I'm Not Her Substitute, and I Make Him Regret Doing It

Six years of love seemed to drain away with my tears. On my final trip to take out the trash, I saw Sabrina step out of Denver’s car. She wore a thin pink dress and as soon as she got out, Denver shrugged off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

“The wind is strong—don’t catch a cold,” he said gently.

“Well, as long as I have you, I’ll never feel cold, no matter the weather,” Sabrina replied with a laugh, slipping her hands around Denver’s neck.

Instead of being annoyed, he smiled, pulling her closer as if she were his entire world.

I was reminded of the early days of our relationship, when I’d playfully teased Denver like that. Back then, he would shove me away, saying he had a thing about personal space. 

I chalked it up to him being a serious doctor, someone who’d naturally be a bit rigid. Now I knew the truth: I just wasn’t her.

I turned to leave, but Denver called out.

“Brielle, what are you doing? Why are you dressed like that out in this cold?”

I hesitated before turning back, just in time to hear him add, “You think it’s okay greeting our guests looking like that?”

The autumn wind bit through my thin pajamas, but the chill in my heart was worse.

Sabrina sized me up with a smirk.

“So, you’re Denver’s fiancée? My, my, you really do look like me,” she said with feigned innocence.

Denver’s face froze and I assumed it was guilt.

I turned to leave but overheard him murmur to Sabrina, “We’re not officially married yet, so it doesn’t count…”

Right. It doesn’t count. Six years of love. His promises, his proposal. None of it mattered.

I said nothing and went back inside. Denver and Sabrina followed. He bent down to help her with her shoes, but his face darkened when he noticed the messy state of the room.

“Why is the house such a mess? Didn’t I tell you to clean up?”

Denver, who had never lifted a finger at home, suddenly started tidying up—for Sabrina.

He fussed over whether she was comfortable, oblivious to the fact that everything we’d built together was now gone. I ignored them and continued packing.

Denver hesitated, then came over.

“Why isn’t there any food? Brielle, what happened?” He paused, then added, “Are you upset because I brought her over? Don’t worry, she’s just visiting. Sabrina and I are just friends. We’ve been friends since we were kids and she’s always been fragile. It was just a bit of friendly concern.”

Denver, usually so reserved, couldn’t stop talking about Sabrina. His voice softened as he spoke of her. It was as if he had transformed into someone I no longer recognized. I stared at him, my impatience growing.

“So what? Am I supposed to be your maid now?”

It was the first time I’d ever snapped at him and his stunned expression showed he wasn’t used to it. Realizing he’d overstepped, he pulled a necklace from his pocket.

“Of course not. Look, I got you this. I wanted to give it to you today to thank you for doing everything I asked.”

I instantly recognized it as a cheap promotional giveaway from the theme park. I’d begged Denver to go there with me so many times, but he’d always claimed he was too busy. Now, with Sabrina back, he was willing to get up early just to make her happy.

Seeing my silence, Denver assumed I’d forgiven him. He leaned in to place the necklace around my neck.

“I know you’re not the jealous, dramatic type of girlfriend,” he said with a smug smile.

Revulsion coursed through me. I quickly pulled away from his touch.