My Secret Lover of 10 Years Had a Heart Rate of 70 for Me—But It Hit 175 for His Ex Chapter 02

My Secret Lover of 10 Years Had a Heart Rate of 70 for Me—But It Hit 175 for His Ex Chapter 02

One by one, everyone in the private room trickled out.

By midnight, I was the only one left.

My messages went unanswered, swallowed into silence. Call after call went unanswered.

“Miss, we’re closing for the night.”

“Okay.” I stood up to grab my coat, only to remember all my things were still in Gabriel’s car.

The moment I pushed open the restaurant doors, the wind, sharp with snow and ice, cut right through me.

Home wasn’t that far away.

I wrapped my arms around myself and walked through the freezing night alone, shivering so hard my eyes and nose wouldn’t stop running.

A car pulled up to the curb and gave a short honk.

Gabriel stepped out immediately.

Without a word, he wrapped his coat and scarf around me.

Then he picked me up and carried me to the passenger seat. My whole body was freezing.

A strange rose perfume filled the car, sharp enough to make my stomach twist.

At my feet lay a pair of high heels—Lila’s, left behind.

And right in front of the passenger seat, the little sticker that once read “Audrey’s Seat” had been crumpled into a ball and tossed onto the floor mat.

“I told you to wait for me.” Gabriel shut the door and cranked up the heat.

I buried my face in the coat that still carried his warmth.

Once I’d thawed out a little, I finally spoke, “Who is Lila?”

Gabriel tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “A friend.”

I took a deep breath and forced back my tears.

“Gabriel… then who am I?”

The most terrifying thought took root in my mind, growing wilder by the second.

What if I’d been a stand-in all along?

What if these ten years, every ounce of love I’d poured into him, had all been a lie from the start?

“It’s not what you think. I just took her back to her hotel.” He was dodging the question.

“There were so many people watching tonight. If I didn’t take her home, where would that leave her?”

“She’s always been sensitive about that kind of thing…”

“Then answer me.” I cut him off. “Who am I?”

The car suddenly lurched forward. The engine roared, drowning out everything else.

He was always like this. The moment anything got hard to talk about, he’d just shut down.

Even getting married—that had been the same.

We were only going through with it because we’d gotten older and both families kept pushing.

He’d only agreed to set a date because he had to.

“Gabriel, do you like her?”

“No.”

“Then why did you let her sit in the passenger seat?”

“She wanted to.”

His distant tone made my chest tighten.

“What about the heartbeat challenge tonight?”

“The machine was acting up.”

“Gabriel, do you seriously think I’m stupid?” My voice was shaking.

He finally lost patience. “Drop it.”

“The wedding date’s set. The invitations are already printed. Where exactly do you think I’m gonna run off to?”

At a red light, Gabriel pulled out a perfume charm and hung it from the rearview mirror.

The rose scent hit me, even stronger now. It was from Lila.

“You owe me an explanation.”

He stared straight ahead without saying a word.

“Gabriel, I’m talking to you!” I could feel my temper snapping.

I reached out and ripped the charm right off.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Gabriel seized my wrist, his grip crushing—like my bones were about to snap.

The look in his eyes—I’d never seen anything like it. The answer was obvious.

So why was I still stupid enough to keep asking?