The news reached Nathaniel before the plane touched down the ground.
She has arrived.
The message was short, formal, and heavy with a meaning. Nathaniel closed his eyes briefly, resting his head against the back of the car as the city lights blurred past his window. He had known this moment would come. He had simply hoped, foolishly, that it would come later much later.
Selene Kingsley was back.By morning, the announcement had already begun circulating quietly among the university's senior staff. Nathaniel's wife would be visiting the campus as part of the partnership's public relations segment. There would be photographs, Polite smiles and an Applause. Everything became neat and respectable, sometimes making everything suffocating and stressed.
Amara heard about it by accident.
She was seated beside Lila in the cafeteria when the conversation at the next table drifted too loudly to ignore.
"Apparently the CEO's wife is stunning" someone said. "They're calling her a modern princess".
Amara's fingers tightened around her spoon.
"Wait, wife? Lila leaned closer, lowering her voice. "You didn't tell me he was married."
Amara forced herself to keep her expression calm. "I didn't think it mattered" but it did.
The words echoed in her mind for the rest of the day,Wife, Princess is Stunning.
She didn't know what she had expected Selene to be Cold, perhaps distant and Someone easy to resent.
She wasn't prepared for how composed she looked when she finally saw her.
The introduction took place in the main hall. Amara had no intention of attending, but attendance had been made compulsory for finalyear students involved in the partnership program. She stood near the back, heart pounding, feeling painfully out of place.
When Nathaniel entered inside he looked different, straighter and more controlled. The softness Amara had come to recognize was gone, replaced by something formal and guarded.
Then Selene walked in looking elegant in a way that felt effortlesly tall, graceful, with a calm confidence that turned heads without demanding attention. Her smile was practiced but warm, her eyes sharp and observant. The ring on her finger caught the light as she waved politely.
Amara's chest tightened as she said, So this was her.
Selene took her place beside Nathaniel, her hand slipping easily through his arm. The familiarity of the gesture struck Amara harder than she expected. This wasn't a stranger, this was a woman who belonged there.
Nathaniel spoke briefly and professionally. Selene followed her voice smooth and assured as she addressed the audience. She spoke about shared values, future growth, and community impact.
She spoke like someone who knew exactly where she stood in the world.
When the session ended, the crowd dispersed slowly. Amara turned to leave with her head buzzing and her chest aching.
"Miss Collins"
She stopped.
Selene stood a few steps away, smiling.
Yes? Amara replied, forcing herself to meet her gaze.
"I hope I'm not interrupting" Selene said. Nathaniel mentioned you. He spoke highly of your work
Amara's pulse spiked and said That's kind of him.
Selene studied her for a moment, her smile polite but thoughtful. "You're very quiet," she said. "People often underestimate that"
The words felt uncomfortably familiar.
I'd love to speak with you more sometime, Selene added lightly. "Perhaps over coffee"
Amara hesitated. Saying no would seem rude and saying yes felt dangerous.
"Alright," she said.
From across the room, Nathaniel watched them, unease settling in his chest. Selene had always been perceptive.
Later that evening, Selene stood by the window of their apartment, city lights reflecting in the glass.
"You didn't tell me she was beautiful," she said calmly.
Nathaniel stiffened. "Selena"
"She's in love with you," Selene continued, not turning around.
Silence fell between them.
"And you" she said softly, finally facing him, "are standing on the edge of something you cannot afford".
Nathaniel said nothing.
Because for the first time, the woman he married by duty saw the truth he had been trying to outrun and Amara, unknowingly, had just stepped into a storm far larger than her heart was prepared to her face.