She Can Have You

At a class reunion, my husband, Sebastian Smith, played a "how well do we know each other" game with Hanna Rodgers, the prettiest girl in our class. They answered twenty questions correctly in a row. The room erupted with cheers, and everyone urged them to drink from the same glass. Tears filled my eyes when I saw the two of them blush. Another classmate gave me a side eye. "Why are you upset? He didn't even know you didn't like cilantro. They're a handsome couple and have secretly loved each other for years. They're destined to be together. Let me give you a piece of advice. Stop fawning over him. It's beneath you." I glanced at them and kept quiet. Were they destined to be together? But Sebastian and I had been secretly married for three years. I was going to announce our marriage to the group. But before I could, Sebastian turned around and drank with another woman. The cheers stopped, and Sebastian texted me. "Honey, don't be mad. I'm here for a business deal. It's all just for show. I will make our relationship public when I get the chance later." I smiled. He saw me and smiled too. But I no longer needed him to make anything public. I had had enough of this life of hiding. Chapter 1 The Class Reunion The crowd cheered even louder. Someone smacked the table and shouted, "Sebastian, Hanna is Mr. Fisher's favorite employee now. If you want to land that deal, you've got to win her favor first." "If you ask me, you two should get together already. Don't waste more time." "Exactly! And when you get married, we expect a nice fat matchmaking bonus!" Sebastian shielded Hanna with a smile. "Easy, guys. Hanna's right here." Hanna blushed and gave him a playful shove before saying, "Cut it out. Cassandra is still here. She's had a crush on Sebastian for years. Don't push it." She was as gracious as ever. The crowd fell silent and looked at me. Someone snorted. "So what if she followed him to the same college? Pursuing someone for years doesn't guarantee you anything." Sebastian didn't even frown. "Don't say that. We're all friends." My hand tightened around my wine glass. We were classmates for ten years. I had a crush on him for five—and we were married for three years. But to the rest, we were still just friends from college. He denied our relationship with just one sentence. And I, unsurprisingly, remained the punchline. "Sebastian, you're too nice. Still so kind after putting up with an average girl chasing you for all these years." "Exactly. If it were me, I would've blocked her long ago." "Has she ever looked at herself in the mirror? Does she think she deserves Sebastian?" "Hanna and Sebastian are the perfect pair. A match made in heaven. She's just embarrassing herself." Insult after insult kept coming, but I ignored them and drank my wine quietly in the corner. I had been hearing the same kinds of jokes ever since I met Sebastian. My phone vibrated. He sent me another text. "Don't pull a long face. Stop drinking. Your stomach still isn't fully healed." A bitter smile tugged at my lips, and I flipped the phone face down on the table. Perhaps that was why I had held on for so long. In love, the person who fell first was the one who lost. I already lost the moment I saw Sebastian on the basketball court when we were sixteen. I followed him from our little southern town to a university far up north. Then I moved to a brand-new city just to work near him. Everyone knew I loved Sebastian with my whole heart. Chapter 2 He Cares for Her More Sebastian was always the untouchable golden boy. In public, he kept his distance from me. His gaze never lingered on me for more than a second. But behind closed doors, he became impossibly gentle. He remembered that I suffered from terrible period cramps and would prepare warm drinks for me. Whenever I worked late, he picked me up from the office. He would hug me and whisper soft reassurances in my ear. I was a nuisance and a joke to him, but he was gracious to me. Sometimes, even being his wife felt like a fantasy I invented for myself. My vision blurred. Everyone else was still laughing and egging each other on. My husband, Sebastian, was standing beside Hanna and intercepting every drink that came her way. "She can't drink that much. I'll drink it for her." He then whispered something into her ear, making her burst into laughter. I knew him too well. That was not just for show. Suddenly, Hanna swayed. Her legs buckled, and she fell. The room erupted in chaos. Sebastian panicked. The color drained from his face. He scooped her up in his arms and sprinted for the door. I stood and followed behind instinctively. He grabbed the car keys in my hand. "Cassandra, I'm taking Hanna to the hospital. I'll take your car. Catch a ride home with someone else." Whispers immediately spread across the room. "See how panicked Sebastian was?" "Yeah. He didn't even notice the glass cut his hand. He's bleeding." I followed their gaze to see blood dripping from his fingertips onto the ground. But Sebastian was so focused on Hanna that he did not even notice. I stood frozen in place. It felt as if a blade had sliced straight through my heart, the pain so sharp I could barely breathe. It was already past midnight. Sebastian knew everyone here disliked me. Yet he still left with Hanna without a second thought. He promised over and over that he would announce our relationship when the time was right. I watched him "put up a show" with another woman over and over again. Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. "Oh? You're crying. I thought you were used to this after so many years." I ignored their jeers and turned to leave. … Pulling out my phone, I sent a text. "Mr. Murray, draft a divorce agreement for me." I then opened a webpage I saved ages ago. It was the honeymoon destination I dreamed of going to with Sebastian. I sucked in a deep breath. My fingers shook, but I still booked a ticket for myself. By dawn, Sebastian still hadn't returned home. I looked at the time. It was 5:10 a.m. I checked Facebook, and the first post I saw was from Hanna—uploaded just two minutes ago. "Thank you for taking care of me the whole night. You even got hurt because of me. How could I ever repay you?" Attached to the caption was a photo of Sebastian sleeping beside her hospital bed. His bandaged hand was still wrapped around hers. The comments exploded. Someone posted a photo of Sebastian rushing out of the private room with Hanna in his arms. "Pictures don't lie. Look at these two." "Aw. This is so sweet! I've always thought you two were a perfect match since high school!" "Just get married already! I've got the wedding gift ready." Buried among the excitement were a few comments aimed squarely at me. "Sebastian was bleeding but only had eyes for Hanna. He didn't even notice Cassandra." Another person replied, "If I were her, I'd have enough self-respect to walk away instead of getting between two people who obviously belong together." Chapter 3 Excuses I stared at the screen. My heart was throbbing with pain. After so many years, Sebastian and I still did not look like we belonged together. During our college days, he was top of the class, student council president, and the teacher's favorite. As for me, I was ordinary. Decent grades, always buried in novels, the kind of girl people barely noticed. After starting work, he got promoted three times within three years. He was the company's bright young talent while I was just a clerk, just another employee trying to make a living. Everyone who knew us all felt that Hanna was kind. She liked Sebastian too, but never accepted him because she was being considerate of my feelings. So they had called me delusional for chasing him. Sebastian and I never acted like a couple in front of anyone, but he was always there to protect me and even got cut by a thug once. We were only saved when the police arrived. That night, he looked into my teary eyes and said, "Cassandra, don't walk alone at night anymore." That single sentence convinced me that my feelings were finally being reciprocated. After that, we finally got together and even quietly got married. I thought we were going to have a happy ending. Then, Hanna returned. She joined a rival company and stole a project Sebastian had worked on for six months. She felt bad after it and introduced a few huge clients to him to make up for it. One favor became another. Before long, they were talking almost every day. Among our old classmates, people began calling them the pair who should have ended up together. At first, Sebastian would hold me and reassure me, "They're just joking about high school. Don't take it to heart." But he started working later and later. He would come home with perfume on his clothes that wasn't mine. He started going to the gym and buying clothes from brands he never cared about before. Strawberry lollipops and dried mango snacks filled the car's console box. Those were Hanna's favorites. The thing I could never forgive, though, was my miscarriage three months ago. During the darkest time of my life, I could not reach him. He would not answer my calls. I found out later that he went on a business trip, and Hanna was there too. Someone at his level had no need to attend that project personally. I begged him to come back to me. His tone was soft and gentle. "Be good, Cass. This project is very important to me. Besides, Hanna is an old friend. We should help where we can. I hired a nanny for you. Take some good rest at home. We'll have the wedding once you're all better." Sebastian brushed me off as if it was nothing. His promise of a wedding made me swallow every doubt and resentment. I pretended nothing had happened. I pretended I did not notice how differently he treated Hanna. I started looking at wedding dresses and venues, and imagined how we would look standing in front of everyone. It was not until today that I finally accepted the truth. The reason we never seemed to fit together was not because of what people thought. It was because Sebastian chose someone else every time he had to make a decision. I was never his priority. It was already evening when he returned home. When he noticed my gaze, he hid his hand behind his back. He walked over, crouched in front of me, and met my eyes. "I was trying to shield Hanna last night. A broken bottle caught my hand. It's nothing serious. Her post was only to thank me. It's nothing. Don't read too much into it." I avoided his hand and was just about to speak when the door opened again. Chapter 4 Never Welcomed Hanna walked in with a bag of groceries, using my house key. She froze when she saw me. Surprise filled her eyes. It was obvious she had not expected me to be here. Sebastian stiffened too. He looked at me guiltily and explained, "I used Cassandra's car last night, so I asked her to wait for me here." Hanna smiled warmly at me as if she belonged here. "Thank you for lending us your car last night. Otherwise, things might have gotten worse. Sebastian took care of me the whole night, so I wanted to cook him a meal. You should join us too." The sight of her made my stomach turn. I was about to say something when Sebastian shot me a look. A phone suddenly rang. It was Hanna's friend. She answered it, and the caller's voice was loud enough for everyone to hear. "Hanna, I missed the class reunion, and you dropped this bomb on me? Now that your career is taking off, you're a great match for Sebastian. Even more so than you were in school. After all these years, you finally got your happy ending. You two better stay together forever." Hanna laughed and denied it, but she switched on the speaker anyway. A cold weight settled in my chest. Sebastian hurried to intercept, "You're just upset you missed the dinner I owed you. I'll treat you next time." He sent me texts reassuring me as he chatted with the caller. "Cass, don't overthink it. Hanna just recovered. I didn't have time to explain things. Just wait a bit more. Everyone will understand once we have the wedding." I replied with a blank expression. "We'll see." After that, he started sending message after message. Each one of them asked me to be understanding and told me not to make a scene, that everything he promised me would come true. In the end, I closed the chat. I could not be bothered to read any more. Sebastian panicked. He strode toward me, but Hanna laughed. "We're both your guests. Why does she get special treatment? Where's the salt? Come help me." His body reacted before his mind did, and he turned around to help her without a second thought. After some time, Hanna called out to me, "Cassandra, come try this." Then, she turned around to grab my car keys. "Here are your keys. Thank you again for lending us your car." I accepted the keys without a word. The table full of food only made me lose my appetite. "Cassandra, it's getting late. You should head home after you eat," Hanna commented. Sebastian froze for a moment and asked softly, "Is your drive home far?" It was obvious he wanted me to leave on my own. I looked at how in sync they were and could not help but smile bitterly inside. I was never welcomed in this home, so I grabbed my keys and said, "I've got somewhere else to be. You two enjoy dinner." Ignoring their performative concern, I left right away. Our friends were still commenting on her post. One of them joked about wanting a seat at the head table when Sebastian and Hanna got married. Sebastian replied, "Sure. You'll be the first to know when it happens." I liked his comment immediately. He came running out after me when I was about to start the car. His voice was full of panic. "Honey, that comment wasn't from me. Hanna replied using my phone. Don't be mad. I've picked your ring. Once this is over, we'll—" "No need," I cut him off coldly. His tone suddenly sharpened. Chapter 5 Leaving Him "I've explained everything to you. Why are you being difficult? You are my wife. They were just teasing—" I pushed the car door wide open, making him stumble back. "Oh, so you do know that I'm your wife, huh? Sebastian, I've stayed by your side all these years. I've conceded any and all ground I've had just to please you. Yet, you never appreciated it, never appreciated me. "No. What you do instead is enjoy the comfort and stability I give you, all the while never being able to let go of your first love. You want to have it both ways. I'm here to tell you that that's not possible. Forget about the wedding. I'm stepping aside, so you two lovebirds can be together." He froze. His mouth parted as he tried to come up with an excuse. "I—" However, I drove off even before he could speak as my phone lit up with a flight confirmation. I stayed in the hotel for three days. However, Sebastian never called even once. I kept seeing him in photos posted by mutual friends, and Hanna was beside him in every single one. In the past, I would've caved and run home with my tail between my legs. Now, I was busy cramming business management books and had no time to deal with him, at least not until the company announced the award winners. The project I spent three months working on had won, but Hanna was the winner. I shook with anger and called Sebastian. His voice was gentle, almost coaxing, "Do you think that the award comes with no cost? You'll have to take on a lot more work if you do. You just recovered. You need to heal. I can't bear to see you working too much. Besides, we're supposed to try for a baby." My grip tightened around my phone. Pah! He was acting like it would be good for me. He never respected my efforts. I gave up my potential career to chase after him. I learned how to become a clerk and the kind of wife he wanted, but he only saw my awkwardness, my subservience, and my willingness to give in to his every whim. Well, not anymore. That old Cassandra was fucking dead. At Friday's award ceremony, they handed me a token participation award. This became another joke for everyone to laugh about. Someone was even planning to embarrass me publicly, but Sebastian overheard them. For once, he actually lost his temper. "What are you all doing? This isn't the place for that." The group went silent before bursting into laughter. "Cassandra has pursued you for years. A participation award is all that she deserves." "Sebastian, Hanna is right here. Why are you defending Cassandra?" "Don't tell me she's worn you down after all these years." Sebastian suddenly fell silent. His eyes darted around. "N-No way. What nonsense is that?" Everyone was waiting for his answer, even Hanna was staring at him while clutching onto her dress. Sebastian gave a small smile and sighed. He reached for Hanna's hand. "I thought I was being obvious." Everyone cheered and pushed the two closer. I turned around to leave without looking back. Soon, my phone rang. It was Sebastian. "Honey, don't be mad. I was saying what I had to. I can't embarrass Hanna in front of them. Please understand. We'll try out the wedding dresses tomorrow. I've already made the appointment." His dignity was always more important than how I felt. I hung up the phone without saying a word. Sebastian felt his heart jump at my reaction, so he dashed right home after the event, just in time to see me packing my things. As he was about to speak, he suddenly noticed the divorce agreement on the table from the corner of his eye. He stopped dead in his tracks. "W-What is this?"