Caleb had always believed that love was a straight line—a path you walked together with someone you were meant to be with forever. He had thought that about Jane. They had grown up together, shared secrets, dreams, and promises. They were the kind of couple everyone expected to end up together, the kind that made everyone else feel envious of their bond. But that was before she left him.

Just months before their wedding, Jane disappeared without a trace. One moment, she was his, and the next, she was gone. Caleb had spent days, then weeks, then months, searching for answers that never came. The loss was like a wound that never healed, a scar that only deepened over time, throbbing painfully whenever he smelled her favorite jasmine perfume or passed their childhood hangouts.

In his pain, Caleb did what anyone might do when they were lost: he married his best friend's sister. It had been practical, maybe even logical. She was kind, and sweet, and at the time, she filled a hole inside him—though she never truly replaced Jane. Caleb's feelings for her had started as a quiet loyalty, a decision to make the best of things. But as the months turned into years, something unexpected happened. He fell in love with her. Deeply, completely. Their home was filled with warmth and laughter, the sound of her singing in the kitchen while he cooked, the way she would curl into his side on the couch during movie nights, her gentle breathing lulling him into contentment.

Their marriage grew into something neither had anticipated. They laughed together, cooked together, spent their evenings wrapped in each other's arms, both of them content in their quiet, affectionate world. It had been almost five years now. Caleb never imagined he'd fall in love with someone else, not after Jane, but he had. His wife became his anchor, the steady beat in his otherwise chaotic life, her calming presence grounding him when his mind threatened to spiral into old patterns of restlessness.

One evening, Caleb and his wife attended one of his work parties, a formal affair with too much wine and too many people trying to outdo each other in conversation. The ballroom sparkled with crystal chandeliers casting rainbow prisms across the polished marble floor, the air thick with the mingled scents of expensive perfume and canapés. Caleb was watching his wife, the woman he adored, as she laughed at something his colleague was saying, her eyes crinkling at the corners in that way he loved, when something—or rather, someone—caught his eye.

There, near the buffet table, stood Jane. The same woman he had loved, the woman who had left him without explanation, the woman who had haunted his thoughts for years. But she was different now. Gone were the carefree smiles and bright eyes that had once lit up every room she entered. In their place was a woman, pale and thin, almost desperate, moving from guest to guest as she handed out appetizers and refilled drinks. Her uniform was slightly askew, a button loose at her collar, and her hands trembled slightly as she poured champagne. Her eyes darted nervously, always seeking approval, always expecting rejection. Caleb's heart twisted in his chest, a physical ache that made it hard to breathe.

And yet, he stayed glued to his wife's side. She noticed his distant gaze, following his line of sight to the buffet table before turning back to him with a questioning look, but Caleb was careful not to let his wife see too much. He forced a smile, reached for her hand, and squeezed it tightly, bringing it to his lips for a kiss, his thumb brushing over her wedding ring. He was there for her, as he always was—affectionate, attentive, and protective.

But as the night wore on, Caleb watched as one of his colleagues, a man known for his arrogance and entitlement, began to make inappropriate advances toward Jane. He leaned in too close, his hand lingering on her arm, his words low and suggestive. She was clearly uncomfortable, stepping back with each comment, each touch, her face flushing with embarrassment as she tried to politely extricate herself. Caleb saw red. The sound of glass clinking and polite laughter faded into background noise as his pulse roared in his ears. He knew he should have stayed out of it, but something inside him broke. He stood up abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor, walking across the room with a quick pace, and before anyone could stop him, he had punched the man in the face, sending him crashing to the floor with a surprised yell.

Jane flinched in surprise but didn't move away. Instead, she stood there, frozen, her eyes wide with shock, unsure of what to do next. Caleb didn't give her the chance to say anything. Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly as if shielding her from the world, the familiar scent of her shampoo triggering a flood of memories he thought he'd buried. He called an Uber for his wife, murmuring something about handling the situation, and he left the party, not even bothering to explain. He didn't return home that night.