Too Late 4

 

Chapter 4 

The next day, Candice played her role flawlessly. 

She acted as if she cared-offering me coffee I didn’t ask for, giving me fake compliments about my “simple but sweet” dress, even laughing at nothing in particular when River was around, like we were just two girls getting along. But I could see through her sugar-coated words. Every smile was laced with venom, every soft voice was an act of dominance. 

So I played my part too. I faked indifference. I smiled back. I nodded. I even thanked her for the coffee I never drank. 

But beneath the mask, I was unraveling. 

River had changed. 

He was no longer the man who used to hold me in the dark, whispering that I was his everything. No longer the man who promised me forever. 

Now he only had eyes for Candice. 

That afternoon, he announced with a tone too cheerful to be real, “We’re going shopping.” 

‘We?” I had asked, though I already knew the answer. 

“Yes,” he said, grabbing Candice’s hand with a smile. “You’ll come with us, won’t you? Hell Candice pick things out.” 

didn’t realize help meant carrying her bags, following them like a servant while she twirled in designer stores and modeled dresses like a goddess on a runway. 

When shop assistants asked if she was Mrs. Brown, River didn’t correct them. 

He just smiled. They even commented on how beautiful his wife was, how lucky he must be. 

Still, he said nothing. 

He let them believe. And I stood there, holding shopping bags that weren’t mine, watching the nan who once told me I was his world now pretend I didn’t exist. 

n that moment, I finally saw it-how River had never gone public with our marriage. 

At first, I thought it was for privacy. He hated press. I respected that. 

But now… I understood. He never wanted the world to know I existed. Because maybe, deep down, he had always been waiting for Candice to come back. And when she did, he wanted hings to slide perfectly into place. 

was just… in the way. 

When we got home, Candice flopped onto the couch like a spoiled child after a long day at the carnival. “I love shopping with you,” she purred, kissing River’s cheek. 

He smiled at her, not at me. Never at me anymore. 

That night, while they laughed over wine and talked about things I wasn’t part of, I quietly got dressed and slipped out. 

I didn’t tell anyone. I just needed air. 

I needed to feel something that wasn’t suffocating. 

It was a small graduation celebration. Familiar faces. Loud music. Cheap drinks. Nothing fancy, but it was real. My college friends cheered when they saw me, pulling me into hugs. For a while, I forgot. I danced. I laughed. I drank. 

Too much. Far too much. The lights were spinning, or maybe I was. Someone handed me another shot, and I took it without thinking. 

That’s when I heard the whispers. 

“Isn’t that Candice? River Brown’s girl?” someone said, pointing across the bar. 

And there she was. Candice. Laughing with her own circle of friends, dressed like the queen of the night, owning the room. 

“She must be his wife now,” someone added, loud enough for me to hear. 

Then came the laughter. 

“Oh no, poor Allison. Remember how she used to say she was River’s wife?” 

“Delusional much?” 

“They only share a last name. Coincidence.” 

turned my back. I didn’t want to cry-not here. Let them laugh. It didn’t matter anymore. I’d be gone in days. 

returned to the dance floor, more unsteady than before. My world swayed like a sinking ship. 

And then Denver appeared. He has been my friend since college. 

‘Allison,” he said gently, placing his hands on my arms. “Hey, you’re drunk. You should go home.” 

‘I’m fine,” I mumbled, even as I leaned into his chest, too dizzy to stand on my own. 

‘No, you’re not.” He looked worried. “Come on. I’ll take you.” 

didn’t resist when he helped me outside. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around him. I didn’t say anything. I just held on-because at that moment, he felt like the only steady thing in my collapsing world.