He stood outside while I sat in my car, only a few meters away.
Talia's face darkened when she saw my name flashing on his screen.
But he only smiled at her and said gently, "I'll take this call."
She tried to stop him, reaching for his phone, but he lifted his arm, keeping it out of reach.
"I told you," he said coldly, "I'll never ignore Elaine's call."
His tone turned hard, a sharp contrast to his earlier charm. "Talia, we had an agreement."
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
From where I sat, I could see her stomp her heel in frustration, helpless as he stepped aside to answer my call.
"Hey," his voice came through, warm and familiar, no different from any other day.
"Wife," he said softly, "do you miss me?"
Tears welled up again, spilling uncontrollably. I tried to speak, but only choked sobs came out. But he didn't seem to notice.
"I'll be home tomorrow," he said. "I bought you a little gift!"
I watched from a distance—he was still playing with Talia's hair, his smile tender as he spoke to me.
"You'll love it," he added.
And at that moment, I couldn't understand.
How could a person split their heart in two?
How could he, who once swore he despised betrayal more than anything, turn into the very kind of man he used to hate?
I still couldn't make sense of it.
Did Iñigo ever really love me?
"Wife?"
He finally noticed something was wrong and asked, "What's the matter?"
His voice—familiar and warm—tore at my chest until it hurt so badly I felt like I might suffocate.
Struggling to hold back a broken sound, I forced the question out. "Iñigo... With everything I have, do you love me? Would you ever betray me?"
I remembered the day he confessed. He knelt on one knee in front of all our friends as witnesses; when I nodded, he wept until he could barely speak. He held me then and swore, "Elaine, I will never let you down. I love you. I will never be like my mother. I will never betray you. I belong to you—forever!"
I believed him without reservation. I gave him my whole heart, convinced that no matter what trials came, we would walk through them together until the end of our lives.
Now, I watched Talia's restless hands wandering over him. She bit at his throat; he made a muffled sound, his breath rough, and told me, "Elaine, don't imagine things. I'll be back tomorrow."