Isabella finally felt the churning in her stomach settle, but only after she had thrown up nothing but acidic bile.

She splashed cold water on her face, each drop shocking her senses back into focus.

Taking a slow, deep breath, she pulled herself together and stepped out of the restroom.

The meeting room door was slightly ajar as she passed by.

Inside, she saw Ethan and Sophia sitting side by side.

Sophia leaned forward with practiced elegance, every movement deliberate and poised.

Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, and her eyes held a glint of subtle invitation.

Their shoulders nearly touched, creating an intimate silhouette that spoke of deep connection.

Watching from the doorway, Isabella felt like an outsider, a ghost haunting the edges of their world.

In her own marriage, she had always been on the outside looking in.

Tears formed silently and traced warm paths down her cheeks.

As she turned to leave, her elbow knocked against a potted plant.

It crashed to the floor with a sharp, shattering sound.

The noise broke Ethan’s attention away from Sophia.

His eyes locked onto hers, filled with surprise and something colder.

Isabella flushed with embarrassment and frustration.

Ethan stepped into the hallway, his presence suddenly dominating the space.

Sophia appeared instantly at his side.

“What are you doing here?” Ethan’s voice was sharp, laced with clear irritation.

Sophia quickly deduced Isabella’s identity.

But she pretended not to know, offering a sweetly false smile.

“Ethan, who is this?” she asked lightly.

The question hung heavily in the air.

Who was she, really?

Isabella’s heart ached to know her own place in Ethan’s life.

Her expression must have revealed her pain, because Ethan’s face tightened.

He answered curtly, “She’s just an employee.”

Just an employee.

The words echoed mockingly in Isabella’s mind, magnifying her sense of worthlessness.

She felt invisible, reduced to nothing within these cold corporate walls.

Ethan turned and walked away without another word.

Sophia paused just long enough to shoot Isabella a smug, triumphant look.

Then she hurried after him.

Left alone, Isabella felt completely adrift, lost in a world she no longer understood.

She moved through the rest of the workday in a daze.

An unexpected call from her grandmother, Eleanor Vance, finally jolted her back to reality.

“Isabella, I’m not getting any younger,” Eleanor said warmly. “Who knows how much time I have left. More than anything, I want to see you settled—with a loving husband and children around you. So tell me, when are you finally bringing your boyfriend to meet me?”

Isabella swallowed hard, emotion tightening her throat.

Even Eleanor, who had always been her rock, had no idea she was already married.