Cayla Cherry POV:
Griffith stood frozen for a few seconds, his face a mask of disbelief. The silence stretched, thick and suffocating. Then, a sudden, violent motion. He grabbed the delicate ceramic mug I' d seen earlier, the one Kallie left, and smashed it against the kitchen counter. Shards of ceramic flew, one stinging my cheek.
"Is this what you want, Cayla?!" he roared, his voice cracking with a terrifying anger I'd never heard. "Is this what it takes for you to be satisfied?!" He snatched his phone from his pocket, furiously scrolling, then deleted Kallie's contact, her number, every picture. He threw the phone onto the table, the screen cracking. "There! She's gone! Are you happy now?"
I stared at him, my heart hammering against my ribs, not from fear, but from sheer shock. This wasn't the Griffith I knew. This was a volatile stranger, his eyes wild, his jaw clenched. I felt a cold dread creep over me.
He didn't wait for my answer. He swept his arm across the table, sending the stack of magazines, the credit cards, the ring box, all crashing to the floor. The diamond ring rolled under the refrigerator, glinting mockingly in the chaos. "You think I don't love you? After ten years? You think this is what I wanted?"
He advanced on me, grabbing my arms, his grip bruising. "You're being unreasonable, Cayla! You're always so damn stubborn!" His words were venomous.
He shoved me backward, and I stumbled, falling hard onto the polished wooden floor. The impact jarred my teeth, and a sharp pain shot up my tailbone. I looked up at him, tears blurring my vision. My Griffith, the gentle giant who would never raise his voice, let alone a hand, was gone.
The man I remembered would spend hours listening to me, patient and kind. He would bring me soup when I was sick, his touch soft and reassuring. This man, standing over me, his face contorted with rage, was a monster.
"Ten years, Cayla! Ten years I've put up with your career obsession, your long-distance demands! Do you know the pressure I'm under? My parents are constantly asking about marriage, about a family! I'm doing everything I can, and you accuse me of not loving you?"
My throat was thick with unshed tears, my body aching. I couldn't speak. The gap between us, the chasm of misunderstanding and betrayal, felt too wide to bridge. We were speaking different languages, living in different realities.
Suddenly, his phone, the one he' d just smashed, vibrated on the table. Not his work phone, but his personal one. It was a familiar, chirpy notification. Kallie. Again.
His eyes darted to the phone, then back to my prone figure. The rage on his face softened, replaced by a frantic urgency. He looked like a deer caught in headlights. "I… I have to go," he stammered, already moving towards the door.
"No!" I screamed, finding my voice. I scrambled to my feet, grabbing his arm. "No, Griffith, you don't! You choose! Right now! It's her or me!"
He wrenched his arm free, his fingernail scratching my skin, leaving a thin red line on my forearm. He didn' t even notice. "Don't be ridiculous, Cayla. This is important. It's a work emergency. You calm down, okay? I'll be back as soon as I can. We'll talk then."
He was already at the door, pulling it open. "Just… clean this up, will you?" he tossed over his shoulder, gesturing vaguely at the shattered mug and scattered items. Then he was gone, the door slamming shut behind him.
I watched him go, the image of his panicked face, his desperate rush, burned into my memory. It wasn' t a work emergency. It was Kallie. Always Kallie. The urgency in his voice, the way he abandoned everything to answer her call, it screamed a truth even louder than the broken mug.
I stood in the wreckage of our home, the physical manifestation of our broken relationship. My body ached, my heart felt like it was tearing apart. The floor was littered with debris, a symbol of the ten years we had just shattered.
My phone rang, startling me. It was Justin. "Cayla," he said, his voice strained. "I just heard... about the lawsuit. It's bad. Really bad. And Griffith... he's taking the fall for Kallie."
The words sliced through the last shred of my hope, confirming the betrayal, solidifying his choice. It wasn't just an emotional affair anymore. It was his entire career, everything he had worked for, sacrificed for her.
