Chapter 15 up
“Axel.”
The voice cut through the meeting room like a thin blade.
Axel jolted. His hand, which had been holding a pen, froze midair. Several pairs of eyes immediately turned toward him—the CFO, the head of expansion, and two foreign investors seated at the far end of the long glass table.
“Yes?” he replied, a beat too late.
The man across from him—a senior partner from Singapore—frowned. “We’ve been waiting for your opinion on the acquisition for some time now.”
Axel drew a breath. His gaze drifted to the presentation screen at the front of the room, but the numbers there felt blurred. Growth charts, market risks, five-year projections—all of it looked like meaningless symbols.
“I’m sorry,” he said at last. “Could you repeat the last part?”
Silence fell—heavy and awkward.
Selina, seated to Axel’s right, turned her head sharply. Her smile remained in place, but her eyes narrowed—sharp, observant. She could see it. The way Axel leaned too far back in his chair. The way his fingers tapped the table without rhythm. The way his mind was clearly not in this room.
The meeting continued, but Axel was only present in body. Every time someone spoke, another image slipped in without permission.
Vanesa.
Her calm face. Her gaze that no longer searched for him. The way she stood beside another man—not out of need, but out of choice.
“Axel.”
Selina touched his arm beneath the table. The gesture was gentle, possessive.
“Are you okay?” she whispered, low enough that only the two of them could hear.
Axel nodded quickly. “Of course.”
But Selina knew. She always did.
Since that night—the night they were escorted out of the Wibisana ballroom—something had shifted. Axel was still by her side, still came home with her, still touched her. Yet there was an invisible distance she could no longer reach.
And Selina hated that distance.
The meeting finally ended with polite applause and promises of follow-up. As soon as the investors left, Selina stood first.
“We need to talk,” she said shortly.
Axel didn’t refuse. He simply picked up his jacket and followed her out of the headquarters building to the car.
During the drive, Selina was silent. Too silent.
Her hands gripped the steering wheel tighter than usual. Her jaw was rigid. Axel stared straight ahead, letting the city slide past the windows.
When the car stopped in their apartment parking lot, Selina cut the engine with a sharp motion.
“What’s wrong with you?” she asked at last.
Axel unbuckled his seatbelt. “I’m just tired.”
“Tired since when?” Selina let out a short laugh, humorless. “Since Vanesa came back?”
The name landed heavily in the air.
Axel turned toward her. “Don’t start.”
“Oh, I’m just getting started,” Selina shot back. She got out of the car, her steps quick as she headed for the elevator. Axel followed in silence.
The apartment door closed with a hard thud.
Selina tossed her bag onto the sofa. “You were zoning out in the meeting. You didn’t even hear them talking about risk. That’s not you, Axel.”
Axel removed his jacket and hung it carefully. “I just have a lot on my mind.”
“About what?” Selina stepped closer. “Or rather—about who?”
Axel exhaled slowly. “Don’t make things up.”
Selina smiled faintly—a smile that never reached her eyes. “I know you. I know when you’re present… and when you’re with another woman in your head.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“Exaggerating?” Selina laughed again, louder this time. “You defended me in public, yes. But since when does a defense without heart feel so empty?”
Axel fell silent.
And his silence was the cruelest answer of all.
Selina stepped closer. “You still love her, don’t you?”
Axel looked up sharply. “No.”
The answer came too fast.
Too reflexive.
Selina caught it.
“You denied it before I even finished asking,” she said softly. “That means you’d already thought about the answer long before this.”
Axel turned his face away. His hands clenched into fists.
“I don’t love her,” he repeated, slower this time. “I’m just… unsettled.”
“Unsettled by what?” Selina pressed. “By the fact that she didn’t break without you? That she’s standing taller now?”
Axel stared at the floor. Memories spun—Vanesa waiting in silence. Vanesa asking him to stay. Vanesa being left behind.
“I don’t know,” he admitted, almost a whisper.
That honesty froze Selina in place.
“I don’t know,” Axel repeated. “And that’s what angers me.”
Selina let out a bitter laugh. “So now you’re confused because the woman you hurt didn’t collapse?”
“Enough,” Axel’s voice rose. “Don’t talk as if you didn’t enjoy all of it.”
Selina fell silent for a moment, then her eyes flared. “I enjoyed winning. But this—” she pointed to her chest, then to Axel, “—this isn’t victory. This is regret.”
Axel rubbed his face. “I don’t regret choosing you.”
“But you regret losing her,” Selina cut in sharply.
The words struck dead center.
Axel didn’t deny it.
And that was when Selina knew.
She stepped back as if she’d touched something burning. Her expression shifted—not anger now, but hurt.
“So all this time…” her voice trembled, “I was just a replacement?”
“No,” Axel said quickly. “You’re not a replacement.”
“Then what am I?” Selina laughed softly, almost hysterically. “A consolation prize?”
Axel stepped closer. “Selina—”
“Don’t touch me.”
She raised a hand, stopping him. Her eyes glistened, but no tears fell. She was too proud to cry.
“I risked everything for you,” she said. “My name. My reputation. I stood by you while everyone judged.”
“I know.”
“No,” Selina shook her head. “You don’t. Because if you did, you wouldn’t look at another woman like that.”
Axel fell silent again.
Inside his chest, something collapsed slowly.
Selina took a deep breath. When she spoke again, her voice was calmer—too calm.
“I see it now,” she said. “I don’t have control anymore.”
Axel looked at her. “This isn’t about control.”
“Oh, it’s always about control,” Selina smiled bitterly. “And I just lost mine.”
She turned and walked toward the bedroom. Before closing the door, she stopped.
“Don’t worry,” she said without looking back. “I won’t beg.”