She sat in the stillness of their apartment, the silence thick and suffocating, as the minutes dragged on. Her phone lay before her, mocking her with its stillness. Andrew hadn't replied, and she couldn't decide if the lack of communication was comforting or devastating. The room felt colder than it ever had before, the once familiar space now alien to her. The memories of their shared life haunted every corner, every piece of furniture, every photograph on the wall. Once, this place had been filled with laughter, the soft murmur of conversations, the warmth of companionship. Now, it felt empty, hollow.
It had been hours since that initial message. Hours since her world had collapsed, and still, there was no word from Andrew. Grace couldn't sit still anymore. Her body was tense, coiled with the anticipation of a confrontation she wasn't sure she was ready for. She stood, pacing across the room, her breath shallow, her heart pounding in her chest.
She had tried calling him again, after the text, after the message. No answer. Just the voicemail, just his recorded voice, calm and collected. "Hey, it's Andrew, leave a message, and I'll get back to you." She had left a message—her voice trembling, soft with barely controlled anger. Please pick up. I need to know the truth. I need to hear it from you.
But still, nothing.
The doorbell rang, slicing through the tension in the apartment like a sharp knife. Grace startled, her heart jumping into her throat. She hadn't been expecting anyone. Hesitantly, she walked to the door, her fingers trembling as she turned the handle. And there he was. Andrew.
He stood in the doorway, his face drawn, his eyes dark with something she couldn't quite place. There was no apology in his expression, no sign of remorse. Only a coldness that chilled her to the core. He was dressed as he always was, in his tailored suit, his dark hair still neatly combed. He looked the same, but everything had changed.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The air between them felt thick, heavy, as if every word had the power to shatter whatever was left of their life together. Grace opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She felt like a stranger in her own life, struggling to find the words that would explain the depth of her hurt. How do you confront someone who has done something so unforgivable, so impossible to understand?
Andrew took a step forward, his voice breaking the silence. "Grace, I—"
"You didn't answer my messages," she said, her voice hoarse, barely above a whisper. "You didn't answer any of my calls. Why are you here, Andrew? Why now?"
Andrew's face softened, but it wasn't the softness of someone who was sorry. It was the softness of someone who was prepared, someone who thought they could control the conversation, who believed they could talk their way out of this. He stepped into the apartment without waiting for an invitation, his presence filling the space in a way it hadn't in years.
"I wanted to talk in person," he said, his tone calm, controlled. "I need you to understand, Grace. I never meant for any of this to happen. I never wanted to hurt you."
Grace's heart lurched at the words. Never meant for it to happen? How could he say that with a straight face? The child. The mistress. The lies. And he thought he could spin it all away with a few carefully chosen words?
"You're really going to stand here and tell me that you didn't mean for this to happen?" she asked, her voice trembling with a mixture of disbelief and rage. "You're really going to say that? After everything? After what you did?"
Andrew sighed, his expression flickering for the briefest moment, but then it was gone. He took another step toward her, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that sent a chill through her. "Grace, I didn't want to hurt you. But I've spent the last few years feeling like something was missing. You and I… we've been drifting apart for a long time. And when I met her, when I met Sarah, I just felt… something. She gave me what I needed. But you—" He paused, his words measured. "You were enough for me, Grace. You always have been. But sometimes, one person isn't enough to fill all the spaces inside of you."
Grace blinked, his words crashing over her like a tidal wave, drowning her in confusion and disbelief. Not enough? One person isn't enough? She tried to hold her ground, to stay calm, but her breath caught in her throat. "So what? You think having a child with another woman… having a family with her... was the solution? That's your answer?"
Andrew didn't flinch. He stood there, as if he had already made peace with everything, as if the weight of his betrayal didn't even register. "Grace," he said softly, as if explaining something simple. "I love you. I always will. But love isn't the same as fulfillment. I'm not asking you to forgive me. But I need you to understand that I'm not sorry. I'm not sorry for meeting Sarah, for having that child. It didn't diminish my love for you. It's just… it's just something I needed."
The world seemed to tilt beneath Grace's feet. His words, the calmness, the lack of remorse, it was all too much. The man she had loved, the man she had built a life with, was standing before her, telling her that their entire marriage—everything they had shared—had been inadequate. Not enough.
She opened her mouth to speak, but her mind was a whirlwind. What was left to say? What could she say to someone who could be so cold, so devoid of guilt? The betrayal wasn't just the affair, or the child. It was the way he dismissed her. The way he diminished everything they had built, as if it was nothing more than a part of his own unfulfilled needs.
"You…" Grace began, but her words caught in her throat. Her chest tightened. She wanted to scream, to rage at him for the way he had destroyed everything. But all she could do was stare at him, the silence between them now suffocating.
Andrew reached out, his hand brushing against her arm. "Grace, please. I'm not trying to hurt you. I just… I needed more than just a life with you. I needed a life of my own too. And she gave that to me. But I still want you. I still want to be with you. You were always the most important part of my life. You're my wife."
She jerked away from his touch, her anger rising to the surface. "You can't be serious. You think you can just walk back in here and say that? After everything? After what you've done? You're asking me to accept it. You're asking me to accept you when you've already chosen someone else."
Andrew didn't seem to get it. His face remained unchanged, as though he couldn't see the depth of her pain, the devastation that flooded her veins. He took another step toward her, his voice soft and pleading, but it felt wrong, out of place.
"I'm not asking you to forgive me," he said. "I'm just asking you to see things for what they are. A life with you isn't enough. But that doesn't mean I don't want you in my life. We can make this work, Grace. We can find a way."
Grace stared at him, her heart shattered, her mind reeling. There was no way back from this. There was no forgiveness in her heart.
"No," she said, her voice trembling. "No, Andrew. A life wasn't enough for you, but it was enough for me. I gave you everything. And now, I'm not enough for you? Who is even the woman? Wait, you said Sarah... Is it the Sarah I know?
Andrew opened his mouth to say something, but Grace didn't wait. " How can you both betray me ... Oh God !, I can't believe this" She could hold her tears. She felt that I heart had stopped working.
Knowing that Sarah her friend was the mistress hits her more. And as she walked out of the room, her world felt smaller than ever.