Zayne felt it.
The shift.
The way Liana no longer looked at him the same way.
She still wore her wedding ring, still made dinner sometimes, still laughed when things were funny but the soul of her was somewhere else. And Zayne knew exactly where it was.
Daniel.
Zayne tried to convince himself it was just work they had a project, they had deadlines, they had to collaborate. But when he stayed up at night waiting for her to come home, and she didn't come back until 2am, claiming she had "lost track of time"… his heart whispered a truth he didn't want to hear.
Still, he waited. He watched. He hurt silently.
He never raised his voice.
Never accused her.
Just waited for her to come clean.
He would ask her softly, every few days:
"Liana… is there something you want to tell me?"
And every time, she'd say with a tired, cold smile:
"No, Zayne. Everything is fine."
But everything was not fine.
Liana didn't mean to fall. But Daniel knew exactly how to crack her.
He made her feel needed, seen, powerful again. He praised her work, noticed her new hairstyle, texted her with care. One late night during a project, they shared dinner, laughterand then a kiss. It wasn't meant to happen. But it did.
And it kept happening.
She felt guilty, but Daniel kept pushing, whispering:
"He doesn't love you like I do… You deserve someone who chose you, not someone who got you out of pity. I've loved you since Harvard."
But Liana wasn't stupid. She knew Zayne was more than just a man who helped her family. He was her first love. Her rock. The boy who stood outside her gate every morning. The man who lied about MIT just to stay close. The husband who never stopped asking if she was okay.
One day, Zayne saw a photo—Daniel had posted a blurry, half-hidden shot of Liana's hand resting on his lap at a café.
Zayne's hands shook.
His chest caved in.
His eyes watered.
But he said nothing.
He only asked again that night, his voice softer than usual:
"Liana… is there anything you want to tell me?"
She snapped this time.
"Why do you keep asking me that?! Don't you trust me?"
And with a smile that barely held together, Zayne nodded.
"I do trust you… I just miss you."
He turned away.
She stood there frozen, guilt clawing at her chest.
Meanwhile, Daniel kept pressing her to leave Zayne.
"You don't love him. He doesn't excite you. Come to someone who makes your heart beat again."
But Liana wasn't so sure anymore.
Zayne, broken as he was, never stopped loving her.
He never yelled. Never demanded. Never gave up.
He just kept waiting…
Loving her.
Crying in silence, even if it was unseen.