Chapter Nineteen – The Breaking Heart
William had always prided himself on knowing Eliana better than anyone else. Her little habits, her nervous smiles, the way her voice cracked when she lied. He told himself he could read her like a book.
But lately, she had been a book with too many missing pages.
Her sudden bursts of attention, the way she clung to him more than before, the way she avoided his eyes whenever Stephen's name was mentioned—it all lined up in a way William couldn't ignore. For weeks, he told himself he was imagining things. For weeks, he let himself believe that if he just loved her harder, held her closer, she would stop slipping away.
But love, no matter how strong, could not cover the truth forever.
---
The truth came quietly, almost cruelly. A misplaced phone left on the dresser, a message that lit up the screen before William could force himself to look away.
"I can't keep pretending. Last night… it meant everything."
Stephen's name glowed beneath the words.
William's chest caved in. His knees weakened, and for a moment, he thought he might collapse right there on the floor. His worst fear, the one he had buried under a mountain of denial, had clawed its way into the light.
Eliana. His Eliana.
And Stephen.
---
When she came home that evening, she found him sitting in the living room, her phone in his hand. The air was thick with silence.
"William…" Her voice trembled.
"Don't," he said softly, his eyes dark and unreadable. "Please don't lie to me anymore."
Her lips parted, but no words came. She sank into the chair opposite him, her hands twisting in her lap. For once, the graceful, composed Eliana was gone. She looked like a frightened girl caught between shame and despair.
Tears blurred her vision as she whispered, "I never meant for this to happen."
"Then why did it?" His voice cracked, the pain bleeding through. "Why him? Why… when I gave you everything?"
The tears broke free. "Because my heart wouldn't listen. Because even when I tried, even when I wanted to be only yours, part of me kept reaching for him. I hate myself for it, William. I hate what I've done to you."
His jaw clenched, his knuckles white around the phone. He wanted to shout, to curse, to demand why he wasn't enough. But the words wouldn't come. All he saw was the woman he loved, broken before him.
"Do you love him?" The question was barely a whisper, but it carried the weight of his soul.
Eliana sobbed into her hands. "I don't know anymore. I just know I don't want to lose you. Not you."
---
He closed his eyes, forcing himself to breathe through the storm inside him. He thought of their late nights studying, of her laughter, of the way she leaned into his shoulder during the long walks home. He thought of the promises they made, the future they painted together.
Even if part of her belonged to Stephen, she had given the rest of herself to him. And that was the part he couldn't let go of.
He rose from his seat, crossed the room, and knelt before her. His hands gently pulled hers away from her tear-streaked face. She looked at him, eyes swollen, breath trembling.
"Eliana," he said, voice breaking, "you've shattered me. You've cut me deeper than anyone else ever could. But I still love you. God help me, I still love you."
Her lips trembled, her body shaking as he cupped her face.
"I can't pretend this didn't happen," he continued. "I can't erase it. But if you choose me—if you truly choose me—I will forgive you. Not for the past, but for the future we still might have. Because even broken, even scarred… you are the only woman I've ever wanted."
A sob tore from her chest as she collapsed against him, clutching his shirt like it was the only thing keeping her alive.
"I'm sorry," she whispered over and over, her tears soaking into him. "I'm so sorry."
His arms tightened around her, his own tears finally spilling. For the first.