You Were Always Just A Stand-In

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For three years with Bennett, I was the legendary Saint of Manhattanthe most chillingly perfect girlfriend his social circle had ever seen.

I never tracked his location. I never blinked when he flirted with other women. No matter how late he stayed out or how many suggestive photos ended up on his Instagram, I never started a fight.

Bennett wore my compliance like a trophy. He loved to brag to his friends about how much I worshipped him, how hed finally found a woman who "knew her place."

That was until he accidentally found the old cloud account I shared with my first love.

In those old videos, I was anything but stable. I was petty, prone to jealousy, and temperamental. I was a lightning storm of emotions.

In one video, my first love laughed helplessly as he pulled me into a hug. "Why is your fuse so short, Jo?" he teased.

I looked into the camera, chin tilted defiantly. "I only get angry because I love you. If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't give a damn what you did."

I saw Bennetts face as he watched it. He went completely still.

When I walked into the dimly lit lounge, Bennett had a girl in a silk slip dress perched on his lap. Her thin, pale arms were draped around his neck, and her lipsglossed to a high, sticky shinewere inches from his.

The married men in the booth were already standing up, offering sheepish smiles to Bennett.

"Sorry, B. My wifes been blowing up my phone for twenty minutes. If Im not home by midnight, Im sleeping on the sofa."

Bennett didn't even look up. He let the girl pluck the cigarette from his mouth and take a drag herself. He let out a sharp, mocking huff. "You guys are pathetic. Letting a woman keep you on a leash."

The single guys in the group cheered. "Thats our Bennett. Doesn't matter if he rolls in at 4:00 AM, Jo never says a word. Come on, man, give us the secret. How did you train her?"

The girl on his lap giggled, pressing her chest against his blazer. "Seriously, Bennett. Youre doing this right in front of mearen't you afraid your girlfriend will walk in and lose it?"

Bennett smirked, a flicker of performative arrogance crossing his handsome face. "Shes obsessed with me. She does whatever I say. In three years, we haven't had a single argument. She doesn't have it in her to be angry."

"Incredible," someone muttered with genuine envy. "The guy spends three years playing the field and she stays silent. Thats a real mans life right there"

The mans voice died in his throat. He had spotted me standing by the velvet curtain, expressionless.

Bennett turned. There wasn't a trace of guilt on his face. He simply nudged the girl off his lap and beckoned me over with a flick of his wrist.

"What are you doing here?"

I paused for a second, then walked over. My voice was level, polite. "Im out with some friends."

The girl hed pushed aside looked annoyed. She sized me up, her eyes lingering on my modest coat before offering a tight, forced smile. "Hi, Jo."

Up close, I recognized her. She was the new intern at Bennetts firmCrystal. Shed graduated from a mid-tier state school; Bennett had personally insisted on hiring her after seeing her headshot in the HR pile.

I didn't realize hed moved this fast.

I ignored her.

Bennett had clearly been drinking. His dark eyes were hooded and hazy, looking unfairly beautiful under the amber lights. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward him.

"You shouldve told me you were coming out. Give me a kiss." He leaned in toward my mouth.

I instinctively tilted my head away.

I didn't know if hed just tasted Crystals lip gloss, and the thought made my skin crawl.

Bennetts expression shifted instantly. The smug smile evaporated. Even though he was sitting and I was standing, the way he looked at me felt like he was peering down from a great height.

"Joanna. What the hell was that?"

I looked away and said softly, "Youve had too much to drink."

"Youre disgusted by me?" He sensed the eyes of his friends on him. He felt his ego bruising. Suddenly, he reached out, grabbed Crystal by the waist, and pulled her back onto his lap. He cupped the back of her head firmly.

Crystals eyes lit up. She surrendered to the kiss immediately.

They shared a long, wet, performative kiss right in front of me. When Crystal finally pulled away, breathless, a thin silver thread of saliva connected their lips. She looked at me, her mouth curling into a triumphant smirk.

Bennett watched me, his eyes a challenge.

The table went silent. Every man there knew that no woman should be able to stomach this. They were all waiting for the explosion, for the drink to be thrown, for the screaming to start.

I just met Bennetts gaze and said calmly, "Youre drunk. Im going home."

As I turned to leave, I heard one of his friends whisper in awe.

"Damn. Her 'emotional stability' is terrifying. She didn't even flinch."

"Bennetts got her under a spell," another laughed. "Shes probably terrified hell dump her if she makes a scene."