A Love on Paper

I held Roxanne's gaze, suddenly struck by a sense of pity for her.

"Have you ever thought you might be the other woman here, Roxanne? And that Christopher doesn't love you nearly as much as you think he does?" I asked.

She slapped me out of nowhere, her voice rose to a shrill pitch as she snarled, "You shameless woman! What nonsense are you spewing? Do you want me to throw you out right now?"

My cheek stung sharply. I sneered and struck her in return, the force of it knocking her off balance and onto the floor.

I loomed over her, my voice icy. "Why are you so afraid, Roxanne? Is it because you know I'm right? Well, congratulations—you figured it out. Christopher and I got married months ago. So, guess what that makes you now? A homewrecker."

Getting those words out brought an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

Roxanne froze. Before I knew it, she lunged at me, her nails aiming straight at my face. "You lying snake! Christopher's been in love with me for ten years! There's no way he'd marry you! I'll shred that filthy mouth of yours!"

She moved too fast for me to stop her completely. Her nails raked down my face, leaving fiery trails in their wake. That was when Christopher stormed into the room.

"What are you doing, Roxanne?" he snapped, wasting no time pulling her off me.

Her eyes were brimming with tears, and her face reflected a deep sense of hurt. "Throw her out, Chris! She's spreading lies about being married to you. That's ridiculous!"

Christopher turned to me, his eyes filled with discontent, reproach, and a touch of surprise as if he hadn't expected me to spill the truth.

"Willow Sweeney," he said, his voice low and laced with warning.

I knew exactly what he was trying to convey, but I was unwilling to comply. I smiled as I replied, "What? Did I lie about something?"

The atmosphere was tense, and Roxanne seemed to realize something. She cautiously grabbed his sleeve, asking, "Christopher, is any of what she said true?"

He remained silent; his eyes stayed fixed on me. After what felt like an eternity, he exhaled slowly, his disappointment sinking into his words.

"I told you I needed time to handle this properly, Willow. You don't have to take it this far. You don't really want a divorce. You're just trying to get under Roxy's skin, don't you? You've been holding onto me for four years. You wouldn't just let go now."

A wave of regret crashed over me, sharp and unrelenting. I wasted four years of my life on Christopher, who didn't deserve any of it.

I covered the scratches on my cheek and locked eyes with him as I bit out each word. "Stop flattering yourself, Christopher. I stopped caring about you a long time ago."

But my words seemed to roll off him like water on stone.

"Don't push your luck, Willow," he said. "You're the one who provoked Roxanne first, but I'm willing to let it slide. Stay here for a few days and take some time to think about your actions."

With that, he scooped Roxanne into his arms and walked out.

I smiled, but it didn't reach my eyes. It baffled me how he'd decided I was to blame so easily. Maybe I'd always come second to her in his eyes. Still, it didn't matter anymore.

After Christopher was gone, I moved out of the villa and settled into an affordable hotel.