EPISODE 1-THE PARK
1051 Words
It was a beautiful day — the kind that made the whole world feel lighter. Sasha and Zion walked hand in hand through the park, sunlight slipping through the trees, kids laughing, families scattered across benches.
For a moment, everything felt perfect.
Simple.
Warm.
Peaceful.
Sasha glanced up at Zion and smiled. He squeezed her hand back — the way he always did when he felt content.
Then he saw her.
Vicky.
His ex.
She stood near the playground, pretending to watch the children, but her eyes locked onto Zion the second she noticed him.
Sasha felt the shift — the subtle tightening of his hand, the half‑second pause in his breath. Most people wouldn’t have noticed. But Sasha wasn’t most people.
Her steps slowed. Her expression didn’t change. But inside, something sharpened.
Vicky walked toward them with a bright, practiced smile — friendly on the surface, history underneath.
“Well hello, Zion,” she said, her eyes lingering on him before sliding to Sasha. Her gaze dropped to their intertwined hands, then back up with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “What brings you two out today?”
Zion straightened, clearing his throat. “Umm… just enjoying the weather. By the way, this is my wife, Sasha.”
Vicky’s eyebrows lifted. “Wife?” she repeated, like the word tasted strange. She extended her hand toward Sasha, expecting a handshake.
Sasha didn’t take it.
She simply smiled — soft, polite, unreadable. “Hello.”
No apology.
No explanation.
No performance.
Just calm presence — strong enough to make Vicky’s smile flicker.
Zion felt the shift.
Vicky felt it too.
Sasha wasn’t threatened.
She wasn’t insecure.
She wasn’t competing.
She was simply Sasha — and that alone changed the temperature of the moment.
Vicky laughed awkwardly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she tried to make small talk. Zion shifted beside Sasha — uncomfortable in a way he’d never been before.
“So… you two lovebirds just wandering around, huh?” Vicky asked lightly. “How long have you been married?”
“Eight years,” Zion said, glancing at Sasha like she was the safest place in the world.
“Oh wow,” Vicky replied, her smile tightening. “Eight years. How time flies.”
She said it like she was remembering something she shouldn’t.
Sasha caught it. Of course she did.
She didn’t react. Didn’t squeeze Zion’s hand. Didn’t step closer or pull away. She simply watched Vicky with that calm, steady expression — the one that made people feel seen a little too clearly.
Vicky’s smile flickered again.
Because Sasha wasn’t jealous.
She wasn’t threatened.
She wasn’t competing.
She was evaluating.
And Vicky could feel it.
Vicky kept talking, her voice bright and eager as she brought up old memories — inside jokes, past trips, moments she had no business resurrecting. Zion laughed awkwardly here and there, but Sasha just stood beside him, listening. She smiled occasionally, but the smile never reached her eyes.
And Vicky noticed.
“So anyway—” Vicky began.
“Vicky,” Sasha said softly.
Vicky froze mid‑laugh.
Sasha tilted her head slightly. “What brings you out today?”
“Oh—uh, nothing much,” Vicky said, suddenly smaller. “Just enjoying the day.”
Sasha nodded once. “Mm. That’s nice.”
Then, still calm, still polite:
“Are you married? Or have a boyfriend you’re spending your day with?”
The question landed like a quiet slap.
Vicky blinked. Her smile faltered. She wasn’t expecting Sasha to speak — and definitely not like that.
Zion felt it instantly. He squeezed Sasha’s hand, his palm sweaty. He was uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable.
But Sasha wasn’t jealous.
She wasn’t insecure.
She wasn’t threatened.
She was checking the temperature — and Vicky felt the heat.
“No husband or boyfriend. Single lady,” Vicky said with a smile — one that lingered too long on Zion.
Zion felt heat rise in his neck. “So, uh… when did you get back in town?” he asked quickly.
“I’ve been back for a while,” Vicky said. “Got a new job, settling in… you know.”
But her eyes lowered, like she wanted to ask Zion something she shouldn’t — something she knew she couldn’t say in front of Sasha. She swallowed it down.
“Well,” Vicky said brightly, “I’ll leave you two alone. Hopefully I’ll see you around. Bye.”
She walked off.
Zion exhaled, finally looking at Sasha. She smiled — soft, calm — and slipped her arm around him. Zion grinned, trying to laugh off the tension.
But Sasha felt everything.
And Vicky… Vicky was already plotting.
Zion looks good.
Zion looks successful.
Zion is rich now.
A billionaire.
And she needed money — badly.
She always told herself she loved him. But back then, he wasn’t enough.
Now?
Now he had everything she wanted.
And Vicky wanted it all.
Sasha looked up at Zion — her 5'9 frame fitting perfectly against his 6'4 height.
“So… that’s Vicky,” she said, calm, almost casual.
“Yes,” Zion replied quickly. “She’s a nice person, but it didn’t work out.”
Sasha nodded, her smile soft but edged. “Well, as long as she doesn’t step on my toes, she’s safe.”
She wrapped her arms around him. Zion hugged her back — too tightly, too fast.
“You have nothing to worry about,” he said. “She’s my past. You’re my present and my future.”
He held her close.
But as he hugged her… his eyes drifted toward Vicky in the distance.
And that’s when the truth slipped through his expression.
Zion already knew she was in town.
He’d known for six months.
He’d talked to her.
He’d kept it quiet.
And now she was here — in front of Sasha — like fate had decided to test him.
“Hey,” Zion said suddenly, forcing a cheer, “let’s go get something to eat.”
Sasha nodded, taking his hand.
But Zion’s palm was still sweaty.
Behind them, Vicky walked away with a smile that didn’t belong to a woman who had moved on.
She was thinking.
Plotting.
Calculating.
END OF EPISODE 1
- Writer
