Goodbye, My Dearest Enemy

She folded the paper along its original creases with numb precision and tucked it deep into the inner pocket of his suit jacket.

Just as her hand withdrew, the bathroom door opened.

Carl approached, steam still clinging to his skin from the shower. He slipped his arms around her from behind, his hands beginning to wander.

The moment his touch grazed her waist, her body went rigid. She pushed him away.

“I’m sorry… I don’t feel well.”

His hand froze in mid-air. *Don’t feel well*—the words doused the flicker of his arousal like a bucket of ice water.

“Right. Get some rest, then.” His tone held a barely concealed edge.

He retreated to his side of the bed and switched off the lamp.

Carolyn closed her eyes, her mind already churning. One month left. Her mother was too frail to travel, so she had to find a new assisted living facility. And then—

Carl’s phone on the nightstand chimed with a flurry of notifications, then shrilled into a ring.

He snatched it up. Even from across the bed, Carolyn could hear the voice on the line.

“Sir, Miss Karen is insisting on seeing you. She won’t take her medication otherwise. Please, you must come at once—”

Before the sentence finished, Carl threw back the covers, grabbed his jacket, and strode for the door.

“Don’t forget dinner with your mother tomorrow,” Carolyn reminded his retreating back.

What Carl did was no longer her concern—but she wouldn’t let her mother down.

“Tomorrow afternoon. Go directly and wait for me.” With that, he was gone.

He didn’t even notice he’d put his jacket on inside-out, or that he was wearing mismatched socks.

So this was her. The reason he left night after night. The one who could throw the always-impeccable Carl into such disarray.

Seeing the first hints of dawn at the window, she gave up on sleep. She rose and went down to the kitchen.

When she walked into the living room with a bowl of noodles, she stopped. Carl was entering from the foyer, a young woman cradled in his arms. His movements were impossibly gentle, as though he held the world’s most fragile treasure.

He looked up and saw her. His step hitched; his tone turned formal, detached. “You’re up. This is Karen, Mr. Dylan’s daughter. Her leukemia has relapsed. Her condition was unstable at the hospital—the doctor recommended home care. Her parents are away, so I’ve brought her to stay for a few days.”

Carolyn’s gaze settled on the girl named Karen. Sickly pale, clinging to Carl’s side, she looked the picture of frail innocence. But when their eyes met, Carolyn saw straight through it—an unmistakable flash of triumph.

So this was the person. The one who summoned Carl night after night. The one who could make him lose all composure.

Countless needles seemed to prick her heart; a bitter ache rose in her throat. “Alright.”

Karen tugged lightly on Carl’s sleeve. “Carl… the doctor said I need plenty of natural light and a calm environment to recover. A sunny, quiet room would be best… Do you think… Carolyn would mind?”

Instantly, every servant in the living room looked their way. A shock passed through them. “That’s the master bedroom!”

Carolyn’s fingers tightened slightly around the bowl. She lifted her eyes and said, clearly, “I do mind.”

The three words darkened Carl’s face instantly. He looked at her, his gaze pressing down with undeniable force. “Karen’s health is the only priority. Not the slightest risk can be taken. You’ll move to the guest room. Temporarily. She takes the master suite.”

He was doing this. In front of everyone. For another woman. Stripping her of the last shred of dignity she held as the lady of the house.

A chill shot from her feet to the crown of her head. The heartache drowned, swallowed by a crushing wave of humiliation. She could see the servants whispering behind their hands.

“Fine.” Her own voice sounded unnervingly calm. “Prepare the room for Miss Karen.” Resistance was pointless. For her mother’s sake, she would swallow this bitterness.

Watching the servants clear her things from the master suite, a fresh wave of sorrow washed through her. After a long moment, a quiet thought surfaced. *It doesn’t matter. Soon I’ll be gone. None of this will be my concern.*

“We have dinner with your mother tonight. Will you… still be able to make it?”

Carl grunted in acknowledgment.

“Then I’ll go see her at the hospital first.”

Carolyn picked up her simple bag and walked out. She hailed a cab, slid in, and gave the driver the address of the hospital.