The Girl He Didn't See

The ride home was dead silent.

Noemi sat up front with the driver. Daniel stayed hidden in the curtained back, like always.

He never let her sit with him. Said she was dirty.

But she always made sure she was clean. Wore his favorite perfume, even. Just in case.

She stared down at her hands, fingers twisting like a kid who got caught doing something wrong.

When they finally pulled up to the house, she hopped out and rushed to help him.

"I'm not useless. Stay away from me."

He jerked his hand from hers like she'd burned him, stepping back fast.

She wasn't ready for that. Her hand smacked the door, hard. Blood started to bloom across the back of it.

The sting brought tears to her eyes, but she blinked them back.

"Daniel, I'm home."

The voice behind them was all sugar and sweetness. Noemi froze—every muscle locked up.

"Ivanna!"

Daniel spun, panic flashing across his face. His normally unreadable eyes flickered with urgency.

"Ivanna? Is that you?"

"It's me, Daniel."

She strutted over in heels, her face radiant with a smile.

Noemi just stood there, frozen. Her brain jumped back to two years ago.

Ivanna looked exactly the same—gorgeous, untouched by time.

Bitterness rose in Noemi's chest like bile. Rage. Grief. She was dying, and now this?

Ivanna stopped right in front of Daniel and gently placed her hand on his cheek like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Daniel, have you been well all these years?" Her voice wavered like she actually cared.

Noemi clenched her fists, shaking.

If Ivanna really cared, why had she run off and married someone else the second she left Montavia?

Noemi remembered that day clear as glass—Ivanna in a wedding dress, cold and smug. Noemi had begged her to come back, even said she'd walk away if Ivanna would just stay and care for him.

And Ivanna?

She'd slapped her hand away.

"I'd never marry a blind man. I'm not spending my life taking care of him."

She left Daniel in the dust.

And now she was back, playing soft and sweet like none of that ever happened?

Noemi's face drained of color. Her whole body trembled.

They were already holding hands, voices low and full of fake emotion.

Just as Daniel leaned in for a hug, Ivanna shoved him back.

"Daniel, don't. You're someone else's husband. I just came to check on you, not ruin your life. I'm leaving."

"Ivanna, wait!" He reached out blindly—caught nothing but air.

Noemi lunged, grabbing his arm like a lifeline. Her voice was tight with panic.

"Daniel, let's go home."

"Get off me!"

Daniel shoved her away and stepped past, pulling Ivanna into his arms like she was the only one that mattered.

Ivanna melted into his chest, then shot Noemi a smug little smirk over his shoulder.

Noemi's lungs locked up. Her vision blurred.

Something inside her snapped.

She charged forward, trying to pry them apart. "I'm your wife! Your legal wife! Get her out of here!"

Daniel, already touchy about being blind and now humiliated by her yelling, completely lost it.

He slapped her. Hard.

"Are you insane?!"

Her head snapped sideways, pain crashing into her skull. The world spun as she clutched her head, groaning.

Ivanna flinched like it wasn't exactly what she wanted. Then, sweet as ever, she brushed a kiss against Daniel's cheek.

"Daniel, I'll see you next time."

He didn't stop Ivanna. Didn't care about Noemi, still on the ground, shaking and sobbing.

He turned to head inside.

But Noemi grabbed the hem of his pants.

Her face was ghost-pale. Her lips were bleeding where she'd bitten through them. Her chest rose and fell fast, mouth twitching like she was barely holding it together.

Her voice came out raw and cracked, scraped from somewhere deep inside.

"Daniel... spend one last week with me as husband and wife... and I'll sign the divorce papers."

Just saying it drained everything she had. Her whole body felt ripped apart.

"If you don't agree... I'll die before I ever give up being Mrs. Gomez."

Daniel froze. Processing.

Then finally, quietly, he said, "Fine. One week. After that, we're done."

Done?

Noemi smiled.

She'd give him exactly what he asked for.