"I really hate that man," Valerie lamented, taking a huge bite of her hamburger. She chewed, swallowed, and groaned as if the world had personally betrayed her.
"C'mon, Val. Was it that bad?" Nova asked, patting her on the back. Her teasing tone barely hid her amusement.
Valerie Rays had just started her first day at Blackwood Enterprises. And she had already made a mistake she would never live down. She had sneezed,yes, SNEEZED in the presence of the CEO. The look he gave her made her wish she was six feet under.
"It was horrible!" Valerie wailed, dramatically wiping imaginary tears from her eyes. "He… he looked so irritated! He stared at me like I was a bug on his shoe!"
Nova rolled her eyes. "Who even is he? Acting like some kind of big shot." She yawned and stretched, letting out a groan as she rubbed her waist.
"Girl, every time I try to tell you about him, you never listen! No one's ever seen his face. He always wears a black mask and gloves!" Valerie said, her face twisting in disgust.
"Does he think he's some kind of god? Or maybe he's just… ugly," Nova said with a shrug, already walking toward the door.
"Where are you going? I'm not done!" Valerie tried to pull her back, but Nova was too quick.
"We'll talk later. I have work to finish… and a date tonight," Nova said, smiling.
Her anniversary with Rafael. Two years. Today. She couldn't be late.
"Ugh, whatever. I still don't like Rafael. Something about him just doesn't sit right with me," Valerie said, closing her eyes.
"Wish you all the best, though. I've got to get back to work too." She stood up, brushing crumbs from her skirt.
Their workplaces were only a few blocks apart, which was why they had lunch together.
"Don't worry, Val. He's a good man," Nova said with a smile, though she didn't sound entirely convinced herself.
"Alright, alright. I heard you." Valerie waved her off. "Now move. I can't be late. I don't want to deal with that ghost guy today."
They exchanged a quick wave before heading off in opposite directions, disappearing into the busy streets.
Nova Quinn was twenty-two years old. A recent graduate who had studied Business and Planning, she was currently working an office job she tolerated more than she loved.
*****
Nova's shift ended earlier than expected.
It should've felt like a blessing.
She clocked out, waved a quick goodbye to her coworkers, and stepped into the late afternoon heat, the city buzzing around her.
Her phone was already in her hand, out of habit more than needed.
Rafael usually texted by now. Something sweet.
Something predictable.
But today, there was nothing.
She frowned, unlocking her screen just as a message finally came through.
Rafael:
Hey babe. Something came up. I'll be about two hours late. Can we push the date forward?
Nova stopped walking.
Two hours.
Her fingers hovered over the screen. She reread the message twice, then a third time. Rafael was rarely late. He was the kind of man who liked schedules, liked control, liked things going exactly his way.
'Something came up' felt… vague.
Still, she typed back.
Nova:
Oh. Okay. That's fine.
A lie.
But an easy one.
She slipped her phone into her bag and continued home, unease settling quietly in her chest like an unwelcome guest. By the time she reached her apartment, the feeling hadn't left… It had grown teeth.
She showered. Changed. Tried to distract herself by cleaning a space that was already spotless. The clock on the wall ticked louder than it should have.
An hour passed.
Then another.
Her phone remained silent.
Nova sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the door like it might offer answers.
Valerie's words from earlier replayed in her head, unwanted and sharp.
'Something about him just doesn't sit right with me'.
She shook her head.
"No," she muttered to herself. "You're overthinking."
Still… she grabbed her keys.
She hardly drove unless it was an emergency.
Rafael's house wasn't far. She'd been there countless times. She knew the route by heart, knew the gate code, knew which step creaked when you climbed the porch.
She told herself she was being spontaneous. Romantic, even.
'I'll surprise him', she thought. 'Show him I don't mind waiting'.
Even as her chest tightened, she kept driving.
The lie tasted bitter.
By the time she reached his street, dusk had begun to settle. The lights in his house were on. That alone made her pause.
He hadn't said he'd be home.
Her heart thudded as she parked and stepped out of the car. Each step toward the house felt heavier than the last.
She didn't know why she slowed down.
She didn't know why she didn't knock.
The front door wasn't fully closed. That was strange enough to suspect something.
Nova froze.
Laughter drifted out…Soft, feminine, unfamiliar.
Her stomach dropped.
She pushed the door open just enough to see.
Rafael was there.
Not alone.
A woman sat on his lap, her arms looped loosely around his neck, her head thrown back in laughter as his hands rested far too comfortably on her waist. Too familiar. Too practiced.
The world went silent.
Nova's breath hitched, sharp and painful, like she'd been struck. Her fingers trembled against the doorframe as the reality settled in…Slow, cruel, undeniable.
This wasn't a misunderstanding or a mistake.
This was betrayal.
She took a deep breath and glanced around the porch.
Sitting beside the wall was a bucket filled with muddy water.
Rafael had a small garden. He was oddly proud of it. This was probably what he used to wash his tools.
An idea struck her.
Nova let out a shaky laugh.
"This isn't the time to cry. I am definitely not a green-tea girl," she murmured, wiping the stray tears from her cheeks.
Her grip tightened.
"I'm going to make you pay."
She lifted the bucket, the water sloshing dangerously close to the rim, and kicked the door open.
The door flew open with a loud bang.
"What the…"
Nova didn't wait.
She swung the bucket forward.
Muddy water splashed everywhere.
It soaked the rug, splattered the glass table, and drenched the two figures frozen on the couch.
The girl screamed, jumping up as brown water slid down her arms. Rafael stood abruptly, coughing, his shirt darkened and clinging to him, mud dripping onto the floor.
The room fell into stunned silence.
Rafael stared at Nova like he'd seen a ghost. "Nova…Wait…This isn't what it looks like!"
Nova let out a short laugh. Shocked. Maybe even amused.
"Oh please," she scoffed. "That line is so cliché I almost feel like I am in a bad movie".
She wrinkled her nose, disgust clear on her face.
"God… So Cringe".
The girl looked between them, confused and panicked.
"Rafael… who is she?"
Nova turned to her slowly, lips curling into a smile that held no warmth.
"I'm the woman who's been wasting two years of her life on him."
Rafael reached out but she moved away.
"Nova, please. I was going to tell you… "
"Tell me what?" she snapped. "That you were messing around with some girl? What a joke."
His hand dropped.
"I was just… confused," he muttered weakly. "It didn't mean anything."
Nova tilted her head. "Funny. I don't remember giving you any reason to be confused."
She dropped the bucket with a loud thud.
"We are done. Don't call or text me. More importantly, DON'T show up in front of me again. I don't know what I would do then".
She turned around and paused.
"Congratulations," she added softly.
"You've officially lost the best thing you'll ever have."
Then she walked away, heels clicking against the floor, without looking back. Leaving behind the mess, the silence, and a man who finally understood what he'd thrown away.
*****
The next morning came faster than Nova expected.
She woke up groggy, eyes puffy, heart oddly calm. No messages. No missed calls.
Good.
She got ready on autopilot. Showered, dressed, tied her hair into a neat ponytail.
Somewhere along the way, she drank an entire bottle of milk without thinking.
A terrible decision.
But she was determined to have a normal day.
Work passed quietly. Emails. Files. Small talk. Nothing dramatic.
For the first time since the breakup, Nova allowed herself to think.
"Maybe today won't completely suck." Her phone buzzed, distracting her.
Val calling…
Nova answered immediately.
"Nov," Valerie whispered frantically. "Please tell me you brought your car today."
Nova frowned. "Yeah. Why?"
"I have an emergency. Like… female emergency. I don't have pads."
Nova sighed. "Say no more. Where are you?"
Ten minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot of Blackwood Enterprises, grabbed what Valerie needed, and rushed inside.
Valerie nearly cried in relief when she saw her.
"You just saved my life," Valerie said dramatically.
"Anytime," Nova replied, already turning back toward the exit.
She stepped outside, heading for her car.
That was when her stomach twisted.
Hard.
Nova froze.
"Oh no," she whispered.
A sharp cramp followed. Then another. Her insides churned violently, like her body had suddenly remembered something important.
Milk. She was lactose intolerant but she'd drank it anyways.
Her face went pale.
"No. Not now. Please… "
She turned on her heel, ready to sprint back inside, when…
Thud.
She slammed straight into something solid. Immovable.
A wall.
No.
A person.
Strong arms caught her by reflex, steadying her before she could fall. Her nose collided lightly with a firm chest, and the faint scent of something expensive filled her senses.
Nova looked up.
Black mask.
Black gloves.
Tall. Broad. Intimidating.
Her heart skipped.
His eyes, dark and sharp, met hers.
For a split second, the world stopped.
Her stomach, however, did not.
"Oh my God," Nova breathed, panic flashing across her face.
This was bad.
This was very bad.
And she had never needed a bathroom more in her entire life…