discreet Haussmann building. Nothing ostentatious. The waiting room is understated, almost bare: a few psychology books, a green plant, soft lighting.

When she opens the door, her presence strikes me immediately.

A woman in her fifties, short gray hair, a simple sweater, black-framed glasses. But it’s her eyes that unsettle me—attentive, precise, as if she already knows how to pinpoint the blind spots I’ve been avoiding for years.

“Alexander Delaunay? Please, come in.”

I sit in an armchair facing her. No couch. Two chairs at equal height. A coffee table. A box of tissues. And that calm, benevolent gaze that makes me strangely uncomfortable.

“What brings you here?” she asks simply.

The words hesitate, then spill out in disarray.

Kristel. The affair. Sam. The IPO. The explosion in front of the school.

I speak quickly, as if I’m still trying to control the narrative.

When I finish, she remains silent for a few seconds. Then she says:

“Infidelity is a profound violation of trust. It’s perfectly normal to feel pain, anger, sometimes even shame afterward. Don’t try to minimize what you felt.”

She pauses.

“But there’s one essential thing you need to understand: the fact that Kristel cheated on you had nothing to do with your value as a man. It wasn’t personal.”

Her words leave me perplexed. A nervous laugh escapes me.

“It feels extremely personal.”

She offers a calm smile, as if she expected that exact reaction.