Dianna sat in her car, gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her heart pounded against her ribs, the weight of regret pressing down on her like an anchor. She had been a fool, a blind, selfish, arrogant fool. Paul had left, and now, only now, did she realise what she had lost.

She had spent the last three days spiralling, drinking too much. None of it changed the truth. He was gone, and the hollow space he left behind was unbearable.

She had to fix this. She had to make him see that she was sorry, that she had been wrong, that they could make it work.

With a deep breath, she turned the ignition and drove to the one place she knew he would be, Sophie’s. A private eye had given her all details.

The house was lit up, warm and welcoming, and as Dianna pulled into the driveway, she could see them through the window, Paul and Sophie, sitting close, laughing. A pang of jealousy stabbed through her. That used to be her life. That used to be her man. And Sophie, Sophie had no right to take what was hers.

Dianna barely registered slamming the car door shut. Her boots echoed against the pavement as she stormed toward the front door. Without hesitation, she pounded on it, her heart hammering in her chest.

The door opened, and there he was, Paul.

His expression darkened the moment he saw her. “Dianna?”

She pushed past him before he could stop her, stepping into the living room where Sophie now stood, arms crossed, watching with an unimpressed glare.

“We need to talk,” Dianna said, her voice wavering but determined.

Paul shut the door behind her with a sigh. “We really don’t.”

“Yes, we do,” she insisted. She turned to Sophie, her lip curling. “Can you give us a moment?”

Sophie let out a sharp laugh. “Absolutely not.”

Dianna clenched her fists. “This is between me and Paul.”

“No,” Paul said, stepping past her and standing in front of Sophie to protect her. “This is over. Whatever you came here to say, I don’t need to hear it.”

Desperation clawed at her throat. “Paul, please,” she said, her voice breaking. “I know I messed up. I know I pushed you away, but I love you. I need you. I was stupid, I was blind, and I didn’t see what I had until it was gone.”

Paul sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. “Dianna, this isn’t fair.”

“Not fair?” she choked out, tears welling in her eyes. “What’s not fair is that I had to lose you to realise what you meant to me. What’s not fair is that you gave up on us so easily.”

He shook his head. “Easily? Do you have any idea how long I waited for you to love me back? To see me? I begged for scraps of affection from you for years, and you gave me nothing.”

Her knees felt weak, and before she could stop herself, she sank down, gripping his hands. “Paul, please.”

Sophie scoffed. “Are you serious?”

Dianna ignored her. “Paul, I will do anything. I’ll change. I’ll be better. We can fix this.”

Paul gently pulled his hands from her grasp. “I don’t want to fix this.”

Dianna shook her head, unable to accept the words. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do,” he said softly. “I’ve never been surer of anything.”

She looked up at him, pleading, but he only stepped back, his face filled with nothing but pity. And then he turned, reaching into his pocket, and before Dianna could even process what was happening, he was lowering himself onto one knee.

In front of Sophie.

Dianna’s breath caught in her throat. It felt like the world had collapsed in on itself, a cruel, nightmarish twist of fate.

Sophie gasped. “Paul—”

He smiled up at her, eyes filled with something Dianna had never seen when he looked at her. Love. Devotion. Certainty.

“I’ve wasted too much time in a place I didn’t belong,” he said, his voice steady. “I don’t want to waste another second.” He pulled a ring from his pocket, holding it up to Sophie. “Marry me.”

Tears slipped down Sophie’s cheeks, but she nodded. “Yes,” she whispered, then stronger. “Yes!”

Dianna felt like she had been punched in the gut. She stumbled back, shaking her head. “No… no, this isn’t…”

Paul stood, wrapping Sophie in his arms, kissing her like Dianna hadn’t been standing there, like she no longer mattered.

And maybe she didn’t.

Shame burned through her. Humiliation, sharp and unrelenting. She had come here to win him back, and instead, she had watched him propose to another woman.

She turned on her heel and fled, barely making it to her car before the sobs wracked through her body. She had lost.

And this time, there was no getting him back. 

--- The End ---