The Red String Between Us Part II: Frayed Threads

第39章 Shadow's Of Comparison

      The following days blurred into a steady rhythm of meetings, reports, and strategic reviews, but no matter how busy I tried to keep myself, Mallory's presence slipped into my awareness like an echo I couldn't silence.

She carried herself with ease—movements sharp yet graceful, always dressed in immaculate tailored suits that made her look like she belonged in glossy magazines. She had the kind of confidence that filled a room without asking permission, and people noticed. I noticed.

One night, after tossing restlessly in bed, I found myself giving in to a temptation I knew better than to entertain. I opened my phone, searched her name, and soon found her social media pages.

It was like opening a scrapbook that wasn't mine to see. Photos of Mallory and Kenji appeared in neat little squares, stretching back over the years: childhood birthdays, summers at the lake, winters spent skiing in Hokkaido. Smiling at each other with an ease that spoke of shared history. And then—the engagement. A sparkling ring on her finger, her hand resting delicately on his chest as he looked down at her with the kind of expression that twisted something deep in me.

But then—nothing. No breakup announcement, no dramatic closure. Just a sudden end, the timeline cut off like a story unfinished.

I set the phone down, my stomach tight, my reflection in the dark screen looking more like a stranger than myself. The whispers in my head came sharp and merciless: She fit. Maybe you're just the detour, not the destination.