CHAPTER TWO: You're never enough.

Her breath caught as a memory surfaced in her mind. She couldn’t understand the moment, but the faint scent of cedarwood and citrus suddenly filled her senses. It was subtle but undeniable.

“Alex.” The name floated to the forefront of her mind, but fell out of her lips in a sharp breath. 

Another figure stepped into view. She slipped her arm through his and leaned into him, a halo of golden light over her as she tilted her head to look up at him. Niya’s heart plummeted as Alex leaned down and kissed the woman on the lips, his smile softening and widening even more.

Maybelle?

Niya’s legs threatened to give out beneath her as the room spun around her. Memories she couldn’t grasp flooded her mind like a sharp jab to her fragile heart. The party around her blurred, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, but she didn’t move. She couldn’t. The strangers and decorations fading into the background. All Niya could focus of was of the man who had once been hers being lovey dovey with her sister like she never existed.

“Niya,” a shaky voice brought her out of her head. She whipped around to see her grandmother standing a few feet away. Her gray hair was pulled into a tight bun, dark brown eyes narrowed with concern and impatience. “What are you doing?” 

“I... nobody...” Niya stammered. “I couldn’t stay at the—” Her voice died in her throat as her eyes shifted back to Alex. A block of ice formed in her belly when May’s hand gripped his arm tighter.

“Come with me,” Ma Phil ordered, stepping closer and taking Niya’s arm. Her grip wasn’t harsh, but it left no room for argument.

Niya allowed herself to be led back into the hallway, her entire being a rollercoaster of emotions even though she didn't know exactly why.

Ma Phil began in a hushed tone, “You’ve just woken up. This is all too much for you—”

“We... uh... we didn’t want you to find out like this,” May interrupted hesitantly as she appeared at the end of the hallway, her oval face painted with what looked like forced concern. 

“Find out what?” Niya's head snapped up at May which caused her to flinch but she recovered quickly. “That you're trying to steal my husband?” Niya's voice was cold, foreign to her own ears but there was a rush of emotions in them that made her feel like she might pass out soon.

“This isn’t what it looks like,” May tried, stepping closer. “I’m so sorry, Niya, but it’s true. You’ve been in a coma, and when you didn’t wake up, we...”

Niya’s laugh came out harsh and hollow, like a crack in glass. “We what, May? You thought it was okay to move into my life? Take my husband and act like everything is fine?” Niya felt like she was standing outside her own body, watching herself live through this nightmare, praying it would stop.

Before anyone could respond, Niya busted past May, back toward the sitting room. Her pulse pounded in her ears, drowning out the noise of the party. 

She stopped abruptly. He stood near the doorway, taller and broader than she remembered from that distance.

His face turned unrecognizable. But it was the scent—his scent—that slams at her hardest. For a moment, she thought about reaching out to him, to touch him and remind herself that he was hers. That they had been something real even if she could barely remember. And before she could control herself, she realized Alex had caught her wrist mid-air and pushed her hand away with a curt motion. 

“No one is stealing what never belonged to you. May and I are married,” Alex grumbled, his words hitting her like a physical blow.

Her knees immediately grew weak. “No,” she whispered, shaking her head as the room closed in on her, veins bulging at the sides of her neck. “We’re—you and me! This is some kind of joke, right? Why are you joking, Alex?” she began to chuckle hysterically like a psychotic human using her hopes as an escape mechanism.

“Niya…” May’s eyes filled with tears, but Niya swore they were false. 

“You can’t do this! You can’t just take my life, my husband...No!” Her trembling hands shot up, motioning wildly between herself and Alex. The pain in her chest spread like wildfire, consuming her from the inside out.

Alex cleared his throat, grinned at the now confused invitees behind before he stepped into Niya again, blocking the entrance. 

Niya's sobs dissipated, her heart demanding reassurance. He pulled her into his arms where she longed to be in and she started relaxing, her fidgeting stopped. However, that was only a swift second.

“You were never enough, Niya,” he whispered in her ear, a low growl forming in his chest. “We’ve had enough of your drama. You'll find the papers, enjoy the party or use the fucking door.” 

He pulled away and her eyes clouded again. Her ears and heart found it hard to process what was actually going on. “Are you trying to punish me? I…I don't know how many times I can apologize even if it wasn't my fault that I almost—”

“I never asked you to. You do whatever you want, Niya, and I really don't care. Neither should you bother with what I do.”

“You're hurt. You're hurt, Alex, and you're acting out. Don't worry we could talk this through. This isn't you.” she tried to reach him again but he shot her a deadly glare that pierces through her skin like a dagger.

She searched Alex’s face for some sign that this was all a mistake—that he could explain everything. But there was nothing. No regret, no apology. Just fake smiles as he glared at her with empty eyes.

“Sure it is,” his brows grew together. “You've just never seen me like this. You don'tT know what I look like when I'm not in love with you.”