Claire

I stood there, heart racing as the music thumped around me, watching Daniel as he strolled into the club, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. I felt my breath catch in my throat. The woman Irene was dressed to kill, her red dress hugging her curves in all the right places, the slit high enough to reveal a toned, long leg with every step. Her dark hair fell in sleek waves down her back, catching the club lights as they moved, her hips swaying in perfect time to the beat of the music. She was stunning, every inch of her exuding confidence and sensuality. But it wasn't just her, it was him too.

Daniel didn't look like a man conducting business. His smile was wide, too comfortable, too familiar. He leaned in close, whispering something in her ear that made her laugh, a soft, melodic sound that carried through the pulsing atmosphere. They looked like a couple out for the night, not business partners. My stomach twisted at the sight of them together, at how his hand lingered on her waist, how his thumb lightly stroked her side. Six years. Six damn years I had poured into him, and here he was, acting like I didn't even exist.

Anger flared up inside me, hot and fast. My fists clenched at my sides as I watched them descend the stairs, Daniel guiding her effortlessly toward the bar on the lower level. I hated how easy it seemed for him, how natural. As if everything we'd built over the years was nothing more than a fleeting memory to him now.

A voice broke through my thoughts, low and smooth, with that same dangerous edge I had felt earlier. "You've already lost him, you know."

I stiffened. That man again. The one with the piercing blue eyes who had unsettled me the moment I walked in. I didn't want to look at him, didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten under my skin. But I couldn't help it I turned, my jaw set, glaring at him as he leaned casually against the bar, his own drink in hand, those sharp eyes fixed on Daniel and Irene as if assessing the situation. His lips curved in a small, knowing smile.

"You don't know what you're talking about," I snapped, my voice laced with frustration. I didn't need some stranger telling me what I already feared.

He didn't even flinch at my words. In fact, the smirk deepened, amusement dancing in his eyes. "I don't need to know him," he said slowly, as if explaining something obvious to a child. "I know what I'm seeing."

I swallowed hard, my pulse quickening at his confidence. There was something about the way he spoke so certain, so sure that made me want to lash out, to tell him he was wrong. But I couldn't. Because deep down, there was a part of me that feared he was right. That dreaded part of me knew Daniel had been slipping away for a while, but seeing him like this, so at ease with another woman, made it all too real.

"You don't know us," I said, my voice shaking now, betraying the thin line of control I was desperately trying to hold onto.

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