AFTER THE BETRAYAL; AN EX'S WIFE COMEBACK

Chapter One I never thought I'd come back. Not after everything that happened, not after the way Gabriel looked at me as I walked out the door and left him standing in the ruins of our lives. I thought I would completely erase him from my world. But here I stand before the gates of a great house that once felt like home, a place I once loved, a place I now hate. The cold wind bites my jacket, but it's nothing compared to the chill that spreads across my chest when I see the familiar rock face. I feel like I've lived here a long time ago - I was his wife before life. I took a deep breath and burst through the gate, my heels clicking loudly on the sidewalk as I walked to the front door. Every step is like a punch to the stomach. Memories hit me in waves. Our first date. The way his hand felt when it touched mine. In the middle of the night we talked about everything and nothing. God, I'm so stupid. I'm standing in front of the door. My heart was pounding, my wrists ached, and for a moment I thought about turning around and walking away. But I can't. Not now. Not when I got here. I pressed the bell. Then he stood before me. Gabriel Knight. Time has done nothing to soften it. He was still the same person I knew, the same person who had the power to make my heart race and break it again. His jaw was angular, his eyes were sharp, and his black hair was slightly tousled, as if he were running his hands through it. He was wearing a simple black shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, looking perfect in a way that made me sick and heartbroken at the same time. Neither of us said anything for a while. He just stared at me, his eyes narrowed slightly as if he wasn't sure if I was real. Maybe I look different in front of him - I know I do. I am not the same woman I left here. The woman was gone. But that didn't stop my chest from tightening when I saw him. "What are you doing here Isabella?" His voice was a mixture of surprise and concern. There was no heat in it and it cut me like a knife. I swallowed hard and tried to calm down. "I need to talk to you," I said, my voice firmer than I felt. His eyes flashed briefly before he looked at me. I saw a glimmer of something in his eyes – perhaps regret? Or is it just guilt? Hard to say. But whatever it was, it hit me like a punch in the stomach. "I think you've said all there is to say, haven't you?" he replied, his words harsh, defensive. I could not wonder. That cold, dismissive voice—it took me back to that night, the night everything went wrong. The night I found out about Celeste. I wanted to scream at him, tell him I didn't need him, that I didn't care about the lies he was telling. But I don't. I can't. Not now. "I didn't come here to argue," I said, my voice soft now but still firm. I looked into his eyes and held them, trying to say the one thing I'd wanted to say for years. "I came because I needed closure. I had to understand why." He didn't say anything for a while. He just stood there looking at me. The atmosphere between us was tense Then he finally relented and motioned for me to enter. "I think we can talk," he said, but the coldness in his voice still burned him. I'm not moving. Part of me wants to turn and leave, but another part, the part that still remembers the love we shared, wants to go in, to listen, to understand. I took a breath, pushed aside my doubts and crossed the threshold. The house was just as I remembered it—elegant, clean, but empty. There is no warmth here anymore. There is no laughter. There is no life. Only echoes of memories that will never go away. I followed him into the living room, he gestured for me to sit down. Yes, but I can't help but feel like I'm sitting on the edge of a cliff, one wrong move and I'll fall off. Gabriel did not sit down right away. He was standing by the window looking out over the wide field with his back to me. "I don't know what you expect from this," he said in a low voice. "I told you everything then. You left and I — I didn't fight for you. But what's done is done, Isabella. There's no going back." His words hurt, but I couldn't let myself be broken. Not now. "I didn't come here to apologize," I said, my voice trailing off. "I came because I wanted to know the truth. About everything." Then he turned with an unreadable expression. His jaw dropped as he looked at me, and I saw something raw—something raw, something bitter. "What truth?" he asked. "Isn't it enough that you're gone? That we all moved on?" I shook my head. "No. I need to know the reason. Why Celeste? The words came out quickly, as if I had been holding them inside for years. Gabriel's face softened for a moment. He opened his mouth to say something, but the doorbell rang and interrupted him. . I could feel the stress in the air shift, a strange awkwardness between us. Gabriel froze, his eyes darting to the door and then to me. "Who is it?" I asked involuntarily, my voice trembling. "I don't know," he whispered, his eyes narrowing. He didn't move at first, but after a while he walked over to the door, opened it, and saw a tall woman standing in the hallway. She wore a sleek black dress and her heels pressed to the floor. Her dark hair was styled in soft waves, and her eyes were cold and calculating.