He walked straight into the living room and dropped onto the sofa. His face was tight with anger. I stayed standing near the doorway.
He stared at me like he was waiting for me to apologize.
“Judith’s been struggling lately,” he said. “She has brain cancer. As for the wedding, it’s still happening.”
“Okay.”
Gideon froze. He actually looked stunned.
Like he expected tears. Arguments. Something he could control.
His eyes narrowed slightly. “You should come with me to a party tonight,” he said after a moment. “Since you’re going to be my wife, you should meet my people.”
“No need,” I said softly.
“What do you fucking actually want?” he snapped, standing up. “Don’t act like this just because I’ve been busy. I’ve given you a chance already!”
A chance.
I looked at him quietly. He really thought everything between us was just about chances. About him deciding when I was worth noticing.
“I’m not your possession, Selah. I have my own life too.”
That part almost made me smile. He stormed toward the door before I could respond.
“I gave you an opening,” he said over his shoulder. “Don’t come back begging later.”
The door slammed shut behind him. And just like that, the house went silent again.
I rubbed my temples and walked over to the calendar and tore off another page. The paper made a soft sound in the silence. Two weeks left. That was all.
...
Gideon and I spent the next few days moving through the city separately, finally visiting places we had once talked about over the past four years but never actually gone to. Mountains, old streets, small restaurants hidden between busy roads. It should’ve felt meaningful, but it didn’t. It felt more like two strangers completing unfinished tasks before parting ways.
Today, after everything, I ended up at a riverside restaurant. The sunlight outside was warm, the water calm, and for the first time in a while, I actually felt a little lighter. I didn’t expect him to be there.
But Gideon was already inside, sitting across from Judith. Long curled hair, soft face, eyes always a little too confident. Gideon leaned forward slightly, focused only on her. His hands were peeling shrimp carefully for her. No hesitation, no coldness. He fed her gently, like she was something fragile he was afraid to lose. Judith smiled at him, eyes soft and satisfied, and Gideon looked at her the same way.
I stopped walking for a second, then moved to a seat far away near the window. I didn’t say anything, didn’t interrupt. I had already told myself I wouldn’t fight anymore.
Around us, the restaurant slowly noticed them. Whispers spread, heads turned, phones lifted. Gideon Salerno didn’t usually appear in public like this, not without guards, not without control over every angle. But tonight he looked almost ordinary. Judith leaned closer as people started clapping and cheering, someone shouting for them to kiss.
Judith didn’t hesitate. She turned toward him, eyes glossy, lips parted like she had been waiting. Gideon paused for only a second, then gave in and kissed her. The whole place erupted in applause and cheers, like they were watching the ending of a perfect love story, the kind people root for without thinking about anyone else in the room.
I stayed by the window, quiet and still, hands resting on the table without movement. Was I supposed to feel betrayed? Or stupid? Nothing came clearly, only a faint tiredness. Maybe I really was just in the way of something that already belonged to them.
Judith noticed me first. Even from across the room, I saw the curve of her lips, that quiet satisfaction she didn’t bother hiding. A moment later Gideon pulled back from the kiss, breath uneven, still caught in the attention of the room, and his eyes followed hers. Then he saw me.
Everything shifted instantly. His expression tightened, warmth gone. He stood up and walked straight toward me. Before I could react, something heavy hit my face. Beef. Hot, greasy. The smell filled my senses at once. I blinked slowly, more stunned than hurt.
“You’re fuckinv stalking me now?” Gideon’s voice cut through the silence.
The restaurant went still. I wiped my face with my sleeve, oil smearing across my skin, warm and disgusting.
His jaw tightened when I didn’t react the way he expected. For a brief second something flickered in his eyes, then disappeared.
“That was just a misunderstanding. Don’t make a scene,” he said colder now. “Judith is here too. Go apologize to her.”
I looked past him. Judith sat perfectly still, watching with a calm, satisfied expression.
So that’s the “sick” woman he was so worried about. Only a fool like Gideon would believe all of this.
I pushed my chair back and stood. “I’m leaving,” I said quietly and turned toward the exit.
“Stop.”
I didn’t.
His hand grabbed me and shoved me hard. I lost balance at once and hit the stairs. My head struck the edge with a brutal crack. Pain exploded through my skull as warmth spilled down instantly. My vision blurred, everything tilting.
Sounds around me warped, footsteps, voices, gasps, all distant like I was underwater. Through the haze I saw Gideon standing there, cold, unmoved. Then he turned away, pulling Judith closer like nothing had happened.
“You’re the one who caused this,” his voice cut through faintly. “Don’t expect forgiveness unless you apologize to Judith! Pathetic.”
The words barely reached me. My ears rang. My head split open with pain then darkness.
