Page 87 of Only Be Mine

Seth didn’t say anything.

He didn’t step toward me.

He didn’t pull Lindsay away.

He just stood there, frozen, unable to meet my eyes. His silence was loud enough to shatter something inside me.

That hurt worse than her words.

I went limp all at once, my strength abandoning me. My knees buckled and I slid to the floor, my body folding in on itself.

Baby immediately pressed against my side, her weight grounding me, her head tucked protectively under my arm.

Amy rushed forward. “That’s enough. Everyone, this needs to stop.”

I looked up at her, tears streaking my face, my voice hoarse.

“No. This needs to leave.”

She hesitated. “Cate…”

“Please,” I whispered, the word raw. “I can’t do this anymore.”

One by one, people started backing away.

John’s mother cried quietly. Seth wouldn’t meet my eyes. Lindsay was ushered out, still muttering, still angry.

Amy lingered.

“I’m staying,” she said firmly. “You shouldn’t be alone.”

I shook my head. “I need you to go.”

Her eyes widened. “Cate…”

“I love you,” I said, my voice breaking. “But if you stay, I’ll keep fighting. And I don’t have anything left.”

She swallowed hard, then nodded, pulling me into a brief, tight hug before standing.

The house emptied, everyone leaving in pieces. Apologies murmured. Awkward glances. The door opening and closing again and again until the house was quiet at last.

Trevor stayed.

He didn’t ask, didn’t even say anything at first. Just picked up the broken plate, wiped the counter, moved through the wreckage with steady, careful hands.

Eventually, I started crying again. Quiet at first. Then harder.

He sat beside me on the floor and let me fall apart against his shoulder. He didn’t tell me it would be okay. Didn’t ask me to be strong.

He just stayed.

Outside, the sun dipped lower in the sky.

Our wedding day passed without ceremony.

And when the house finally went still, when the calls stopped and the world moved on without us, I knew one thing with aching clarity.

John wasn’t coming back.