Chapter 14: The Plan Behind My Replacement

Clara asked if we could meet in person.

I agreed.

The next afternoon, we sat across from each other in the same café where I had met the jewelry store employee.

Clara looked nervous.

“I don't want to make things worse for you,” she said.

“They already made things worse.”

“You can't change that.”

She nodded.

“You're right.”

She placed her phone on the table.

“I worked with Eleni for almost three years.”

“Before she met Kostas?”

“Yes.”

“And she talked about him?”

Clara gave me a strange look.

“She talked about him before they were officially together.”

I frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“She had known Kostas for a long time.”

“She always said he was the man she should have married.”

My stomach tightened.

“But I was already with him.”

“Exactly.”

Clara lowered her voice.

“She didn't see you as his partner.”

“She saw you as an obstacle.”

I looked away.

Somehow, hearing it from another person made everything more real.

“When did she start planning?” I asked.

“About a year ago.”

“She began asking questions about your relationship.”

“What kind of questions?”

“Where you lived.”

“How much you earned.”

“Whether your mother owned property.”

“Whether you and Kostas had plans to marry.”

I felt a chill run down my spine.

“She even asked whether Kostas had access to your documents.”

I stared at Clara.

“My documents?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Clara shook her head.

“I never understood that part.”

I thought about the ruined property transfer document.

The timing suddenly felt much more sinister.

“Did she ever talk about getting rid of me?”

Clara hesitated.

“Not in those exact words.”

“But she once said, ‘Romy won't be around forever.’”

My fingers tightened around my coffee cup.

“What else?”

“She said Kostas was too soft to make difficult decisions.”

“So she would make them for him.”

I looked down at the table.

That was exactly what she had done.

The lock.

The car.

The plans.

The apartment.

Everything had gradually changed until there was no space left for me.

Clara continued.

“There was one more thing.”

“What?”

“Eleni had already been telling people that she and Kostas were going to move in together.”

I looked up.

“They weren't even officially together.”

“I know.”

“But she talked as if it was already decided.”

I let out a slow breath.

“When did she say that?”

“A few weeks before the hotel trip.”

That date made my stomach twist.

The same period when Kostas had started becoming distant.

The same period when Eleni's fingerprint somehow became more important than mine.

I thanked Clara for telling me.

Before leaving, she touched my arm.

“Romy.”

I looked back.

“Don't let them convince you that you caused this.”

I smiled faintly.

“I'm not going to.”

When I got home, I found a letter from the property office.

The transfer had been approved.

My mother's house was officially mine.

I sat at the kitchen table and read the letter twice.

For months, that house had been another thing tying me to Kostas.

He had promised to handle the paperwork.

He had made himself necessary.

But now the property was mine without him.

I placed the letter in a folder.

Then I heard a knock.

I wasn't expecting anyone.

When I opened the door, Kostas was standing outside.

He looked different.

Not confident.

Not angry.

Just tired.

“How did you get my new address?” I asked.

“Nora told me.”

I sighed.

“What do you want?”

He looked at me for several seconds.

“Eleni moved out.”

I said nothing.

“She took most of her things.”

Still, I said nothing.

“She told me she never wanted to marry me.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“And?”

“She wanted the apartment.”

I almost laughed.

“So you finally figured it out.”

His eyes dropped.

“Too late.”

I nodded.

“Very late.”

He looked at the apartment behind me.

“Can I come in?”

I stepped farther into the doorway.

“No.”

He accepted the answer without arguing.

“I deserve that.”

“Yes, you do.”

He took a breath.

“I lost everything.”

I looked at him calmly.

“No.”

“You lost someone who loved you.”

“That's different.”

He looked at me.

For the first time, I saw him understand what he had actually thrown away.

But understanding wasn't the same as getting another chance.

I closed the door gently.

This time, I didn't feel like I had shut someone out.

I felt like I had finally protected my own life.