Lesley crossed the darkened living room in long, restless strides until she reached the small bar tucked beside the kitchen.
The house was silent.
Too silent.
It mocked her.
She snatched a crystal tumbler from the shelf and set it down on the counter with enough force to make the glass clack sharply against the marble.
Her hand found the whiskey bottle before she even realized she was reaching for it.
Amber liquid splashed into the tumbler. She kept pouring, watching it rise higher and higher, stopping only when it hovered dangerously close to the rim.
She didn't bother with ice.
Didn't bother to breathe.
She lifted the glass and swallowed every drop in one burning gulp.
Fire clawed its way down her throat.
It settled heavily in her chest.
It wasn't enough.
Nothing could drown the raw ache twisting beneath her ribs.
With a sharp exhale, she slammed the empty tumbler back onto the counter.
The crack of glass against marble echoed through the empty house.
Her fingers never left it.
Instead, they tightened around the tumbler until her knuckles blanched beneath her skin.
For a moment, she held on as if gripping it could keep everything from falling apart. But it couldn't.
"Daphne..."
The name slipped from her lips like a curse.
The memory crashed back with merciless clarity.
Daphne stepping closer.
Her confession.
Then—
Lips against hers.
The shock that rooted Lesley to the spot.
The second she finally tried to pull away...
The office door opening.
Denisse.
Standing there.
The look on her face.
God.
The shock.
The heartbreak.
The way the color drained from her cheeks as if someone had stolen the air from her lungs.
Then she'd run.
Lesley squeezed her eyes shut.
"No..."
The word came out broken.
She should've stopped her.
Should've gone after her.
Should've explained.
Instead, she'd stood there, frozen, while the woman she loved walked away believing the worst.
A surge of anger erupted inside her, hot and violent.
At Daphne.
At herself.
At the cruel timing of it all.
With a strangled cry, Lesley hurled the tumbler across the room.
It struck the tiled floor with a violent crack before exploding into hundreds of glittering shards.
Glass skittered across the living room, the sharp fragments strewn across the floor like pieces of something that could never be put back together.
"Aahhh!"
The cry tore from deep inside her, raw enough to scrape her throat.
Her chest heaved.
Only then did she realize her vision had blurred.
A tear slipped down her cheek.
Then another.
She didn't wipe them away.
The strength drained from her legs without warning.
She sank to the floor beside the counter, her back pressing against the cabinet as if it were the only thing keeping her upright.
The shattered glass lay only a few feet away.
It looked exactly how she felt.
Broken.
Scattered.
Beyond repair.
Lesley buried her face in trembling hands.
"Where the fuck are you, Denisse?" she whispered, her voice cracking under the weight of fear.
She had been asking herself the same question since this morning.
After Denisse fled, Lesley had barely spared Daphne another glance.
"Get the hell out of my building."
The words had come out low and sharp, leaving no room for argument.
She didn't wait to see if Daphne obeyed.
She ran.
By the time she reached the hallway, Denisse was already gone.
"Denisse!"
Her voice echoed through the building.
No answer.
She searched every floor, checked the lobby twice, even rushed outside, scanning every passing face with frantic hope.
Nothing.
She drove to Denisse's apartment.
No answer.
The coffee shop where they'd first met.
The park where they'd spent lazy afternoons talking for hours.
Every place she could think of.
Every place that still held pieces of them.
She searched until morning blurred into afternoon, refusing to believe Denisse could simply disappear.
But she did.
Out of options, Lesley went to Gigi.
"If she comes to you... if you hear from her..." Her voice cracked. "Please. Call me. Immediately."
Gigi had never seen her like that.
Neither had Lesley.
Now, slumped against the kitchen cabinet, another tear slipped silently down her cheek.
"Denisse..." she whispered.
The name alone was enough to make her chest tighten.
She had never been this terrified of losing someone.
And what hollowed her out even more was knowing why.
Not because she'd betrayed Denisse.
But because Denisse believed she had.
Her phone vibrated.
Lesley's head snapped toward the sound.
Her trembling fingers fumbled it out of her pocket.
"Denisse...?"
Hope flared so suddenly it almost hurt.
Her eyes dropped to the screen.
Daphne.
The tiny spark inside her died just as quickly.
The call rang.
Once.
Twice.
Lesley stared at the name, her thumb hovering over the screen.
She couldn't bring herself to answer.
Not after what had happened in her office.
Not after everything that single moment had destroyed.
The memory crashed back before she could stop it.
Lesley lowered her phone onto the desk, her thumb lingering over Denisse's contact.
Five missed calls.
Not one answered.
A tightness settled in her chest.
Denisse had never been late.
Not without calling.
Not without sending a message.
Her gaze drifted toward the desk beyond the glass wall.
Empty.
The neatly arranged files remained untouched. The chair hadn't been pulled out. There was no familiar voice greeting clients over the phone, no soft humming filling the office while Denisse worked.
The silence felt wrong.
She looked away and forced herself to focus on the stack of documents waiting on her desk.
Work.
She needed to work.
The sharp knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts.
"Come in."
The door swung open.
"Daphne."
A flicker of surprise crossed Lesley's face.
Daphne stepped inside wearing an elegant ivory dress that hugged every curve, paired with heels that clicked softly against the polished floor. She smiled as if nothing had ever gone wrong between them.
"I brought you coffee."
She held out the cup.
"Your favorite."
Lesley offered a polite smile but didn't reach for it.
"You didn't have to."
"I wanted to."
Daphne crossed the room and set the coffee on the desk before turning back to Lesley.
The silence lingered.
Lesley studied her for a moment.
"All right."
Her voice was calm but cautious.
"What's the real reason you're here?"
The smile on Daphne's face softened.
"It's about us."
Lesley's brows knit together.
"Us?"
"I want us back."
The words lingered between them.
"Daphne..."
"I've had time to think." She took a slow step forward. "Walking away from you was the biggest mistake I've ever made."
Lesley's expression remained unreadable.
"It doesn't matter anymore."
"It does to me."
Another step.
"I still love you."
"That doesn't change anything."
Daphne ignored the dismissal and closed the remaining distance until only inches separated them.
"I know you," she whispered. "There's still a part of you that loves me."
She reached out, her fingertips brushing slowly along Lesley's forearm.
Lesley pulled away immediately and rose from her chair, her jaw tightening.
"Don't."
She took another step back, putting space between them.
"You're in love with a memory, Daphne."
A flicker of hurt crossed Daphne's face before determination hardened her expression.
"You're lying to yourself."
"No."
Lesley's voice was calm.
Final.
"I'm just no longer the woman you left behind."
Before Lesley could move again, Daphne stepped into her space.
Her arms slipped around Lesley's neck with practiced familiarity, drawing them close.
Lesley's entire body went rigid.
"Daphne." Her voice dropped into a warning.
"Let go."
Daphne searched her eyes, her own already shimmering with emotion.
"I miss you, Les."
"And I don't."
A flicker of disbelief crossed Daphne's face.
"You don't have to pretend with me."
"I'm not pretending."
Lesley's hands hovered uncertainly at Daphne's wrists, trying to pry them away without hurting her.
"What we had is over, Daphne."
Those words landed like a slap.
Daphne stared at her.
"No. I know you. You still care about me."
Lesley's expression didn't change.
"I let us go a long time ago."
For the first time, panic flickered across Daphne's face.
Her grip loosened just enough.
"But I still love you."
Lesley finally pulled free from her embrace.
"The day you chose your career over me was the day I stopped loving you."
Daphne searched her face, desperate for even the smallest crack in her resolve.
She found none.
Her expression twisted.
"It's that bitch secretary, isn't it?" Daphne spat, jealousy flashing in her eyes. "She made you believe you don't love me anymore."
Lesley's expression darkened instantly.
"Don't."
Her voice was low.
Dangerously calm.
"Don't you ever call her a bitch again."
For a heartbeat, neither of them moved.
Then Daphne let out a bitter laugh.
"So she didn't listen to me after all."
Lesley's stomach dropped.
Every unanswered call.
Every missed glance.
The way Denisse had suddenly started keeping her distance.
The pieces clicked into place.
Her eyes widened.
"You talked to her."
It wasn't a question.
"You talked to Denisse."
Lesley closed the distance in two quick strides and caught Daphne by the arm. Her grip wasn't cruel, but it was firm enough to stop her from walking away.
"What did you say to her?"
Daphne yanked her arm free with an irritated scoff.
"The truth."
"What truth?"
"That she's just another distraction." Daphne shrugged. "A temporary amusement. That sooner or later you'll get bored of her, just like you always do."
Lesley's face drained of color.
"Fuck..."
The curse escaped in a whisper.
She could almost see it now.
Denisse hearing every poisonous word.
Believing every single one of them.
"You had no right."
"I had every right!" Daphne shot back. "She's stealing you from me."
"She isn't stealing anything."
"She doesn't belong in your life."
"Daphne—"
"No." Daphne shook her head, desperation creeping into her voice. "She doesn't know you like I do. She'll never understand you the way I do."
Lesley shook her head.
"You still don't understand."
"I understand perfectly."
"No."
Lesley's voice was steady now.
"You don't."
She looked Daphne straight in the eyes.
"Denisse isn't some passing interest."
The words came slowly, each one deliberate.
"She isn't a distraction."
"She isn't a mistake."
A faint smile touched Lesley's lips despite the ache in her chest.
"She's the best thing that's ever happened to me."
Daphne stared at her, frozen.
"I love her."
The words landed between them like shattered glass.
"I love her more than I've ever loved anyone."
Silence.
Then Daphne shook her head over and over.
"No."
Her voice broke.
"No... you're lying."
"I'm not."
"I won't believe it."
"You have to."
"I won't!"
Desperation consumed her.
She lunged forward, throwing her arms around Lesley's neck.
Lesley's body stiffened instantly.
"Daphne, stop."
"I can make you remember us."
"Daphne."
"Please..."
Lesley grabbed her wrists, trying to pull her away.
"You need to stop, Daphne. We were over a long time ago."
"No!" Daphne cried.
Before Lesley could free herself—
Daphne cupped her face with trembling hands.
Then crashed her lips against hers.
The kiss came so suddenly that Lesley's mind went blank.
For one stunned heartbeat, she couldn't move.
The instant Daphne's lips met hers, Lesley's entire body recoiled.
She shoved Daphne away with enough force to make her stumble backward.
Her pulse pounded violently in her ears.
Then her eyes flicked toward the doorway.
The office door stood open.
Denisse.
Her hand still rested on the doorknob.
Her face had gone completely pale.
The hurt in her eyes hit Lesley harder than the kiss ever could.
It felt as though the ground had disappeared beneath her feet.
"Denisse..."
The name escaped as nothing more than a breath.
Then panic crashed over her.
"Denisse!" Lesley's voice cracked. "It's not what you think!"
Denisse didn't answer.
She didn't speak.
She didn't even look at Lesley again.
She turned.
And ran.
"No!"
Lesley rushed toward the door, but before she could get past, Daphne caught hold of her wrist.
"What the fuck have you done?" Lesley snapped, wrenching her arm free.
Instead of remorse, a satisfied smile spread across Daphne's face.
"Good."
She glanced toward the hallway where Denisse had disappeared.
"I'm glad she saw."
Lesley's blood ran cold.
"Now she'll finally get out of our way."
Something inside Lesley snapped.
She grabbed Daphne by the arm, her grip far firmer than before.
"If I lose Denisse because of this..." Her voice trembled with barely restrained fury. "I swear to God, Daphne, I will never forgive you."
She shoved Daphne away.
"Get the hell out of my building."
Daphne opened her mouth to speak.
"I mean it."
Lesley's eyes blazed with anger.
"Leave before I call security and have them drag you out."
She didn't wait to see whether Daphne obeyed.
There was only one person who mattered.
Lesley ran.
The sound of a passing car outside her house pulled her back to reality.
She wrapped her arms around her knees, holding herself as sobs shook her body.
"Please… let me find you, Denisse. Please hear me," Lesley whispered to herself between broken sobs.
Her voice cracked as she lowered her head onto her knees, letting the tears continue to fall while she cried, overwhelmed by the fear and desperation of finding her.