Chapter 5
884 Words
◇Kate ◇
He stood there, leaning lazily against his expensive, sleek black SUV, an unreadable expression etched across his face.
Her heart hammered wildly against her ribs, a sudden surge of anxiety flooding her chest.
What was he doing here? How had he found out she was here? Questions raced through her mind, each one twisting tighter the knot of fear in her stomach.
Clara was sound asleep in her arms, her head nestled against her shoulder, breathing slow and steady,
He straightened the moment we approached. His eyes flicked from her to Clara and then to Danny beside me.
“Get in the car,” he said quietly, steering forward and gently lifting Clara from my arms with hesitation. His touch was careful and almost reverent.
“Hello, I’m Katie’s best friend, Danny.“
Danny said with a light tone, offering a hand to Dean with a polite smile.
Dean hesitated a beat before shaking his hand, his expression unreadable, his handshake was firm, too firm, maybe, and his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“I'm Dean Katie’s husband.”
Danny’s gaze lingered a second too long before he nodded.
“I have heard so much about you,” he said, his tone unreadable.
A silent beat passed between them, tension humming just beneath the surface.
She slid into the passenger seat, watching them through the window.
Danny didn’t look at Dean again, instead, his gaze drifted toward me.
“Catch you later, Katie,” he called, grinning.
She nodded, forcing a smile as she waved goodbye to him.
Dean carefully placed Clara in her baby seat at the back of the car. Without a word, he closed the door and took his place behind the wheel. Silence hung thick between them, she was nervously fidgeting with her fingers, unsure whether to speak or stay silent.
The engine hummed to life, but Dean didn't look at her. His eyes stayed fixed on the road ahead, hands rigid on the steering wheel.
They picked up Fabian from his school on their way home. Fabian was very excited to see his father picking him up from his school. He kept telling him about his day and his friends.
When they got home, she left the kids with Maria, and then she went to his office. He finally wanted them to talk.
“Didn't I forbid you from meeting with him in public when you're still married to me?” he lashed at her, his voice angry.
“I don't think it's up to you to decide who I meet or not. You're actually not my husband, we are married on paper. Danny is my best friend and I will meet him you never like it or not,” she shot back at him. She took a step back, and she was about to leave, but his grip was faster.
He yanked her hair so hard that she winced in pain. A sharp gasp escaped her lips. Before she could protest, he spun her around and forced her to face him,
Their eyes met, and her eyes were wide with a mix of shock and defiance, and his were burning with something darker.
She clenched her jaw, refusing to let him see her flinch again.
“ Let go,” she said, her voice steady despite the fire spreading along her scalp.
“First, don't you ever walk away from me like this until I dismiss you, second you would do as I said, or I will cut your mother's treatment bills, am i clear? ” he growled, his voice low ,trembling not with fear but with something close to rage.
He yanked her hair again, harder this time, his voice low and cold.
“ Say it.”
She winced, her voice trembling. “ I won't see him again …”
A cruel smile tugged at his lips.
“ Good girl,“ he let go, his fingers uncurled from her hair and shoved her away.
“Get out!”
She stumbled back, rubbing the sore spot, her scalp throbbing, but the real pain bloomed somewhere deeper where pride used to live. She hung her head, tears of humiliation spilling freely down her cheeks.
How did she become this woman?
She had no answer, only the crushing weight of silence.
She turned and left his office, forcing her legs to move even as her spirit felt splintered.
Just before she reached the hallway, she wiped her face with the back of her sleeve and drew in a shaky breath.
Then she did what she had mastered since she moved to this house. She plastered a fake smile on her face.
“You are doing this for them,” she reminded herself,
“For the kids, they need you, you don't get to break.”
She straightened her back, swallowing every trace of her pain.
She has to endure all of it for her children.
She passed one of the house staff in the corridor, she gave her a brief, wary glance, she smiled wider, brighter, like she was the happiest woman in the world.
No one could ever know.
Inside, she was unraveling, but on the outside, she was the perfect wife, the dutiful mother, the quiet, loyal shadow of a man no one dared cross.
- Writer
