"I loved him, or at least I thought I did until I realized I'd been invisible in my own marriage"
Emily carefully scrambled the eggs, tossing in fresh spinach and cherry tomatoes, while Brian sipped his coffee silently, scrolling through his phone. She poured herself a cup of chamomile, pretending the quiet between them didn't sting.
But it really did. Who doesn't notice their Wife's new hairdo? Emily had spent 20 minutes curling her hair into soft, loose waves that framed her face perfectly. He looked up past her, not at his beautiful wife in front of him but at the wall clock.
She rinsed the last plate, staring at her reflection in the kitchen window. Her waves fell perfectly, but no one would see them today—not Brian, at least."I am off to work" He mumbled. And that was it. No kiss on the head, he didn't even wait to get a response from her. Emily pushed off the thought that kept on pondering her.
She tugged her blazer into place and swiped on a hint of lipstick, hoping today might feel different. Emily grabs her bag and goes straight to the bus stop. She takes the train to her office in Ravewood City. Of course, her husband didn't deem it fit for them to commute in his car.
The train rattled along the tracks, and Emily stared at her reflection in the glass. She had always found herself doing this, getting lost in her thoughts. Everyone else seemed to have someone noticing the little things, someone to care.Why is it that he never sees me? She tugged at her curls, wishing someone would.
Nothing gets a wife in a bad mood more than being invisible to her husband. Emily gets off at her station, adjusting her bag and blazer. Her mind is on the workday ahead, but also a subtle anticipation that something might feel different today
.Lucas Reed, the CEO of the company Emily worked in, walks right into the elevator Emily was in. "Emily, did you do something with your hair?" Lucas asked as his eyes lingered just long enough for her heartbeat to skip. She froze. He noticed, someone actually noticed. Before she could open her mouth to mutter a word, the elevator dinged. They were already on the office floor. He walked away leaving Emily flustered.
Emily finally put herself together and walked out of the elevator and went straight to her desk. "Why do you look so flushed? Did something happen on the way?" Clara Bennett asked. She has been Emily's coworker and a friend too. Emily touched her cheeks."Oh… um, I guess I just had a good morning," she muttered, cheeks still warm. Emily quickly brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and tried to steady her racing heart, hoping Clara wouldn't notice how flustered she really was.
"What's wrong with me? Why am I acting this way? It is just a compliment Emily". "It's ridiculous, " she told herself. "But why does it feel like my world just got shifted because of a compliment from Him?". Emily sank into her chair and opened her emails, but her mind kept drifting back to Lucas's smile, the way he had noticed something so small, something Brian never would."Heads up guys, Lucas is on his way here". Emily's heart skipped a beat.
She straightened her blazer unconsciously and touched her cheeks which were already pink and warm. She really wanted to look composed but it seems her body system has another plan entirely. She fiddles with her pen and pretends like she is engrossed in her work. Lucas stepped into the room, scanning the desks. When his gaze landed on Emily, she felt the familiar flutter she hadn't felt in years.
She looked down at her hands, wishing she could disappear."Why does he make me feel this way? How can a Man make my stomach flutter this much". "Emily, can you send me the Henderson file by noon?" His voice was calm, commanding, yet something in the way he looked at her made her pulse quicken."Y-yes, of course," she whispered, cursing herself for the sudden tightness in her chest."Careful there," Claret whispered, elbowing Emily. "You're practically glowing."Emily's cheeks burned hotter.
She wished she could disappear into her chair. This is so embarrassing. Brian has never looked at her that way, not in the last four years.Emily typed an email with half her mind on the report and half on Lucas's smile. How could a simple glance unsettle her so completely? Brian would never notice… not ever. "Emily, could you review this section before the meeting?" Lucas's voice was calm, but she could feel the weight of his gaze."Y-yes… I'll get it done right away," she murmured, her hands trembling slightly over the keyboard.
"Watch out Emily, Lucas seems interested today". Clara whispered, smirkingly. "Interest? It's just work Clara!". Lucas returned to his office, leaving Emily's heart pounding and her thoughts spiraling. She pressed her hands to her desk, trying to calm the flutter, but she knew one thing for certain: nothing about today would feel normal anymore.Emily sighed.
She hated elements of surprise like this except this surprise isn't entertaining. She just got assigned to a project last minute. She panics but decides to let her skill work things out for her.Emily fumbled with the spreadsheet, her fingers clumsy as she tried to fix a formula. Lucas leaned over, his hand pointing to the correct cell. "Ah, see, this will fix it," he said. And just like that, she felt seen—not for how she looked, but for what she could do.
It's been over an hour and everyone assigned to the project task has been so engrossed in work. "If the printer jams one more time, I swear it's plotting against me," Claret said, rolling her eyes. Emily chuckled, and even Lucas's corners lifted in a faint smile. The room got lit for a moment and changed the mood to a blissful one. Lucas asked calmly how the report was going. When a junior stammered, he smiled patiently, guiding them through it. Emily found herself admiring not just his looks, but the way he commanded respect without raising his voice.
The junior looked full of appreciation as Lucas guided him through with no scolding. When Emily returned to her desk, she found a sticky note: "You did great in the Project task. Keep it up." Her cheeks warmed, he had noticed something only she could see. She would recognize his handwriting even if her eyes were blindfolded. "Oh no, not again" a co-worker exclaims. He was freaking out because a client had called last-minute to make a change in the report that had been finalized.
Panic ripped across the office. Emily dove in, typing furiously to see the issue. As much as she hated changes like this, she sure couldn't sit back and do nothing. Whilst, Lucas who had been called, calmly instructed the team to be calm and gave instructions. Right before he could assign Emily, she was already on it.For a second, Lucas stared and adored her. She didn't wait before she was told, she had already moved into action.
He was so impressed by her and a little smile was at the corner of his lips. Lunch time and everyone could make use of the break especially a hectic one for those who were called into the unprepared project. Clara walks up to Emily who was snacking on a bag of crisps. "Pray, tell me. Did you see how Lucas was looking at you? He had wanted to call your name to assign you to do something but you were already engrossed and working on it. I can swear I saw him with this look of pride on his face. He was so astonished. You need to see his face".
"He was what?" Emily was confused. Did she do something out of the ordinary? It was only the right thing to do. Was he amused by her? She really wished she had caught him smiling at her. "Oh my, you are blushing again. Girl, are you on some blush streak??". Emily touched her cheeks and felt how warm they were. She quickly changed the discussion. "How has house hunting been or Have you finally succumbed to being hunted by your house?"
Clara had been trying to get a new apartment. Her house has always been infested with bugs and spiders. Carla had gotten tired of always fumigating the apartment. She just had to move away."I swear, my apartment is a horror show," Clara groaned, waving a hand. "Last night, I saw a spider crawling across my kitchen counter. And the bugs? Don't even get me started."Emily laughed out loud. " I really do hope you get a new apartment as soon as possible. You deserve a fresh start and don't forget to get a few plants, it might keep the bugs away
.Even as she was discussing with Clara, her mind still wandered to how Lucas made her feel earlier, and how she missed how he smiled at her with admiration. Emily finished for the day and packed her bag, turned off her computer, and left work for home. She needs to unwind from the hectic and exhausting day. Emily made a toast, but she didn't feel like eating much. Her thoughts were enough to keep her stomach filled up. Brian wasn't home and she couldn't be bothered about that.
As she went to bed, just before she could close her eyes. She kept on playing back all that went down with Lucas during the day.
"For the first time in years, I realized I wanted something… someone… more than what I had."