Chapter 35 Chapter 35: Everything Has Shifted
Catharine's P.O.V
As the minutes drag on, I settled into the leather seat, I caught Xavier's eyes in the rearview mirror. He was smiling at me, that charming smile that had made me fall in love with him all those years ago. But now it just felt empty.
"Thank you for understanding, Cathy," Xavier said, his voice warm and appreciative. "Today is really important and I'm actually quite nervous about it. I really want things to work out with these investors. They could change everything for the company."
I forced a smile onto my face, the kind of smile I had perfected over the past few weeks. The smile that said everything was fine when nothing was fine at all. "It's okay," I said softly. "I understand."
But in my head, I was calculating. I was analyzing every single thing that had happened over the past few days, every small comment, every subtle change in Xavier's behavior. Something was definitely off and I was done pretending that I was the problem. I was done blaming myself for being too sensitive or too jealous or too insecure.
Xavier focuses his attention on the road while Caroline occasionally talks about something I can’t fully understand. The engine hummed smoothly as we drove through the quiet streets toward Hunter's mansion. I sat in the back, watching the two of them in the front seats like I was watching a movie about someone else's life.
Caroline reached forward and started fiddling with the radio, changing stations until she found one playing some upbeat pop song. I waited for Xavier to tell her to stop, to ask what she was doing, to remind her that he usually listened to classical music while driving because it helped him concentrate.
But he didn't say anything. He just let her change the station and when she found a song she liked, he even nodded along to the beat.
I stared at the back of his head, feeling something cold settle in my chest. Xavier never let anyone touch his radio. Not even me. I had learned early in our relationship that he was particular about his music while driving. But here was Caroline, freely changing stations like she owned the car, and he didn't mind at all.
The signs were there all along. How had I been too stupid to notice them?
I thought back over the past few days, really thought about everything that had happened since Caroline arrived. Xavier hadn't changed overnight. It had been gradual, so subtle that I had convinced myself I was imagining things. But now, sitting in the backseat like a forgotten passenger, it all started to click into place.
I remembered what Lydia had said during one of our encounters, her voice dripping with condescension. She had told me that Xavier was far more intelligent than I gave him credit for, that he knew exactly what he was doing and she only had to show him the right direction. At the time, I had dismissed it as just another one of her attempts to make me feel small. But what if she had been telling the truth? What if Xavier was smarter than I thought, smart enough to manipulate situations in ways I hadn't noticed?
Six years. We had been together for six years and Xavier had never once brought up my poor background. He had always been generous with gifts, buying me clothes and bags and jewelry without ever making me feel like I owed him anything. He had made me feel loved and cherished and equal, despite the massive difference in our bank accounts.
But now, things are different. Now he made small comments, subtle ones that were easy to dismiss individually but together painted a very different picture.
Tonight it was about how he was the one who had given me all my fancy clothes, how everything in my closet was essentially his property to do with as he pleased. The comment had been delivered so casually, so matter-of-factly, that it had taken me a moment to register the insult buried within it.
Yesterday it was about the mug. I had mentioned wanting to buy a new coffee mug because mine had chipped and Xavier had waved his hand dismissively, saying he could buy me one and it was no big deal, like I couldn't possibly afford something as simple as a mug on my own.
And the day before that, it had been about the jewelry. Xavier had mentioned wanting to give Caroline a welcome gift but he didn't have time to go shopping. He had suggested that I had plenty of jewelry that I didn't wear, pieces that were just sitting in my jewelry box collecting dust. So I had gone through my collection and picked out a delicate silver bracelet to give to Caroline, telling myself I was being generous and welcoming.
But now I see it differently. Now I understand that these weren't just random coincidences. They were strategically planned moves, carefully orchestrated to make me feel less than, to remind me of my place. It was like I was being erased in my own home, my presence diminishing a little bit more each day.
Or rather, I was being replaced.
The thought hit me like a punch to the stomach and I had to press my hand against my abdomen to steady myself. Was this Lydia's doing? Had she been whispering poison in Xavier's ear, slowly turning him against me? Or was this who Xavier truly was in his heart, and it had just taken me this long to figure out his true nature?
Maybe the man I had fallen in love with six years ago had never really existed. Maybe I had been so desperate to escape my old life, so eager to believe in fairy tales and happily ever afters, that I had invented a version of Xavier that fit my fantasies. Maybe the real Xavier, the one sitting in the driver's seat chatting comfortably with our surrogate, had been there all along and I had just been too blind to see him.
I wanted to believe that Lydia had corrupted him somehow, that she had planted these ideas in his head and turned him into someone he wasn't. But deep down, I knew that wasn't how people worked. Lydia couldn't force Xavier to be cruel to me. She couldn't make him treat me like I was disposable. Those choices were his and his alone.
In the front seat, Caroline laughed at something Xavier said and he reached over to squeeze her hand briefly before returning his grip to the steering wheel. The gesture was quick and could have been completely innocent, but it made my throat tight with unshed tears.
I pressed my forehead against the cold window and closed my eyes, trying to calm the racing thoughts in my mind. I couldn't fall apart right now. I needed to hold myself together for just a few more hours, get through this party, and then I could go home and process everything in private.
But I didn't have time to ponder more, to really dig into the revelation that was forming in my mind, because the car was slowing down and when I opened my eyes, my heart dropped at what I saw.
We had arrived at the venue. Hunter's mansion loomed in front of us, lit up like a palace with hundreds of twinkling lights strung along the facade. The driveway was packed with expensive cars, luxury vehicles that probably cost more than most people made in a year. Valets in crisp uniforms were rushing around, opening doors and taking keys and directing the steady stream of guests toward the entrance.
The flashy lights hurt my eyes and the sight of all those expensive cars made me feel small and out of place. This was Hunter's world, a world of wealth and excess and power. And somewhere inside that massive house was Hunter himself, probably with his mystery girlfriend on his arm, the woman he had supposedly been with for three years in secret.
My stomach churned with anxiety and something else, something I didn't want to name. I had spent the past few days trying to convince myself that I didn't care about Hunter's girlfriend, that it didn't matter to me who he was dating or whether he was in love. But the tight feeling in my chest suggested otherwise.
Xavier pulled up to the valet stand and put the car in park. He hopped out quickly and walked around to open Caroline's door, offering his hand to help her out of the car. I watched through the window as she took his hand and stepped out gracefully, the golden fabric of my anniversary dress shimmering under the lights.
They stood together for a moment, Xavier adjusting Caroline's wrap around her shoulders and saying something that made her smile. And I sat in the backseat, waiting for someone to remember that I was there.
Finally, Xavier seemed to notice that I hadn't gotten out yet. He glanced back at the car with a slightly confused expression, like he had genuinely forgotten about me. Then he walked over and opened my door, but he didn't offer his hand the way he had for Caroline.
"Come on, Cathy," he said, his voice slightly impatient. "We don't want to be late."
I climbed out of the car on my own, smoothing down my simple black dress. Next to Caroline's golden gown, I felt like a shadow, dark and forgettable. Xavier handed the keys to the valet and then turned to survey the mansion, his eyes bright with anticipation.
"This is it," he said, more to himself than to us. "This is where everything changes."
He offered his arm to Caroline and she took it with a grateful smile. They started walking toward the entrance together and I followed a few steps behind, feeling like an uninvited guest in my own marriage.
As we approached the massive front doors, I could hear music and laughter spilling out from inside. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. I wasn't ready for this. I wasn't ready to face Hunter, to see him with someone else, to pretend that everything in my life wasn't falling apart.
But ready or not, we were here. And as Xavier and Caroline stepped through the doors into the glittering party beyond, I took a deep breath and forced myself to follow them inside.