A few moments later, Adrian stepped back into the bedroom carrying the dinner he’d ordered. I looked at him with empty eyes, but the moment he saw the tears spilling down my face, his expression changed completely.
“Elena...” he whispered.
He placed the takeout quietly on the nightstand beside the bed, then moved closer and sank down in front of me.
I didn’t respond.
“I’m sorry, Elena,” he murmured, taking my hands gently in his. “I know there’s nothing I can say that will make it right. But I regret hurting you. Every second of it.”
“I don’t understand,” I breathed, my voice trembling. “I thought we were happy. I thought I was enough.”
“This is my fault,” he said hoarsely. “I’m the one who stopped being grateful. I’m the one who failed you.”
Something inside my chest snapped. “I hate you, Adrian,” I choked out, tears blurring everything. My voice broke despite how hard I tried to hold it together. “I hate you so much.”
His jaw tensed, but he didn’t let go.
“I hate you for making me feel like this. I hate you for putting me through so much. I hate you. I hate you!” My fists hit his chest, weak but full of pain.
He didn’t stop me. Instead, he pulled me into his arms.
“It’s okay, Elena,” he said softly against my shoulder, his face buried near my neck. “You can hate me. You can be angry at me.”
His arms tightened around me, desperate and trembling. “Just don’t leave me,” he whispered, voice breaking in a way I’d never heard from him. “Please. I can’t live without you.”
CHAPTER 5
Elena
My work was almost finished for the day. All that was left was reviewing a few reports, but my whole body felt drained. It wasn’t just the workload, at seven months pregnant, even breathing felt like effort. And the constant, lingering heaviness of everything with Adrian made it twice as exhausting.
I let out a long sigh and pushed myself up from my chair. My water bottle was empty, so I walked to the dispenser, refilled it, and returned to my desk.
Once I sat back down, I opened my browser.
Just one search.
Only one.
But then the articles appeared:
27 Critical Questions to Ask Your Husband After He Cheated on You
“Did My Husband Love the Woman He Cheated With?”—9 Signs He Did
10 Things You Must Do to Reconcile with Your Husband After Cheating
11 Things You Should Never Do After Being Cheated On
I stared at the screen, reading every headline too carefully. I was so absorbed in those words that I didn’t notice someone behind me. Until a low voice murmured, almost right next to my ear—”...’11 things you should never do after—’”
I jerked upright and immediately slammed all the tabs shut.
“What are you doing?” I snapped, turning to glare at him.
He straightened from where he’d been leaning slightly over my shoulder, lifting his hands in surrender. “Sorry,” he said witha guilty little smile. “I called your name, like, twice. You were really focused on the screen.”
Heat crawled up my neck. “What do you need?” I asked sharply.
