The Moment I Let Go
Ella's sobs yanked me back to reality. Adrian had caught her just in time and now held her tightly in his arms.
They clung to each other as if the world had fallen away. Adrian bent to kiss the tears streaking down her face.
The sight turned my stomach.
He looked shaken, haunted by what had just happened. The thought of losing Ella clearly terrified him.
He stroked the crown of her head with trembling fingers and murmured, "Thank God you're safe. Don't leave me, Ella. Please, don't leave me."
Ella kept hiccupping through her tears, her body pressed against him. Her voice wavered with heartbreak as she whispered, "Are you really going to give Selene what she wants, to have a child with her? If you are, I might as well die now."
Adrian held her even closer, wiping her face with his palms, coaxing her like a child. "No. Never. You are everything to me, Ella. She wants a baby? Fine. I'll let her do IVF. But you are the one who matters, Ella."
Then, almost as if forced by my presence, he muttered, "Selene's been married to me for years. She's always wanted a child, but I…" He broke off with a heavy sigh.
His words stunned everyone around us. He had just admitted, right there, that he refused to have a child with me.
Eyes flicked back and forth between us, the air thick with judgment. My patience snapped.
"Adrian," I said sharply, "when are you going to keep your promise? I don't have time to stand here watching you play out this love story."
He gave a bitter laugh. "So eager to have my child, Selene? Forget it. I will never give you that. You can kill that dream now."
Then, with a jarring shift, he softened his touch for Ella, pinching her cheek tenderly. But when he turned back to me, his face went cold and hard. "I can arrange everything for you. If you want a baby, do IVF. The child can take my name. I'll even help you raise it—"
I cut him off before he could finish. "Let's get divorced, Adrian."
Adrian snapped his head up the moment my words sank in. His eyes blazed with fury. "You want a divorce, Selene? Do you even hear yourself?"
Ella's eyes lit up instantly, a flicker of joy she tried to hide as she nestled back into his arms, feigning innocence.
Then, something seemed to dawn on Adrian, and a cruel smirk curved his lips.
"Selene, this is just another one of your little games to get my attention, isn't it? You've clung to me for years like a bad rash—always there, impossible to shake off. And now you expect me to believe you actually want to leave?
"Don't kid yourself. Have you forgotten how many tricks you pulled just to get me into bed so you could have my child?"
He watched me closely, waiting for me to crumble, his expression dripping with smug satisfaction, as if he was certain I could never truly walk away from him.
I met his gaze and gave him a calm, cold smile. "Looking at you now just makes me sick."
Then, I turned and walked away without another glance at him.
Ella gripped the front of his shirt, her voice soft and trembling. "It's all my fault, Addy. If it weren't for me, you and Selene wouldn't be fighting. You should go after her. I'll be fine."
She dabbed at the corner of her eye, pretending to cry.
Adrian's anger melted in an instant. "No, I won't. This isn't your fault, Ella. You're too good for that. Don't worry about her. She'll come back. A woman who's tried that hard to get into my bed isn't going anywhere just because she says she's done."
