Chapter 4

Adrian came home the following morning.

I heard the front door open just after eight.

For a moment, I remained in the kitchen with my hands resting on the counter, staring at the breakfast I had prepared. My first instinct was to walk away. I didn't want to see him. I didn't know what I would do if he looked into my eyes and asked why I had been in his office.

But then I remembered the files.

The photographs.

The contract.

Vivian's name.

And that single sentence that had destroyed everything I thought I knew about my marriage.

I took a slow breath and continued preparing breakfast.

When Adrian entered the kitchen, he looked tired. His tie was loose, his hair slightly disheveled, and there were faint shadows beneath his eyes.

He stopped when he saw me.

"You're awake."

I turned around with a smile.

"Good morning."

His expression softened.

"I thought you'd still be asleep."

"I couldn't sleep."

That wasn't a lie.

Adrian walked toward me and placed a hand on my waist before kissing my forehead.

Normally, that small gesture would have made me smile.

This time, I had to remind myself to react.

"Did you eat?" I asked.

"Not yet."

"I made breakfast."

He pulled out a chair and sat down.

I placed a plate in front of him, just as I had done countless times before. Eggs, toast, fruit, and coffee. Everything exactly the way he liked it.

He picked up his fork.

"You didn't have to do this."

"I know."

He glanced at me.

There was something almost surprised in his expression.

"You're not angry?"

I lowered my eyes to my coffee.

"Why would I be?"

"You were expecting me last night."

I smiled.

"It's fine. You said you had something important to handle."

Adrian studied me for another second before relaxing.

"I knew you'd understand."

Those words nearly made me laugh.

Of course I understood.

I understood far more than he realized.

I sat across from him and watched him eat.

For seven years, I had believed I knew every version of Adrian. I knew how he took his coffee, what he ate when he was stressed, which side of the bed he preferred, and how he rubbed the back of his neck whenever he was lying.

I knew when he was angry before he spoke.

I knew when he was worried.

I knew when he needed me to stay quiet.

But now I realized something.

He didn't know me at all.

Because he couldn't even tell that the woman sitting across from him had stopped looking at him with love.

"How did the meeting go?" I asked.

Adrian paused.

"It was complicated."

"Because of Vivian?"

His eyes flickered.

Only for a second.

But I noticed.

"Yes."

I lowered my gaze and stirred my coffee.

"Is she staying?"

"Temporarily."

He answered too quickly.

I looked up.

"How temporary?"

"A few weeks, perhaps. She has some matters to settle here."

I nodded.

"That's good."

Adrian frowned slightly.

"Good?"

"She's been away for a long time. It must be difficult coming back."

He seemed relieved by my answer.

"I knew you'd understand."

Again.

That phrase.

He had said it so many times over the years that it had become meaningless.

I forced a smile.

"Of course."

He reached across the table and touched my hand.

"I know this is sudden, Elena, but Vivian needs help. Her situation isn't simple."

I almost asked him what situation required him to meet her in secret for months.

I almost asked him why there were photographs of them together.

I almost asked him why her name appeared on documents connected to our marriage.

Instead, I squeezed his hand.

"I trust you."

The words tasted bitter.

Adrian smiled.

Then he leaned forward and kissed my forehead again.

"I love you."

My heart should have reacted.

It didn't.

That frightened me more than anything I had discovered the night before.

After breakfast, Adrian went upstairs to shower.

I remained at the table, staring at the untouched coffee in front of me.

For seven years, those three words had been enough to silence every doubt.

I love you.

Whenever Adrian came home late, he said it.

Whenever we argued, he said it.

Whenever he disappointed me, he said it.

And every time, I believed him.

Now I wondered whether love had simply become a word he knew I needed to hear.

That afternoon, Adrian left for the office.

Before leaving, he told me he might be late again.

I smiled and told him not to worry.

After his car disappeared through the gates, I walked upstairs and stood in our bedroom.

Nothing looked different.

His watch was on the nightstand.

His jacket was hanging behind the door.

His books were beside the bed.

Our wedding photograph was still sitting on the dresser.

I picked it up.

In the photograph, Adrian was smiling at me as if I were the only woman in the world.

I stared at the younger version of myself.

She looked happy.

She looked certain.

She had no idea what was waiting for her seven years later.

I placed the photograph back down.

That evening, Adrian returned shortly after ten.

He apologized for being late and told me he was exhausted.

I said it was fine.

We went to bed without discussing Vivian again.

The room was dark when Adrian moved closer.

His arm slipped around my waist, pulling me against his chest.

For years, this had been the safest place in the world.

Tonight, it felt unfamiliar.

I remained still.

He kissed the back of my neck.

"Elena."

"Hmm?"

"Are you okay?"

I almost smiled.

For the first time in seven years, he had finally noticed something was wrong.

"I'm tired."

"Then sleep."

He held me tighter.

I allowed him to.

But instead of closing my eyes, I studied the man beside me.

His breathing slowly became steady.

His face looked peaceful.

I wondered how many nights I had fallen asleep believing that this man would grow old with me.

How many times I had imagined waking beside him twenty years from now.

How many children I had secretly imagined running through this house.

How many plans I had made for a future that apparently existed only in my mind.

I looked at Adrian for a long time.

Then something inside me finally became quiet.

I didn't hate him.

I wasn't even angry anymore.

I simply didn't want him.

That realization should have broken me.

Instead, it gave me an unexpected sense of peace.

I wasn't waiting for an explanation anymore.

I wasn't waiting for Adrian to tell me that the photographs meant nothing.

I wasn't waiting for him to choose me.

I was waiting for the right moment to leave.

Carefully, I slipped out of his arms and reached for my phone.

Adrian didn't wake.

I opened a banking application I had never used before.

For a few seconds, my thumb hovered over the screen.

Then I entered my information and created a new account under my name alone.

No Adrian.

No Cross family.

No shared access.

Just me.

When the confirmation appeared, I stared at it quietly.

It was only a bank account.

But somehow, it felt like the first thing I had done for myself in seven years.

I locked my phone and looked at Adrian one last time.

He was still sleeping peacefully.

He had no idea that while he dreamed about the future he had prepared with Vivian, I had already begun preparing for a life without him.