Love Fades Without A Trace

I felt all the blood rush to my head, my mind a complete blank. So, Rhiannon hadn't gotten Rollie especially for me. It was a present Callum hadn't wanted, and she brought it home.

At that moment, the cat wailed and leaped to the ground. I looked down to see a few strands of cat hair in my grip.

Rhiannon finished booking the cruise tickets and even got us a luxurious suite with a large bed. I glanced at the date on the booking. The cruise would depart on the third day of the next month, which was a week later. I'd be leaving for Fernham on the same day, too, if my application was approved.

That night, Rhiannon was as thoughtful as ever as she poured me a glass of milk. I saw the lust burning in her eyes and suddenly retched. As I raised my hand, I accidentally knocked over the glass of milk.

The white liquid soaked through the sheets, but Rhiannon anxiously checked me for wounds. "Are you alright, Zane? Did you get scalded?"

My eyes were rimmed red, and my throat was dry. "I'm alright."

She heaved a sigh of relief and patiently cleaned the mess. I watched as she left the room and returned, feeling as if this was all a dream.

Oh, Rhiannon. I wondered which side of her was real.

After changing the sheets, Rhiannon looked tired. At that moment, her phone beeped. She glanced at the screen and casually told me it was a text about company matters. She said she had to take care of it and told me to sleep early.

I hummed in response, heaving a sigh of relief as well. I didn't want to be intimate with her.

When Rhiannon left for the study, I lost all sense of sleep. I got up and headed toward the study to grab a book to read before bed, but when I opened the door, her voice traveled through the gap immediately.

"Don't worry. I won't get pregnant with Zane's kid. He drinks milk every day, and I put something in it. It is ground into a fine powder, so he can't taste it. Are you still upset? How about I take you out to sea for a vacation? We could do some stargazing on the deck then."

What? The milk she poured me every night before I went to bed had been spiked. My blood ran cold, and I returned to the bedroom, unable to stop myself from trembling.

I desperately wanted to do something to calm myself down. I straightened the vanity and tidied up the closet, only to break down when I found a set of men's pajamas.

I'd never worn pajamas like these. They couldn't be mine, so they had to be someone else's. Callum's name was like a thorn in my heart, and there was nothing I could do to remove it.

Suddenly, my phone chimed with a message. My application had been approved, and I was expected to show up in Fernham on the third day of the next month. I clenched my fists and closed my eyes, willing myself to calm down.

An hour later, I felt a dip on the other side of the bed, and Rhiannon scooted into my arms as usual. I stiffened and asked into the dark, "Have you completely cut ties with Callum, Rhiannon?"

Rhiannon, who was in my arms, went rigid. The next second, she said, "Of course I've cut ties with him. I won't lie to you, Zane."

My heart sank. She had changed without my realizing it, and I could no longer recognize her. I turned to face her, staring into her eyes in the dimness of the room. My tone was steely as I warned, "Don't lie to me, Rhiannon. If you do, I'll never forgive you again, and I'll leave you forever."

Rhiannon froze, her eyes full of sincerity. "Zane, I swear I'll never lie to you because I can't pay the price of losing you."

I held her gaze for a long time. Her eyes were bright, and I couldn't tell she was lying at all. A while later, I closed my eyes and swallowed the bitterness welling up in me.

…

Time flied faster than I thought. As promised, Rhiannon led me out to the cruise deck to do some stargazing. Someone came along to try and chat her up, but she gently looped her arm through mine.

"I'm sorry, but I already have a husband. I love him a lot, and he's the only man I'll listen to for the rest of my life."

The man looked at me enviously and told me I was lucky to have such a beautiful and loyal wife. I forced a smile and caught a white figure through my peripheral vision.

That night, as Rhiannon and I stargazed on the deck, her phone wouldn't stop beeping. I noted her furrowed brows and asked softly, "Is it something urgent?"

She turned off her phone and shook her head. "No, my time is all yours, Zane. Believe me—I've truly changed."

"Okay," I said with a smile, but I did not explicitly say I believed her.

Rhiannon looked agitated. Her red lips were pressed into a thin line, and the crease in her brows deepened.

I let the silence stretch on between us, and she finally broke it. "Zane, I have some work to take care of. Why don't you stay here and stargaze without me first?"

"Is the work urgent?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied.

More like a certain someone was urgently waiting for her. "Alright. Go on, then."

Rhiannon rose on her tiptoes and kissed me on the lips. She beamed and said, "You're lovely, Zane. You're so sweet and understanding. Be good now. I'll be back before you know it. Keep the blanket around you so you won't catch a cold, okay?"

I lost all interest in stargazing after she left and secretly followed her. She went into the room beside ours and impatiently closed the door. Not long after, low murmuring voices came from within.

"Babe, I'm starting to get jealous. You were with him the whole day! I don't care what you say—you're staying with me tonight."

"I can't tonight. I promise we'll come out to sea next time, just the two of us. My time will be yours. But for now, don't you want to see the baby?"

I heard the amorous noises coming from the room and turned to summon an attendant. "Is the boat I asked for ready?"

"Yes, sir. You can leave now," the attendant answered.

I got off the cruise and eased myself into the boat. Before I took off, my phone chimed incessantly.

"You must have seen me, right, Zane? Do you finally believe that Rhiannon loves me now? She spiked your milk every day just to make me happy, and she even promised me she'd divorce you and marry me once the baby's born.

"So what if you were childhood friends with her? It's not like your friendship can hold out against fate in the end anyway."

In the photo, Rhiannon looked like she'd been overcome with desire as she cupped Callum's face and kissed him gently.

I locked my phone and handed it to the attendant. "Please pass this to the young woman who came onto the cruise with me. Tell her Zane Gardner doesn't want her anymore."

While the attendant was left baffled by my request, my boat took off.