Chapter 84: A Broken Heart

The car ride home was filled with tense silence. Jenna's mind was spinning, her heart aching after what she had just witnessed at the charity event. Ethan—or the man she believed to be her husband—had been openly flirting with Olivia. The way his eyes had lingered on Olivia's face, the way he'd leaned in too close, his words filled with hidden meaning, and that smirk… it was too much.

As the car pulled into the driveway of their grand, imposing house, Jenna couldn't hold back anymore. She slammed the car door shut and marched towards the entrance, not even waiting for Ethan—Patrick in disguise—to follow her.

Patrick, wearing Ethan's face, walked casually behind her, his expression unreadable, but inside, he was plotting. The plan was still in motion, but Jenna's emotional outburst was a wrinkle he hadn't anticipated.

As soon as they stepped inside, Jenna whirled around to face him. Her cheeks were flushed, and tears were already welling up in her eyes. "What the hell was that back there, Ethan?" she demanded, her voice trembling with a mix of fury and heartbreak. "You were practically drooling over her!"

Patrick shrugged casually, playing it off, trying to keep up his Ethan facade. "I wasn't drooling, Jenna. I was just being friendly. You're overreacting."

"Overreacting?" Jenna's voice cracked, the hurt in her heart spilling out as anger. "I stood there, watching you flirt with another woman—no, *not* just any woman, *Olivia*. You know how I feel about her! I've always known you two had a complicated history, but I thought we had moved past that. I thought you had changed!"

Patrick stiffened slightly, sensing the depth of Jenna's distress. He walked toward the living room, loosening his tie as if the conversation were merely an inconvenience. "Jenna, it's not what you think. Don't let one evening get to your head."

Jenna's heart was breaking. Her hands clenched into fists as she stood rooted in place, her voice lowering to a soft tremble. "Do you know how much I've loved you, Ethan? Ever since the accident, I've been right by your side. I've watched you change… you've become someone I barely recognize. But I stayed. I believed in us. I believed you would find your way back to me. I never thought—" She choked on her words, tears spilling over her cheeks. "I never thought you would fall for Olivia *again*."

Patrick's lips curled into a sly smile that he quickly masked, knowing he had to play his part carefully. He took a few steps closer, lowering his voice into something more sympathetic, though the sentiment wasn't genuine. "Jenna… I know this is hard for you, but the truth is…" He paused dramatically, his eyes flickering with something darker. "I never really stopped thinking about Olivia."

Jenna froze, her breath catching in her throat. "What?" she whispered, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Patrick turned away slightly, playing with his hands as if grappling with emotions he wanted her to believe were real. "Back when we were together, I always felt… something for her. I never had the chance to act on it before. We were both too young, too complicated, and life just… got in the way."

Jenna shook her head, trying to comprehend what he was saying. "So… all these years? You've been thinking about her?"

Patrick turned back to her, his gaze sharper now, locking onto her. "Yes," he said plainly, his voice firm. "And now… I have the chance I never had before. I'm not going to let it slip away."

Jenna's mouth fell open, her entire body going numb. She stumbled back, her hand covering her mouth as she stared at him in shock. "Ethan, what are you saying? Are you telling me you don't love me anymore?"

Patrick hesitated, keeping up his charade while steering the conversation in his favor. "It's not that simple, Jenna. I've changed. After everything I've been through—after the accident—I've had time to think about what I want, and… I want Olivia."

Jenna's body shook, her heart shattering with every word. "You can't… you can't be serious."

"I'm dead serious," Patrick replied coldly. "I never had my chance with her before, but now I do. And I'm going to take it."

Jenna's tears flowed freely now. She had spent years loving this man, nursing him back to health, believing they could rebuild what they had. And now he was throwing it all away—for *her*. For Olivia.

"You've changed," she whispered, her voice breaking. "You're not the same man I fell in love with."

Patrick stepped closer, his expression calculated but trying to feign sympathy. "Jenna, I'll always care about you. But you have to understand—I need to do this. I need to see if I can make it work with Olivia."

Jenna's eyes blazed with fresh anger through her tears. "You're disgusting, Ethan. You've completely lost yourself. I don't even know who you are anymore."

Patrick's face hardened. "Maybe you never knew me as well as you thought."

That was the last straw. Jenna let out a frustrated, heart-wrenching sob and grabbed her coat. "I can't do this. I can't watch you destroy everything we had for some stupid fantasy with her. You're not the man I loved anymore. I'm done."

She stormed toward the door, her sobs echoing through the hallway. Patrick watched her go, not even bothering to stop her. The plan was in place. Jenna leaving him would only clear the path for his next move.

As the front door slammed shut behind her, Patrick let out a deep breath, his carefully crafted mask of "Ethan" slipping for just a moment. His eyes gleamed with satisfaction. Jenna's departure was just a small obstacle, a minor inconvenience. He had successfully planted doubt in her mind, and now he could focus entirely on Olivia.

Patrick, in Ethan's face, smirked to himself. "Finally, my second chance," he muttered under his breath, thinking of Olivia. He had always wanted her, even back in college. She had spurned him once, but this time would be different. This time, he would make sure he got what he wanted.

But as he turned back into the quiet house, something gnawed at him. Jenna wasn't the only one who had changed. He wasn't Ethan, no matter how well he played the part. And though Olivia hadn't uncovered his secret yet, he knew that this game wouldn't last forever. For now, though, he was in control. And he would enjoy every second of it until the inevitable unraveling began.

Outside, Jenna walked aimlessly down the street, her tears blurring her vision. She had lost everything—her husband, her love, and even her sense of self. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was deeply wrong, that the man she had lived with all this time wasn't truly Ethan. But she was too heartbroken, too shattered, to even consider the possibility that her instincts were right.

For now, all Jenna knew was that her world had crumbled, and the man she thought she loved was gone.