Page 18 of The Billionaire's Betrayal
"Arguments in a couple are common," he finally replied."What matters is not saying, in anger, words that hurt the other beyond repair, to the point of no return.Each hurtful word is like a knife cut; there's a limit to the pain each person can take.Then, you need to talk.Not during the crisis, but afterward, when calm has returned.You need to express what you truly feel, without accusing the other.If you both want it, you'll always find solutions to your conflicts."
He paused, searching for words.
"The important thing, I believe, is to never take love for granted.That's the mistake Samantha and I made.We were too busy with our work and various obligations to take care of our relationship, and when we realized our marriage was drifting apart, it was too late.We had grown too distant from each other.But it's not too late for Eva and you.I see a lot of love, respect, and kindness between you.If you both decide to fight for your relationship, I don't see what could separate you."
I nodded, absorbing his words, but part of me remained plagued by doubts.
"What if, despite all that, it's not enough?"I asked in a whisper.
Steve placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"Then you'll know you did everything to preserve what unites you."
11.An unexpected issue
EVA
From: [email protected]
Subject: 4pm Meeting
Eva,
I have an unexpected issue and won't be available for our meeting.Anyway, we were aligned on our objectives.So no need to spend more time on it.
Regards,
Tristan de La Tour
This was the second such message this week.And each time, the same unpleasant feeling settled in me.Did he realize he was canceling our work meetings to spend time with Audrey?Sure, they were making progress together on the funding round, but that wasn't enough to ease this feeling of being sidelined.
As the days passed, Tristan seemed increasingly absorbed by Audrey.It wasn't just professional admiration; that, I could have accepted.No, there was something else.A spark I knew too well.A tremor in his voice, a particular gleam in his eyes, that slight smile that, without him realizing it, appeared when he talked about her.All of this was painfully familiar to me.
We had fallen in love exactly like that, Tristan and I.Working as partners in our third year of business school had brought us closer, almost naturally, almost inevitably.I remembered those long evenings of work, where every topic became an excuse to prolong our exchanges.
I could see Tristan in the early days of Community Pilot, his eyes shining with enthusiasm, our passionate discussions that seemed never to want to end.He had that way of listening, that total immersion in our ideas, as if nothing else existed.
Today, that same gleam lit up his eyes when he talked about Audrey.It wasn't so much his words as the way he pronounced them.A slight pause before saying her name.An imperceptible restraint when he mentioned her in front of me.As if he was unconsciously trying not to say too much.
But sometimes, the momentum took over.
"Audrey has an incredible sense of anticipation," he had confided to me one evening as we were dining together."I don't even need to explain; she grasps everything immediately...Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without her."
I had nodded, unable to find anything to say.His words resonated strangely, like an echo of a past I thought was behind me.
Another evening, as he was recounting his day, his gaze had animated with an almost childlike energy.
"If you had seen Audrey with that partner...In a few sentences, she turned the situation around.It was impressive."
I had smiled.But deep down, something in me had closed off.
Each time he mentioned her name, a worry took root a little deeper.Did he realize she was inserting herself into all our conversations, even outside office hours?That she occupied his thoughts well beyond work?
I tried to reason with myself, to tell myself that I was perhaps too sensitive, that I was projecting my own insecurities.After all, Tristan had always known how to recognize talent in his colleagues.But this time, it was different.There was, in his voice, a new nuance, something that fed my fears.A doubt that refused to be silenced.
I dismissed these thoughts and took a breath.An important meeting awaited me.
