Golden sunlight streamed through the office windows, brushing against the desks, shelves, and glass awards that sparkled like the dream they had built together.
Rivan, Keal, and Liora—once the wild trio that dared to change the industry—were now titans in their own right. Rivan, the creative lead, had turned branding into an artform. Keal made public relations feel like poetry. And Liora, the heart of it all, had turned chaos into an empire with her instinct and grit.
But beneath the polished floors and glowing accolades was a love that had begun to splinter.
Rivan and Keal: devoted partners, boyfriends, companions of a decade.
Rivan and Liora: an electric connection, raw and vulnerable.
Keal and Liora: soft affection, unspoken warmth, tender silence.
Three hearts, one life, no definition. They wore matching rings but never spoke the word "marriage." Their connection had always been understood. That understanding was now starting to hurt.
Whispers followed her everywhere—at launch parties, coffee breaks, even internal meetings.
"She's the third wheel."
"She's manipulating them."
"Why do they keep her around?"
"She's ruining a perfectly good couple."
"Gold-digger."
"Whore."
It chipped away at her spirit, piece by piece. And when she tried to talk about it, their responses were always soft, always kind—but never enough.
Then one quiet night on the balcony, her voice barely audible above the city noise, she asked, "I want to have a baby."
Rivan didn't respond. Keal stared at the skyline. "Not now, Liora. Please. Things are too chaotic."
She nodded, heart sinking, and went inside without another word.
That week, a new partnership was forming—with siblings Evelyn and Nathan from a luxury branding firm in London. Smart. Sophisticated. A little too charming.
Evelyn was sharp, eloquent… and clearly drawn to Rivan.
Liora saw it. She also saw the way Rivan didn't push her away.
One afternoon, she walked into the private lounge and found Evelyn standing dangerously close to Rivan, adjusting his tie, smiling too sweetly.
Keal stood to the side, saying nothing.
Liora's heart dropped. She turned and walked out.
Later that night, she stood in the hallway of their apartment, arms crossed.
"So… Evelyn, huh?" Her voice was light, but the crack was there.
Keal frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I saw the way she touched him. I saw the way you let her."
Rivan didn't even flinch. "You're overthinking things."
Overthinking. The word stung like acid.
When she went to meet Nathan to finalize the deal alone, he closed the door behind her, his tone shifting.
"You're wasting your time with them," he said smoothly. "You deserve more. Come with me. Let me give you something better."
She slapped him—hard.
"Stay away from me."
She stormed out, breath ragged, heart burning.
But when she returned, before she could speak, Rivan exploded. "Why the hell didn't you close the deal?! Do you have any idea how bad this looks for us?"
"You think I sabotaged it?!" she snapped. "He tried to buy me, Rivan. Like a damn object. And you're blaming me?"
Silence.
Keal looked between them. "What happened?"
Her voice trembled. "You chose Evelyn already, didn't you? You never saw me as part of this, did you? Not really. I was just something convenient."
Rivan clenched his jaw. "Don't twist it."
She slid off her ring and placed it on the table.
"I'm done. I'm going."
"Where will you go?" Keal whispered.
"Somewhere that doesn't break me."
She left.
This time, she didn't look back.
___
It was supposed to be a surprise.
They had just signed the deed on a new penthouse apartment—sun-drenched, with three bedrooms and a balcony garden—just for her. For them. For the child she didn't know they were finally ready to welcome.
Her birthday was in four days.
Keal had spent hours writing a letter. Rivan had designed the nursery himself, soft blues and peach tones.
They were going to propose. For real. Not just with matching rings and quiet understanding. With vows.
But now?
Liora was gone.
She didn't go to a hotel. She went home.
To her mother's house, a quiet place in the suburbs. The room still had her childhood posters, her old journal, a soft toy Rivan had once won her at a fair.
There, she cried. In her mother's lap, under warm blankets, she broke apart.
"I was never enough for them," she whispered.
Her mother didn't say anything. Just held her.
Back in the city, Keal called every contact. Rivan checked security footage, traffic cameras, even hospitals. When they finally tracked her to her mother's house, they drove there immediately.
But Liora refused to come to the door.
"She doesn't want to see anyone," her mother said gently. "Not right now."
So they left.
The gift-wrapped apartment key sat untouched in the glove box. The birthday cake order remained on the counter, now slowly melting. The hand-written vows stayed in Keal's drawer, stained with a single teardrop.
Back at the office, Rivan stood by the window, hollow.
"She thinks we never chose her."
Keal sat on the couch, drained. "We were too late."
"She thought I wanted Evelyn. She doesn't even know I was planning to propose."
"We should have told her every day. Not waited for the perfect moment."
The apartment felt too big. Too empty. The ring she left sat on the mantelpiece, mocking them.
Liora lay awake that night, staring at the ceiling. Her heart wanted to go home. But she didn't know if it was home anymore.
They had planned a future for her.
She had only seen an ending.
Both sides were in pain, reaching, but unable to touch.
And for now, that was all there was.