Chapter 3

3 The Aftermath

A week later, the survivors from our company threw a party. Liam, not even employed by the company, was there because Sarah had dragged him along.

Sarah and Liam had been inseparable for a week. I didn't even think she remembered I existed.

Sarah hadn't looked at her phone once, let alone send me a text. She actually enjoyed the silence, since I always reminded her to eat properly.

Everyone at the company, unaware of my marriage to Sarah, were teasing them. Liam looked uncomfortable, hiding behind Sarah. Sarah put her arm around him playfully.

"You guys," she said, "stop it! He's so shy."

The company employees chuckled.

I was sickened by her public display of affection. Sarah had always recoiled at any excessive intimacy with me. Even during company events, she’d make sure to keep her distance.

Our company had no restrictions on coworkers dating. Sarah just said she didn’t want anyone to know we were together. She told me, “relationships are just between two people. What’s the point of putting on a show?”

Yet here she was, bringing Liam to the party without a second thought. In her eyes, I, her almost-husband, wasn't worth more than a stranger.

Someone finally brought up my name.

"Hey, where's Ben?" someone asked.

Everyone realized I was absent.

Another colleague looked around, then casually asked Sarah, "Didn't you two get along great? Didn't you invite him?"

If I hadn’t heard people’s comments about Sarah and me, I would never have known we seemed so close. Sarah always seemed to go out of her way to avoid being seen with me.

When Sarah heard my name, she went from smiling to looking annoyed.

"Get along great? We weren’t that close," she said, her voice dripping with disdain, like being associated with me was some sort of insult.

She glanced at Liam, like she was afraid he might get jealous.

I gave a sad, self-deprecating chuckle. I was the one being hidden in this twisted love triangle.

My colleague was confused, a bit embarrassed. “Well, I've always seen him making you lunch and slipping antacids into your uniform. I thought you were close.”

Sarah has a terrible stomach. She is also forgetful. So I would always pack a lunch for her and slip medicine into her uniform.

Sarah and I both froze, our expressions reflecting shock. I didn't think anyone had noticed that.

Sarah did a weak, fake smile. "Oh. I didn’t know it was him, I guess. Thought maybe someone else was doing it."

Her dismissive tone suggested that I was just some obsessed fan, someone she barely even knew.

My colleague jokingly said, "You're the catch of the company, Sarah. Even a handsome pilot like Ben is obsessed with you!"

Then they turned to Sarah, asking quietly, “Don’t tell me you have feelings for Ben?