---- Chapter 3 Erika POV: The city lights of Austin bled together outside the window of the empty office, a glittering, indifferent tapestry. It was almost ten p.m. | had been sitting in the dark for hours, a ghost in a borrowed cubicle. | hadn't received a single text or call from Coleton. Not one. It was as if my dramatic, heart- shattering arrival had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience in his schedule, easily forgotten. Finally, | couldn' t take the silence anymore. My thumb hovered over his name before | pressed call, my pride dissolving into a desperate need for contact. "Hey," | said, when he finally answered. "Are you still busy?" The question was a test, a pathetic little plea for him to prove me wrong. He hesitated for a fraction of a second, but | heard it. The slight pause that told me he had completely forgotten about me. "Oh, God, Erika. | am so, so sorry," he gushed, the sound of a bustling restaurant loud in the background. "The guys from the Phoenix project insisted on taking me out for dinner to celebrate the launch. It totally slipped my mind. I' Il be there as soon as | can." ---- My heart, which | thought couldn' t sink any lower, plummeted. He hadn' t just forgotten me; he' d chosen them over me. On my first night here. The night that was supposed to be our beginning. "Don't worry about it," | said, my voice devoid of any emotion. "Take your time." | hung up and stared out at the indifferent city. What was | even doing here? | had uprooted my entire life for a man who couldn' t even remember | existed for more than a few hours. Thirty minutes later, the office door burst open and Coleton rushed in, breathless and reeking of expensive cologne. "l am so sorry," he said, pulling me into a hug that | didn' t return. He felt like a stranger, his body familiar but his presence alien. "I'm a jerk. A complete idiot. Can you forgive me?" | was too tired to fight. Too tired to even feel angry anymore. There was just a vast, hollow emptiness where my love for him used to be. Just as he pulled away, | saw a flicker of movement in the hallway. A figure lingered in the shadows for a moment before disappearing. Kyra. Coleton' s face flushed with a faint trace of embarrassment. "She, uh... she drove me. My car's still at the gym." Of course she did. | lost the strength to speak, to even stand. ---- | simply picked up my suitcase, the gesture a clear signal that this conversation was over. The car ride to his apartment was a silent, three-person torture session. Kyra drove, and Coleton sat in the passenger seat, occasionally murmuring directions. | sat in the back, an invisible spectator to their comfortable intimacy. He' d point out a landmark, and she' d laugh at a shared memory | wasn 't privy to. They moved and spoke with the easy, unthinking synchronicity of two people who spent all their time together. This wasn' t the Coleton | knew. The man | had loved for five years was steady, thoughtful, and a little bit shy. This version of him was louder, more reckless, constantly seeking the spotlight that Kyra seemed to shine on him. The man | loved was gone. When we pulled up to his building, Kyra hopped out to help with my bag. She walked to the front door of his apartment and, without a moment' s hesitation, pressed her thumb to the biometric scanner. The lock clicked open. She had fingerprint access to his home. She caught me staring and gave me a smug little smile before turning to Coleton. "Hey, the guys are heading to The Summit for a bit. You still want to come? We need to celebrate properly." Coleton looked at me, his eyes pleading. "Babe, it' s the launch party. It would look bad if | didn' t show up, even for a little while." ---- | just stared at him. He brought me, his girlfriend of five years, to his apartment for the first time, and he wanted to leave me here to go to a party with his... climbing partner. A laugh escaped my lips, a dry, humorless sound. "What am | to you, Coleton? A layover? A brief stop on your way to a better party?" "No! Of course not!" he said, his voice rising in panic. "You're my girlfriend! | love you! But this is my life here, Erika. These are my friends. It' s been lonely, the last two years. Kyra... she and the guys, they' ve been my support system." "Your 'buddy'," | said, the word tasting like poison. "Yes! That's all she is," he insisted, grabbing my hands. "Please, just for an hour. ' Il be back before you know it. Please, Erika." | felt the last bit of my strength drain away. | was exhausted from the flight, from the confrontation, from the sheer weight of my own broken heart. "Fine," | said, my voice a flat line. "Go." The relief on his face was immediate and sickening. He gave me a quick, grateful kiss on the cheek. "Thank you. | love you. l' Il be back soon." He and Kyra practically ran out the door, their laughter echoing down the hallway. ---- | stood alone in his apartment, a stranger in what was supposed to be my new home. | walked to the window and watched as he jogged to her car, a happy, carefree bounce in his step. And for the first time that day, | cried. The tears came without warning, hot and silent, tracking paths down my cold cheeks. | didn' t know what time he came home. | had cried myself to sleep on the strange couch. | felt the dip of the cushion as he sat beside me, and then a gentle hand tucking a blanket around my shoulders. He leaned down, and a kiss, soft and tasting of whiskey, brushed against my temple. | didn' t move. | kept my breathing even, pretending to be asleep. | couldn' t face him. Not now. "Coleton?" | whispered into the darkness, the question I' d been afraid to ask all day finally bubbling to the surface. "Have you ever thought about... coming back? To the main office? With me?" For a long moment, the only sound was his breathing. It hitched, just for a second, a tiny catch in the rhythm. He didn't turn over. He didn't say a word. And in the crushing silence of his refusal, | finally got my answer. Title: A Princess? No! I'm the Female General! In "A Princess? No! I'm the Female General!" by CrushReel, Adela Taylor, a noble family's daughter, disguises herself as her brother to secure their Duke title by joining the army. Despite facing obstacles, she achieves remarkable success. However, upon her triumphant return, her brother betrays her, setting off a chain of events that will test her resolve and reveal hidden truths. This captivating novel delves into themes of secrets, reincarnation, revenge, murder, and drama. Adela's journey from deception to betrayal is filled with intrigue and suspense as she navigates through a world where power dynamics and family loyalties collide. 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