Chapter 103 Chapter 103

Chapter 103 Chapter 103
What did I just hear? 
That was my exact thought, but I couldn’t process the whole thing because her voice cut through the room like a whip crack. 
“Ace, baby?” 
At first, I didn’t turn. The name wasn’t mine, and the tone wasn’t directed toward me. But something in it, something in the way she said it. It was bright and melodic, and it pulled my attention anyway. The girl who stepped into the living room looked like she’d just walked out of a movie scene that had been waiting for her. She was that beautiful. 
Michael was still laughing beside me, like her arrival was the funniest thing he’d seen all day. Scott raised his brows in pleasant surprise, grinning broadly as he draped an arm casually around my shoulder in an innocent, fatherly gesture that somehow made everything feel even more surreal. 
But Ace… Ace didn’t move. 
He stood there like a statue carved into the moment, frozen so completely that I swore even the air around him held its breath. 
“Ace?” she said again, louder this time, taking a step forward. 
My stomach dropped until Scott leaned slightly toward me with that amused, proud-parent smile and said, “Well, look who it is, Ace.” 
And then Michael, still chuckling, added, “Wow, Ace... It’s really your girlfriend.” 
Good... as if I hadn’t heard him the first time he said it. 
My heart skipped a beat only to fall straight down into my stomach, heavy and aching. I blinked once, then again, as if maybe I’d misheard or, better still, I was still having that bad dream. But the girl was already smiling, already gazing at Ace with warm, open affection of someone returning to exactly where she belonged. 
“Oh wow, Courtney! What a surprise!” Scott said, stepping forward. 
Scott clapped a hand on Ace’s shoulder. “Son, aren’t you happy to see her?” 
That seemed to snap Ace out of the trance he’d fallen into. He inhaled sharply, forced a smile that really looked like a real one. A soft and warm smile as he walked toward her. 
I didn’t even realize my hands had curled into fists until my nails bit into my palms. 
Courtney giggled, stepped into his arms, and hugged him tightly. It was the kind of hug that said this wasn’t new. This was theirs. 
The ache that bloomed inside me was sharp and fast. Jealousy. Hurt. Embarrassment. It all tangled into something acidic that crawled up my chest and made it hard to breathe. I looked away for a moment, staring blindly at the floor because watching him hold someone else felt like touching a bruise I didn’t know I had. 
I had no right to feel any of it. 
But I did. 
Michael rushed toward them, arms spread wide. “Look who showed up! The famous Courtney! Gosh, Ace did not shut up about you.” 
“What?” Ace snapped, shooting Michael a glare so sharp it could’ve cut glass. 
But Michael ignored him completely, already pulling Courtney into a quick, enthusiastic hug. 
“Seriously,” Michael continued dramatically, “this dude wouldn’t stop talking about you. It was Courtney this, Courtney that—” 
“Michael,” Ace warned under his breath, jaw tightening. 
Courtney laughed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Oh, stop. I doubt he talked about me that much.” 
“He sure did,” Michael insisted loudly, glancing at me with a smirk that felt like a stab. “You should’ve heard him.” 
I forced a stiff smile, pretending not to feel the sting. Pretending I wasn’t standing right there while they built up a romance I never even knew existed. Pretending I hadn’t been thinking about him practically every hour since we started living together. 
I hated how easily people could burn without even knowing they were holding a match. 
Courtney looked around the room. She was cheerful and confident, then finally, she turned to me. 
“And you must be Sabrina,” she said brightly. 
I swallowed, plastered on the politest smile I could manage, and nodded. “Yeah. Hi.” 
She stepped forward and offered her hand. “It’s so nice to meet you.” 
Her grip was soft. I hated that she seemed… nice. Sweet. Completely undeserving of any resentment I was starting to feel, which only made me feel worse. 
“It’s nice to meet you too,” I said, sounding surprisingly calm for someone whose heart felt like it was dissolving. “How did you get to know about me first... and I don’t?” 
She didn’t answer, but only chuckled like I just cracked the funniest joke of the century. 
As soon as she let go, I slipped my hand behind my back just to hide the subtle tremble in my fingers. 
Ace wasn’t looking at me. Not once. Not even for a second. 
He kept his eyes anywhere else... on Courtney, on Michael, on Scott. Everywhere except on me. Like maybe avoiding eye contact would erase whatever had been happening between us. Like pretending we weren’t connected would make it true. 
Scott beamed at the scene, hands in his pockets. “So, how did we find you, Courtney? Well, that’s a fun story.” 
Ace finally turned to him. “Yeah, Dad. How did you?” 
“Oh!” Scott chuckled. “I was playing tennis with her father earlier, and she arrived just as we were finishing up. Said she was back in Beverly Hills.” 
Courtney nodded enthusiastically. “I just got home this morning. My flight landed super early, and I figured… why waste time, right? I wanted to see Ace.” 
Of course she did. 
Of course. 
This was the part I rolled my eyes... but in my head. 
She smiled at him again, and he returned it gently. It was an expression so soft it hurt to look at, because I had only seen him look at me like that when no one else was around. 
Scott nudged Ace in the ribs. “You didn’t tell me she was coming here.” 
Ace shrugged with a small laugh. “I didn’t know.” 
Michael snorted. “Yeah, right. He totally knew.” 
“I didn’t,” Ace shot back, the annoyance creeping into his voice as he once again flicked a glance in my direction quickly. So quick I barely caught it, but even then, he looked away before our eyes could meet. 
Courtney giggled at their bickering. “You guys haven’t changed at all.” 
Scott ruffled her hair affectionately. “Well, make yourself comfortable, sweetheart. This house is your home too.” 
When Scott excused himself to check something outside, Michael wandered after him, leaving Ace and Courtney quietly talking near the staircase while I stood there like someone who had accidentally wandered onto the wrong stage. 
I didn’t know where to look. I didn’t know what to do. Didn’t know how to act like the floor hadn’t just opened beneath me. 
I crossed my arms casually—fake casually—hugging myself as if that would keep the pieces of my chest from falling apart. I tried not to stare at them, but how could I not? 
Courtney touched his arm when she laughed, and he let her. He smiled softly each time she did. 
It hurt. God, it hurt so much more than I expected. 
I swallowed, throat tight. I reminded myself that a few hours ago, I hadn’t even known she existed. 
And yet… 
The way he acted with me. The way he held me a few moments ago. The way he kissed me, touched me, whispered to me like I mattered, like I was wanted— 
How could all of that exist at the same time as… this? 
They looked perfect together. Beautiful. Effortless. 
I hated that. I hated how right they looked. 
I inhaled deeply through my nose, letting the breath calm me. I wasn’t going to break down here. I wasn’t going to embarrass myself in front of his stunning girlfriend. I wasn’t going to shatter just because I’d accidentally fallen for someone who apparently belonged to someone else. 
I forced myself to smile when Courtney turned back toward me. 
“So,” she said, stepping slightly away from Ace, “how long have you been staying here?” 
Staying here? 
Hmm, I guess she doesn’t know I’m married to Scott. 
“Oh, um… not long,” I replied, trying to sound normal. “Just—just temporarily.” 
“That’s great. I’m glad you’re comfortable here. Scott and Ace have always been amazing hosts.” 
“Yeah,” I said. “They’re great.” 
Ace shifted beside her, subtly, like he wasn’t sure if he should stay or walk away. He kept glancing at Michael, who was making exaggerated gestures from across the room as if teasing him even from afar. Each time he caught Michael’s eyes, Ace looked absolutely done. 
Good. Maybe I wasn’t the only one suffering. 
Courtney leaned a little closer to me, her smile sweet. “If you need anything, let me know, okay? We’re all family here.” 
Family? The word twisted in my stomach. 
“Thanks,” I whispered. 
Ace rubbed the back of his neck, finally speaking directly to his father again as Scott approached us once more. 
“So,” Ace said dryly, “you really just ran into her. Just like that.” 
Scott shrugged. “What can I say? The universe works in mysterious ways.” 
Courtney squeezed Ace’s hand—naturally, like she’d done it a thousand times before. 
“Lucky for me,” she added softly. 
And Ace… 
Ace didn’t pull away. 
I felt something inside me collapse, like a quiet folding inward, a soft tearing, and a subtle implosion that left behind an empty space where peace had lived just moments ago. 
I tried—truly tried—to mask everything behind a mild, polite expression. But I must’ve gone quiet long enough for Scott to notice, because he eventually said, “Well, I’ll leave you kids to catch up. Courtney, sweetheart, make yourself at home.” 
He walked off, Michael trailing behind him while laughing over something only he found funny. 
And just like that, I was left there... standing alone, standing silent... while Ace and his girlfriend stood inches apart, talking in low tones like the rest of the world had been politely dismissed. 
It was then, right then, that the shock finally settled into something solid. 
Ace had a girlfriend. A real girlfriend. One he hugged tightly. One he smiled at softly. 
And I… I was nothing to him. 
Or maybe I was something. Just not enough to matter in daylight. 
I inhaled shakily through my nose. Nobody noticed. Nobody cared. And I was grateful for that. Because if anyone looked too closely, they would see it. The hurt, the disappointment, the quiet heartbreak blooming inside me like something poisonous. 
I swallowed it all down, held my chin high, and kept standing there… 
...trying to pretend like my world hadn’t just shifted underneath my feet.