THE SUBSTITUTE HUSBAND’S RISE TO POWER.

005.

A dry, humorless laugh raked his throat as he stood, watching them. Elena raised an eyebrow in irritation. “What are you doing? Did you not hear me tell you to sit?” She spat, the venom in her voice was enough to melt anyone’s skin.

Alex balled his fist even tighter, trying to control the raging storm inside of him as he stood, wondering how and when he became a guest in his own home.

His body locked up like a rusted hinge at the feeling, every muscle seizing under the weight of their casual cruelty.

His bruises throbbed in time with his racing heart, a sharp, grounding pain that reminded him of how he’d almost died for a woman that saw him as nothing but a substitute for a man she was now dining with.

Elena’s long, feminine fingers curled around her wine glass, her lips parted in that soft, throaty laugh he once lived for. Marcus leaned in closer, his hand lingering on her arm for a moment, his eyes caught Alex’s and a small smirk played out on his lips.

Alex closed his eyes as if by the time he opened them, the candlelight would have burned out, and the intimacy he saw between them would be gone, but he was wrong.

Everything was still there, painfully so.

“Come on, Alex. After that little temper tantrum you threw with Elena earlier, she’s still gracious enough to let you sit down and eat with us.” Marcus spoke, his voice was smooth and laced with a fake concern.

“You should at least show some gratitude, man. Not everyone would be this forgiving.” He added, and Alex could feel the veins in his temple throbbing.

Elena glared at him for a second before flashing Marcus a soft smile that Alex had never seen her wear before. “Thank you, Marcus.” She said sweetly, her eyes lighting up.

“You’re the only one who truly understands me.” She added, all while giving Alex a look of utter disgust. “You get me, and honestly, I don’t know what I was thinking when I married him.” She said with a sigh.

Turning to Alex, the rage and disgust in her eyes intensified. “You see, Marcus doesn’t make everything about his own drama, he thinks about other people, you should learn a thing or two from him.”

Alex’s mouth opened, but no word came out as he looked from Elena to Marcus, who smiled subtly, a flicker of triumph in his eyes that only Marcus could see.

Alex’s fists clenched so hard his nails bit into his palms, almost drawing blood. He wanted nothing more than to turn around and leave, to slam the door on this farce and never look back.

His legs ached to move, his chest burned with the urge to escape the suffocating air thick with the intimacy they shared. But, something deeper rooted him to the spot.

The realization that this might very well be the last time he would ever see her. The final chapter of their five years together, he had put up with worse, he could put up with this for one more night.

“Fine.” Alex muttered, swallowing his anger as he forced himself to sit on the empty chair, watching as they laughed with each other, having fun as if he wasn’t at the same table.

As dinner proceeded, Marcus and Elena chatted and laughed merrily, their voices weaving together in effortless rhythm.

“Oh my god, did you remember that trip to the coast?” Elena asked Marcus, her laughter bubbling up as she touched Marcus’s sleeve. Marcus leaned in, sharing some inside joke that made her eyes sparkle.

Alex sat rigid against the wooden chair. Every laugh Elena gave Marcus, every brush of her fingers against his sleeve, sent a fresh spark of agony through him.

‘Ignore it. Ignore them.’ He said to himself. ‘This is the last time you’ll see them.’ He repeated the words to himself like a mantra, and it worked.

Even as his skin crawled with humiliation, he forced himself to sit through the public display of affection going on between Elena and Marcus.

“Oh! I have a toast.” Marcus’ elated voice brought a halt to the thought running through Alex’s mind. And with careful scrutiny, Alex watched as Marcus raised his glass toward him, his smile wide and insincere.

“To Alex, for allowing me to move in. I promise I’ll do my best to adapt to our life as a trio. It’s going to be great, right?”

The words hit Alex like a punch to the guts, and even though he hadn’t meant for it to, his body froze again. Marcus had already moved in before he knew about it, and he didn’t care, but still… the blatant provocation clawed at him.

Marcus lifted his glass again, smiling into the rim. Elena did not notice, but Alex did. He scowled, refusing to respond to Marcus’ toast.

Elena grunted, waving a dismissive hand. “Don’t waste your kindness on him, Marcus. He’s in one of his moods again.” She spoke, evidently not caring about how her words affected Alex.

Marcus and Elena continued their warm conversation, treating Alex like a complete stranger at his own table, their voices low and intimate, bodies angled toward each other, excluding him entirely.

A realization dawned on Alex, causing him to look up, his voice rough as he spoke. “Elena, who arranged my seat? Was it you?”

The look on Elena’s face answered his question even before she snapped back, annoyance sparking in her eyes. “Of course it wasn’t me. Why would I ever save a seat for you?”

Alex nodded, thinking that would be the end of the conversation, but Elena wasn’t done. “Marcus was kind enough to leave you a spot. At least someone here thinks about other people.” She added, her words landing like a heavy blow.

“I can’t believe you.” She went on, openly scolding him as if he was a little child left in her care. “You’re so ungrateful, Alexander. You should apologize to Marcus for everything you did.”

“Elena, that’s really not necessary.” Marcus chimed in, trying to sound polite and respectful.

“No! It’s absolutely necessary!” Elena said firmly. “You’re taking a lot from him, and you don’t have to, he has to apologize to you.” She said, glaring at Alex now. “Apologize. Right now.”

“Apologize?” Alex scoffed, the words ringing in his head as disappointment washed over him. He couldn’t believe how far Elena was willing to go for Marcus.

Why should he be the one to apologize?

Alex ignored them, a single word of apology not leaving his mouth, and his reaction to Elena’s demand only angered her even more. Her teeth gritted, eyes turning icy as her lips pressed into a thin line.

“You’re not going to apologize?” She asked, and still no response from Alex. “Fine, suit yourself.” She said coldly, before turning back to Marcus with a bright smile.

They laughed and chatted again, their connection evident, and the weight of it all crushed down on Alex, the isolation, the mockery.

He couldn’t sit through this anymore, he’d had enough, and the sooner he told Elena about his plans, the better.

“Since we’re all here, I guess I can say what I want to.” Alex started, his voice cutting through Elena’s laughter.

“I only came tonight to say goodbye. I’m joining Doctors Without Borders tomorrow, and we’re going to somewhere very dangerous, I might very well die on the battlefield.”

Elena didn’t acknowledge him, not even a small pause. She just kept talking, laughing softly with Marcus about some trivial story, her body language screaming dismissal.

Stunned, Alex called her name, louder this time. “Elena.” But she ignored him completely, her fingers brushing Marcus’ as she reached for more wine.

He raised his voice, the sound raw. “ELENA!”

Finally, she turned, her expression twisted with disgust. “Unless you apologize to Marcus, I won’t listen to a single word you say. Nor will I utter another word to you.”

That was it. Alex’s control snapped, everything he’d been bottling up exploded right there and then as he shot to his feet, his chair scraping back violently.

Rage surged through him, hot and blinding, his hands slammed down on the table, loud and grating, but he didn’t care, and with an anger like never before, he flipped the table.

Plates crashed, wine glasses shattered, food splattered across the floor in a chaotic mess. The candles toppled, and his chest heaved with every breath he took.

Alex’s voice was loud, thundering through the room as he declared. “THEN NO ONE EATS.”