Vivien joined Cole's firm on a rainy Tuesday.
Jade stood by the penthouse window, fingers curled around a lukewarm cup of tea. Below, Cole stepped out of the black car, holding an umbrella, not over himself, but over her.
Vivien.
His first love. The one he was meant to marry.
The woman he lost in a whirlwind of pride and timing, and the woman Jade had unknowingly replaced.
No, not replaced. Just… filled in. Temporarily. Accidentally.
The truth was cruel in its simplicity: Cole had only married Jade because she got pregnant. A drunken night after his breakup with Vivien. One moment of weakness. One mistake.
He'd never said he loved her.
He didn't even look at her that way.
And Jade had told herself, over and over, that the baby would make it all worth it. That Cole would soften. That they'd become a family.
But the baby was gone.
And now, Vivien was back.
At the firm, her arrival was hailed like royalty returning to her rightful throne. She was brilliant, poised, effortlessly respected. Staff whispered about how natural they looked side by side. Board members welcomed her with champagne.
They said she was exactly what the firm needed.
What he needed.
At home, the shift was undeniable. Cole stopped making excuses. Stopped pretending.
He came home late—when he came home at all.
When he did, he smelled like hotel shampoo and someone else's perfume.
Vivien sent him home-cooked meals—too much for one, her notes said. Neatly written, warm, familiar.
The kind of things a wife would do.
The kind of things Jade had stopped doing… because he never noticed.
Even Claire, Cole's sister, began dropping hints. Calling Vivien "refreshing." Asking Jade when she planned to "move on."
"You were never a match," she said one evening with a tight smile. "It was a drunken mistake. Don't confuse duty with love."
Jade said nothing.
Not when they mocked her education.
Not when Cole's parents praised Vivien's return like a second chance for their son.
She simply set the table each night. Smiled through the pain. Pretended she still had a home.
But deep down, something inside her had started to crack.
One afternoon, determined to be more than a ghost in her own marriage, Jade packed a lunch and headed to Cole's office.
It wasn't much, just his favourite rice porridge and side dishes from the little shop he used to love. The one they went to back when things were new. Back when she still had hope.
She stepped into the firm, head held high, a soft smile tugging at her lips. The receptionist blinked in surprise, then forced a smile.
"Mrs. Blaine. Mr. Blaine's in a meeting," she said quickly. "With a client and Ms. Blake"
"I'll wait," Jade said gently.
She didn't have to wait long.
Voices echoed down the marble corridor. Cole's unmistakable low murmur. A laugh, light, melodic. Vivien.
Jade turned just as the elevator opened. Cole stepped out first, suit immaculate, gaze elsewhere. Vivien followed, poised, glowing, her hand brushing Cole's sleeve as they walked.
They both stopped when they saw her.
"Jade," Cole said stiffly, as though surprised she still existed.
Vivien smiled, polite, pristine, and cruel. "Oh. You're here."
"I brought you lunch," Jade said quietly, eyes on Cole.
Vivien tilted her head, her eyes glinting. "How sweet," she said. "You still do that?"
Jade ignored her and held the bag out to Cole.
He didn't take it.
Vivien stepped forward and plucked the bag from her hands instead. "Let me guess. That little corner shop on Grand Street? You used to love their porridge, didn't you, Cole?"
He didn't answer.
Vivien opened the bag and peeked inside. "How quaint. Did you make this yourself?" she asked, voice dripping with mockery.
"Yes," Jade said evenly.
Vivien chuckled. "You know, I remember when Cole couldn't eat anything without my homemade ginger paste. Poor thing's so picky."
Jade stood still. "I'm not here to argue."
"Of course not," Vivien said smoothly. "You've never really had a place here, Jade. Don't mistake tolerance for belonging."
Jade felt the sting but didn't flinch.
Cole cleared his throat. "That's enough."
Vivien gave him a saccharine smile. "Just making conversation."
Jade looked at him, one last time. Searching for something in his eyes.
But he wouldn't meet her gaze.
She turned to go.
"Oh, and Jade?" Vivien called sweetly. "Next time, maybe just send it through the driver. It's more… convenient that way."
Jade didn't reply.
Her heels clicked against the polished floor as she walked away, the sound echoing through the hollow space of what used to be a marriage.