Love is an illusion

13

I can't stop thinking about Miles. Every moment of every day, he's in my head, driving me a little crazy. It started innocently enough, a crush that blossomed into something deeper after that fateful moment. But now? Now, it's adultery. I find myself scrolling through his family's social media, my heart sinking as I see him with Celine. Why her? What does she have that I don't?

I hate how she smiles at him in their pictures, how they look so happy together. I mean, who is she? It's like she's an imposter in my world, stealing what should be mine. Every time I see them together, my heart aches like a physical wound. I can't stand it. I don't want to be this person, but I can't help myself. I feel like I'am losing myself. Maybe it's because I've never dated anyone before. Uhhhhgg I don't know....

I find myself bring up my own unhappiness in conversations lately, hinting that maybe he should break off his engememt. "I just can't imagine being stuck in a relationship that doesn't feel right," I say, trying to gauge his reaction, hoping he sees the opportunity to break free. But he just nods sympathetically, and my heart sinks a little deeper.

The more I'm around him, the more I want him from him. I want him to just break off this damn engagement. Maybe he doesn't even want to break off that engagement. As I was fighting my own inner demons, he walks in

"Hey...I'm making dinner" I said while watching him come in. "Smells amazing" he says while watching me cook. "You look hot in that apron" he compliments and my face feels hot. He laughs and comes closer until our lips touched. We always make out like this when he comes home.

We also have these kind of moments at the hospital in staff room when nobody's on call. Miles always tries to make our schedule overlap so we can see each other more.

"Do you want to go out tomorrow" he asks. I nodded with a smile. We haven't gone out somewhere since the fight we had a month ago.

"You must be hungry eat first" i said while pushing him away. "Yeah right, I'm starving, i want to eat right now and here" he says with a grin and lift me up while carrying me to our room.

Jane's heart fluttered with every time he glances at her while eating, but she tried to keep her cool. The wine was good—smooth and warm—and for a brief moment, she had let herself believe everything would be fine. She could almost forget that Miles wasn't hers to keep.

Then, she saw the man. Who oddly looks familiar. Oh shit, I stalked his facebook so much that I remember that face by heart.

Benjamin Rochefort. Miles's father.......

The man who had orchestrated Miles' engagement. The man who held so much of Miles' life in his grasp.

Her breath hitched as she watched him enter the restaurant, his presence immediately commanding attention. Tall and powerfully built, his blond hair perfectly styled, and a look on his face that could cut glass. Benjamin moved through the space like a king surveying his kingdom, but his gaze, sharp and cold, had already zeroed in on them.

"Miles..." she whispered, her voice barely a breath. She could feel the dread creeping in.

Miles followed her gaze, and the color drained from his face the moment he saw his father. His hand clenched around the wine glass so tightly she thought it might shatter. "No," he muttered under his breath, voice tense. "Not here. Not now."

But it was too late. Benjamin Rochefort strode toward them, his expression unreadable, but the tension was unmistakable. Jane's stomach twisted in knots. This wasn't just any father catching his son with the wrong woman. Benjamin wasn't just disappointed—he was calculating, ready to turn this moment into something far worse than mere embarrassment.

Jane felt like she was in a bad dream, one where everything moved too slowly and too fast all at once. She had no idea how to act, what to say. She wasn't prepared for this.

Benjamin arrived at their table, his presence overwhelming, towering over them both. The silence between the three of them stretched unbearably. He glanced at Jane only briefly, as though she were insignificant, before turning his full attention to Miles. His lips curled into a thin, cruel smile.

"Well," Benjamin said, his voice smooth but laced with menace. "This is... unexpected."

Miles stood quickly, scraping the chair back as he did. Jane could see the struggle in his eyes, the way he tried to compose himself, to steel his nerves. "Dad, it's not—"

"Not what it looks like?" Benjamin interrupted, arching an eyebrow. His voice was deceptively calm, but Jane could hear the ice in it. "Because it looks exactly like what I think it is."

Jane wanted to shrink into the floor, to disappear, but she couldn't. Not now. She glanced at Miles, silently urging him to say something, anything, that would explain this. But what could he say? The truth was too complicated.

Benjamin's gaze flickered to her again, this time with more scrutiny. His eyes, cold and assessing, made her feel like she was being measured and found wanting. "And you must be Jane Sterling," he said, his tone dripping with disdain, like her name was an inconvenience. "The woman my son has been wasting his time with."

The words stung, but Jane refused to flinch. She lifted her chin, meeting his gaze. She wouldn't let him belittle her, even if everything in her screamed that she was out of her depth. "It's not like that," she said, her voice calm but firm.

Benjamin's smile widened, but there was no warmth in it. "Is that so? And what is it like, then? Please, enlighten me Ms Sterling."

The air felt thick, suffocating. Jane could sense the power dynamic in the room shifting, and it was clear who held all the control. She didn't know what to say. She wasn't some random fling, but at the same time, she wasn't the woman Miles was supposed to be with. The woman Benjamin had chosen for him is Celine.

Miles stepped forward, cutting through the tension with a low, steady voice. "Dad, this is between us," he said, his tone almost pleading. "Let's talk about this somewhere else. Not here."

Benjamin's eyes darkened, his amusement vanishing in an instant. "No, Miles," he said, his voice dropping. "We'll discuss it here. Since you've made such a public display of your... indiscretion." His gaze darted to Jane again, this time colder. "Do you have any idea what this looks like? What this could do to the arrangement I've spent years securing?"

The weight of his words hit Jane like a punch. She wasn't just a woman Miles had chosen to spend time with—she was a threat to Benjamin's plans, to the carefully crafted future he had built for his son.

Jane's throat tightened, but she refused to look away. "Miles isn't some pawn in your game," she said quietly, but with a fire that surprised even her. "He's allowed to choose for himself."

Benjamin's gaze snapped back to her, and for a moment, the mask of cool control slipped. The barest flicker of anger crossed his features before he regained his composure. "You don't understand how this works, Miss Prescott," he said icily. "This isn't about choice. It's about responsibility. Duty."

Miles stepped in again, his voice more desperate now. "Dad, stop."

But Benjamin was relentless, his eyes locked on Jane like she was the source of all his problems. "Do you think this will last, Miss Sterling? That this little fantasy you and my son have built will survive the real world?"

Jane's heart pounded in her chest, but she couldn't back down now. "I don't care about your 'arrangement,'" she said, meeting his gaze with as much strength as she could muster. "What matters is what Miles wants."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Benjamin's lips thinned, his eyes narrowing. "Miles doesn't know what he wants," he said, his voice low and menacing. "But I do. And trust me, this isn't what he wants" he gestured between her and Miles, "is not it, he and his fiancee have been together sinds high school, you can never break them"

Jane felt like the ground was shifting beneath her. She could feel Miles standing beside her, tense and silent, and she knew that this moment—right here, right now—would change everything. He doesn't say anything which even makes it worse.