Chapter 4 of Happily Ever After… Without Him

My body ached all over, every muscle screaming for rest. Instead of leaving the room as I had intended, I stayed anchored to the bed, letting the dull pain hold me in place.

I didn’t cry. There were no tears left to shed.

When I opened my eyes again, sunlight spilled through the curtains, warm on my skin. And there, at the foot of the bed, were Nathan and Gabriel.

“Morning,” Nathan said, a sheepish smile tugging at his lips as he held a tray. “We brought you some breakfast.”

Gabriel carefully set the tray on my lap—toast, scrambled eggs, some fruit, and a glass of orange juice. Slightly cold, uninspiring.

“Thought you could use something to start your day,” Gabriel added, perching at the edge of the bed.

I looked at them. They seemed at ease, relaxed even. Almost happy. Like the past few days had never existed.

Nathan scratched the back of his neck. “Look, we’re sorry. Sabrina told us she saw an Instagram story from that night… you were at a party, and she was hurt. Robbed, even stabbed, and she thought you were ignoring her on purpose.”

Gabriel nodded. “She really believed that. So… maybe you should apologize to her. Just to make things right.”

I stared, incredulous, before scoffing.

“Maybe you should apologize to me.”

They both blinked.

Nathan frowned. “Why would we? We didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t tell us what happened. If you had, we could’ve been there.”

I laughed, bitter and hollow. “Do I have to beg to be cared about now? I was gone for days, and not a single check-in.”

“Don’t say that,” Gabriel said firmly. “Sabrina got stabbed. She needed us.”

“And I didn’t?” I snapped. “So if I’m not bleeding in front of you, I don’t matter?”

Before they could answer, the door creaked, and she entered.

Sabrina. Soft, oversized sweater, a slight limp. Pale face, lips quivering, tears brimming in her eyes.

“Picking a fight now, Elena?” she whispered, voice trembling. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get hurt. None of this was my intention.”

I studied her—the tremor in her hands, the pout, the subtle manipulation in every word. Like she was the victim. Again.

Tears streaked down her cheeks.

“I just… I don’t want us to be enemies. We were sisters once… I wish we could go back.”

And just like that, the boys reacted.

“Stop making her cry, Elena,” Nathan snapped.

“Come on, Sabrina,” Gabriel said softly. “You shouldn’t be walking around. Let’s get you back to bed.”

Their care for her stung, the attention raw and unearned.

“I’ll feed you,” Nathan said, taking her hand. “You need to eat.”

“Yeah,” Gabriel added. “We’ll bring your favorite seafood. You need your strength.”

Then they turned to me.

“You eat what we made, Elena,” Nathan said. “You’re discharged. Stop being picky.”

And with that, they led Sabrina away, leaving me alone again.

I stared at the plate. Rubber eggs, dry toast, unripe fruit.

From across the hall, laughter rang out. Sabrina’s voice was bright: “Mmm, I love crab legs! You remembered I hate toast, right? Seafood’s my favorite!”

Of course it was. They gave me scraps and lavished her with a feast.

I didn’t cry. Not this time. I was just… done.

My phone buzzed. A message from Mom: Venue options are in. Dresses attached. Let me know what you like, darling.

I tapped the call icon.

“Mom,” I said, voice steady.

“Elena! Did you see the pictures? What do you think of the flowers? And the dresses?” she asked, excitement bubbling.

“I like everything. It was actually hard to choose,” I replied. “I’ll finalize today. But I think the vintage one is my favorite.”

“Perfect! We’ll prepare it for you. How long until you’re back? Your groom is waiting—he’s excited.”

“A few more days. Something came up, but I’ll be there. I can’t wait to wear the dresses… for the wedding.”

Mom chuckled softly. “That’s my girl. We’ll wait for you.”

I hung up and stared at the untouched tray. Then I sensed the shift.

Nathan and Gabriel were standing in the doorway. I hadn’t even noticed them return.