“Craig?” Damien stuttered.

“Why are they together?” Emerald asked rhetorically.

Mira didn’t see them. She was too busy laughing and leaning into the man. She whispered something into his ear, and the man laughed and touched her waist again.

Damien’s jaw tightened and his fingers gripped his glass very tightly.

“Let’s leave,” he said, his voice shaky as he stood up.

“Won’t you say anything to them?” Emerald muttered, reaching for his hand.

“Let’s just go,” Damien insisted.

They both left the bar quietly towards Damien’s car. His mind kept replaying what he had seen inside the bar.

“What the hell was that?” Emerald whispered as the thought of Mira and Craig seared into his mind.

Damien was quiet throughout their ride back home. He dropped Emerald off at his own place and drove quietly to his place.

A few hours later, the doorbell rang. He went to check and it was Mira. She was still wearing the same dress she wore when he saw her at the bar.

“Hey babe,” Mira said with a sly smile.

“Hi… you reek of alcohol… where are you coming from?” Damien asked, holding the door so that Mira wouldn’t be able to enter the house.

“I grabbed a few bottles of drinks with Khloe,” she lied.

“Who is Khloe?” Damien asked.

“A newfound friend… why are you questioning me without letting me in?” Mira said, her expression turning cold.

“I’m trying to figure out why you came here instead of going with the person you drank with,” Damien scoffed.

“What are you trying to insinuate? Why can’t I come to my boyfriend’s house?” Mira said, trying to force her way into the house.

As the gentleman that he is, he let her in.

“Mira, I…” he wanted to talk but held back.

“What’s that?” Mira asked.

“Nothing… you must be tired,” Damien replied.

Damien barely slept that night while Mira slept peacefully beside him. His head ached as he lay awake. The picture of Mira and Craig kept running through his mind. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw them touching and laughing.

The next morning, Mira wasn’t beside him. He sat up, looking lost.

“Did I really see what I saw?” he muttered softly to himself.

He stood up and went straight to the bathroom.

Mira was in the kitchen when he walked down the stairs all dressed up for work. She looked fresh, dressed in a silk robe with her hair tied up neatly.

“Good morning, Damien”, she turned back and said, smiling as if nothing was wrong.

“Good morning,” Damien replied, thinking of how to talk about what was in his head.

He stood by the doorway, watching her as she stirred the pot of pasta.

“I saw you with Craig last night,” he said, finally forcing the words out.

Mira froze for a moment, then she slowly turned off the gas cooker.

“What?” she asked, without looking at him.

“I saw you with Craig,” Damien repeated, his voice a bit shaky.

Mira turned around. Her face was calm as she looked at him keenly.

“What are you talking about?” she muttered.

“Don’t play games with me, Mira. I saw you at the bar,” Damien said, trying not to be aggressive.

For a moment, there was silence between them, their eyes locked on each other. Then she let out a small laugh.

“Are you kidding?” she said.

“Mira…” Damien said, his voice eyes filled with anger.

“You must have been dreaming… Do you know how crazy you sound right now?” Mira muttered.

“Crazy? I know what I saw,” Damien insisted.

“No, you don’t!” Mira said firmly.

“You imagined it. You’ve been under stress for weeks. With work, with the company… maybe it’s finally getting to you and you mistook me for someone else,” she added.

Her tone was smooth and careful, but his words made Damien’s stomach twist.

“Mira, don’t try to turn this around. I’m not a freaking child,” Damien said, his voice a bit high.

“Oh, please!” Mira started, looking at him sternly.

“You think I would cheat on you? With Craig of all people? That’s ridiculous,” she continued, anger written all over her face.

“Wow!” Damien scoffed.

“You are losing it… Why would you think Craig and I…?” she said, now blowing hot and shaking her head.

Damien left angrily, closing the door hard. On his way to his car, doubt crept into his mind.

“Could she be right? Am I truly losing it?” his inner voice chided.

“No! I’m not crazy,” he shouted, slamming the car door against himself.

The drive to his office was a bit intense. He couldn’t stop replaying the whole scenario and Mira’s confident and offended look when he confronted her.

By the time he reached his office, he was so drained. His staff greeted him but he barely noticed.

“He doesn’t look good,” Lilian, who was standing in front of Vanessa, said with a concerned look on her face.

“Right,” Vanessa replied, following Damien with her eyes.

Damien, who walked straight to his office, sank into his chair and closed his eyes.

That was when Vanessa walked in. She carried a file in one hand and his breakfast in another hand.

“Good morning, Mr. Damien,” she greeted softly.

“Morning, clear my schedule for today,” Damien replied.

“Is everything okay, sir? You look like you had a rough night,” Vanessa said as she placed the file and breakfast on his desk.

“Hmm,” Damien sighed.

“You could say that,” he added, leaning back in his chair.

He hesitated at first, then she looked up at her. Vanessa had been loyal and stood by his side for a long time. If there was one person he could talk to, it would be her. Moreover, she was a woman like Mira.

“Vanessa,” he said softly.

“Can I ask you something? I need you to be honest with me,” he added.

“Always sir,” Vanessa nodded.

“What would you do if someone you loved betrayed you? But when you asked them, they made you feel like you were going insane,” Damien said with a composed look on his face.

“I would trust my gut, sir,” Vanessa started.

“Trust your gut?” Damien asked, looking a bit confused.

“Yes. People who love you won’t make you doubt yourself. They won’t twist your mind like that,” Vanessa continued.

“So you think I should trust myself,” Damien said, swallowing hard.

“If something feels wrong, it probably is,” Vanessa said firmly.

Damien leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk.

“Mira said I imagined it. She made it sound like I’m losing my mind.”

“That’s gaslighting. Don’t let her do that to you,” Vanessa said, shaking her head.

“I thought I was crazy and overreacting,” Damien said and stood up from his chair.

“Not at all. That person is the evil one,” Vanessa replied, her voice calm, but serious.

“You have no idea how much your words have helped in easing my mind,” Damien said, trying to hold her hand.

Just then Mira barged into his office.

“What the hell is going on here?”