Ditching Me for His 'Soulmate'? His Loss. Next Stop: My New Life novel Chapter 42

Chapter 2

I slipped back into the car just moments before Rhys appeared at the bottom of the stairs. He hadn’t the faintest clue about what I had overheard. Sliding into the passenger seat, he reached out and took my hand in his, that familiar gesture he always made to ground us both.

A cold shiver ran down my spine, and nausea churned deep in my stomach. I fought the urge to retch.

“I love you so damn much, babe,” he slurred, his words thick with alcohol but still meant to sound sincere.

“Tomorrow’s the day—we’re getting married. I’m going to be the luckiest man alive!” he added, his grin wide but unconvincing, like he was hiding behind the haze of his drunkenness to deliver half-hearted declarations.

Yet, my mind was trapped in the hallway where I’d heard their voices—the subtle dance of words, the careful hesitation before crossing invisible lines. Rhys moved between her and me with a calmness that felt practiced, as if he was balancing on a knife’s edge, never fully committing to either side.

Without responding, I simply gave him a faint, forced smile and kept my eyes on the road ahead.

Throughout the drive, his phone buzzed repeatedly, each vibration pulling my attention away from the road for a moment. When we stopped at a red light, I glanced back at the glowing screen. In an instant, he shut it off, avoiding my gaze like a guilty child caught in a lie.

“Just my boss,” he mumbled.

His boss—his dissertation supervisor. But I had clearly seen the bright pink profile picture of Mia light up the screen.

[Rhys, I wish we could just run away together…]

But the last paragraph was reserved solely for Mia.

[Special thanks to Mia for the coffee during long nights and the comfort during dark moments. You brought warmth to my research. Wishing my little sunshine a bright future always.]

My little sunshine.

The words hit me like a stone lodged deep in my chest. I felt like I was plummeting, free-falling into a pit of betrayal.

How many secrets was Rhys keeping from me? How deep did this hidden world run beneath the surface of our life together?