Two Hearts

The Wounds We Carry

Laura's POV

I sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing hand cream into my hands for what had to be the tenth or fifteenth minute. The cream had long since absorbed into my skin. I just hadn't noticed.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I barely knew what was happening around me. My mind kept replaying everything that had happened today.

This morning - Waking up in Daniel's arms. I had been shocked. Terrified, even. But at the same time...

I hadn't wanted him to let go. And that scared me even more.

Then there was what happened in the kitchen. I'd been dangerously close to a complete breakdown. And somehow Daniel had appeared like some ridiculous knight in shining armor.

Every question he'd asked had been filled with genuine concern. Every look. Every word. Then he'd hugged me.

Just because.

No expectations. No hidden agenda. He'd simply held me while I cried out all my stress, exhaustion, and fears.

And then...

Then I completely lost my ability to understand anything. He kissed me.

Not the way people kissed in movies. Not passionate. Not dramatic. Just a gentle brush of his lips against mine.

Yet somehow I could still feel it. As if the memory of that brief touch refused to leave me.

And the worst part?

I hadn't wanted it to end. I wanted more. A real kiss. Something deeper. Something like the one we'd shared during the photoshoot.

The more I thought about it, the stranger the sensations became. My entire body reacted in ways I didn't understand. I'd never felt like this before. Not even with Chris.

And that realization terrified me.

Because if I hadn't felt this way with my husband… Then what exactly was happening to me now?

The entire evening, Daniel had stayed close. Small touches. Gentle brushes of his hand. Terms of endearment. Encouragement. Support.

What was that supposed to mean? Was he simply acting? Was he really that good at playing the role of a loving husband? Or did it mean something more?

“Laura?" The sudden sound of my name pulled me from my thoughts and I jumped slightly.

I looked up. Daniel stood only a few steps away, watching me. His expression gave away nothing.

As always.

He was far better at hiding his emotions than I would ever be.

"Sorry," I said quietly. "I didn't hear you come in."

A corner of his mouth twitched.

"I noticed.” His gaze dropped to my hands. "You've been rubbing the same spot for several minutes."

I looked down. The cream was gone. Had been gone for a while. Yet I was still absentmindedly rubbing my hands together.

Great. Now I looked completely insane.

"You were somewhere else entirely," Daniel added.

I sighed.

Part of me wanted to tell him everything. My confusion. My doubts. The questions that had been driving me crazy all evening. But another part of me was terrified of the answers.

Whatever today had meant, one thing was undeniable. For the first time in years...

I felt safe. Safe with him. Protected. Like he wouldn't simply throw me in front of a bulldozer and walk away. And right now, that bulldozer's name was Liza.

"Long day," I finally said with a shrug.

Daniel let out a quiet laugh.

"That's one way to describe it.” He continued watching me for another moment.

Then, without asking, he sat down beside me. Close. Very close. Too close.

Nobody was watching us now. Nobody expected us to pretend. So why was he sitting right next to me?

“Listen..." For the first time all day, Daniel sounded uncertain. "The evening went really well."

I glanced at him.

"The food was amazing.” His eyes met mine. "You were amazing."

My heart immediately betrayed me with one hard, painful beat.

"Everything went well."

“But..." I said it before he could.

There was always a but. Daniel lowered his gaze briefly. Then looked back at me. A small smile appeared.

"But..."

I almost laughed. He sighed.

"You need to pay a little more attention to what you're doing."

My smile disappeared instantly.

"What does that mean?"

He reached for my hand before I could stop him. The moment his fingers closed around mine, every muscle in my body tightened. And unfortunately, he noticed.

“See?" He lifted our joined hands slightly. "That's exactly what I mean."

My confusion only deepened.

"Every time I touch you, you tense up.” His voice remained calm. Gentle. Patient. "It's much more obvious than you think."

Oh. That.

"You also don't need to sit ten feet away from me every time we enter a room.” A teasing smile appeared.

"Sitting beside me is allowed."

So that's what this was about. Not the kiss. Not the hug. Not us.

My acting. Of course - Laura had messed something up again.

Heat rushed through me. Embarrassment quickly turning into irritation. I pulled my hand away.

"Sorry my acting skills aren't as perfect as yours."

Daniel blinked. Clearly caught off guard.

"Laura, I—"

"I don't want to talk about it.” I stood and pulled the blanket back. "I'm tired."

Which wasn't entirely a lie. The day had been exhausting.

"I'll do better next time.” Before he could answer, I slid beneath the covers. "Good night."

I switched off my bedside lamp. The room fell into darkness.

For a few seconds I continued silently fuming - Mr. Actor of the Year.

Then exhaustion finally won. And within moments, I was asleep.

Morning came far too quickly. I woke before my alarm, as usual.

After a quick shower, I pulled on the most comfortable clothes I could find in my ridiculous new wardrobe and headed downstairs.

The house was still quiet. Exactly the way I liked it. Making breakfast had become part of my routine Something familiar. Something normal.

And after everything that had happened yesterday, I desperately needed normal.

I prepared breakfast for everyone, set the table, packed lunches, and made sure everything was ready before the rest of the house began to wake up.

Soon enough, the children appeared. Then Daniel.

I escaped upstairs to get ready for work, while everybody had their breakfest.

And that's when the real problem started - My wardrobe. Or rather, Daniel's version of a wardrobe.

I stared at the endless rows of designer clothes and sighed. I still wasn't used to any of this.

Eventually, I reached for the emerald-green suit. The same one Daniel had complimented yesterday.

Immediately, my brain betrayed me - This color makes your eyes stand out.

Wonderful. Now I was blushing alone in a closet. I quickly finished getting dressed before my thoughts could get any worse.

Following the stylist's advice, I left my hair down in soft waves and applied light makeup. Nothing dramatic. Just enough to look professional.

When I finally looked in the mirror, I paused.

For a moment, I barely recognized myself. The woman staring back looked confident. Elegant. Successful.

She certainly didn't look like the same Laura who had spent years worrying about every dollar.

Daniel and I had barely exchanged a word all morning. Only an awkward: "Good morning."

And even that had felt strange.

By the time I came downstairs, breakfast was already over. The children and Daniel were waiting near the front door, preparing to leave. I had just reached the bottom step when a voice suddenly interrupted me.

“Well." I nearly jumped.

Liza emerged from the living room. I hadn't seen her all morning. I forced a smile.

"Good morning, Liza. You're up early."

"My dear, I've always been an early bird.” Her eyes moved over me slowly. Far too slowly.

I suddenly felt like I was being evaluated. Then she smiled.

"And may I say, you look absolutely beautiful."

I blinked.

"Thank you."

She nodded approvingly.

"That suit is stunning. If I'm not mistaken, it's from one of the newest collections."

I had absolutely no idea whether she was right. I wasn't even entirely sure which designer had made it. But I smiled politely anyway. Before I could respond, she tilted her head.

"And where exactly are you going dressed like that so early?"

For a moment, I didn't understand the question. Then realization hit.

“Oh." I glanced briefly toward Daniel.

"I'm going to work."

The silence that followed was immediate. Dangerous. I looked back at Liza. She was staring at me. Completely stunned.

"My dear…" Her voice softened considerably. "What do you mean, work?"

Now I was confused. Daniel suddenly looked like he wanted the floor to open and swallow him whole. That did not improve my confidence.

"Liza," I said carefully, "I work every weekday."

She looked horrified. Actually horrified. Then she slowly turned toward Daniel.

“Daniel." Uh oh. Even I could hear the danger in that tone. "What exactly does that mean?"

“Grandm—" He stopped himself immediately. A wise decision.

“Liza." He sighed. "Laura works. She has a job. She goes to work every weekday."

“Why?" The question came so fast that I almost laughed.

Instead, I simply stared.

“Why?" Liza repeated. "My dear, why would you need to work?"

"He's the CEO of a successful company.” She gestured toward Daniel. "He provides for the family."

Then she smiled as if everything was perfectly obvious.

"You should be taking care of the home and the children."

There it was. The generational difference. In all its glory.

I took a deep breath.

"I don't want to go crazy.” The words escaped before I could stop them.

Liza blinked. I continued.

"I love my job.” And it was true. "I enjoy working. I enjoy what I do.” I smiled slightly. "And I still manage to take care of the house and the family."

For a second, neither of us spoke. Then suddenly Daniel stepped beside me. His hand found mine. Instinctively. Naturally. As if he'd done it a thousand times before.

I tried very hard not to react. After last night's conversation, I'd spent the entire morning reminding myself:

Treat it as normal. Treat it as real. It's easier that way. Just don't forget yourself.

Daniel tightened his grip slightly. Then looked directly at Liza.

"I respect Laura's decision.” His voice was calm. Firm. Confident.

"If she wants to work, then she works.” No hesitation. No apology. No embarrassment.

"That's her choice.” And somehow, listening to him speak, I almost believed every word.

Liza visibly relaxed. A little. Not much. But enough. Still, she wasn't about to let the matter go completely. Of course not.

“Well." She straightened her shoulders. "I'm certainly not the one making decisions here."

A pause.

"But I still don't think it's right."

Daniel closed his eyes. Apparently he'd heard this speech before.

"In our family, women stopped working after marriage.” Then she delivered the final blow. "Even your mother did."

The atmosphere instantly changed. I felt it. Daniel felt it. Everyone felt it.

Without another word, Daniel practically ushered all of us out the door. He said goodbye. Closed the front door. And marched us toward the car.

Still holding my hand.

The drive to the school felt longer than usual. No one said much. The children chatted in the back seat, blissfully unaware of the awkward tension that had settled between the adults.

I was grateful for that. At least someone was having a normal morning.

When we finally arrived, Markus and Ellia grabbed their bags and hurried toward the school entrance after saying their quick goodbyes.

The moment they disappeared through the gates, I let out a long breath. Only then did I realize how tense I'd been.

Beside me, Daniel remained unusually quiet. His hands tightened around the steering wheel. His jaw was clenched. And despite everything, I hated seeing him like that.

"Don't let her get to you.” His voice broke the silence.

I turned toward him.

"What?"

“Liza." His eyes stayed fixed on the road. "Don't let her get to you."

I frowned slightly.

"I wasn't planning to."

A humorless smile appeared on his face.

"Good."

For a few seconds, silence returned. Then he sighed.

"She does it on purpose."

"What?"

"The comments. The pressure. The opinions.” His grip tightened slightly. "She always has."

Something in his voice made my stomach twist. This wasn't irritation. This was something deeper. Older. More painful.

"I remember my mother wanting to work."

I stayed quiet. Instinctively knowing this wasn't a story he told often.

"She loved children.” His eyes softened for a moment. "She wanted to be a teacher. A daycare worker. Anything that let her work with kids."

I listened carefully.

"Being home all the time made her miserable.” The words came out quietly. Almost reluctantly.

"As a child, I didn't understand it.” He let out a short laugh. "I thought adults liked staying home."

I smiled faintly. Children always imagined adulthood differently.

"But she didn’t." His expression darkened. "She needed something of her own."

The car grew quiet again.

"And Liza?” I asked softly.

Daniel's jaw tightened.

"Liza convinced my father that a respectable wife shouldn't work.” The bitterness in his voice surprised me. "He listened."

I swallowed.

"And your mother stayed home?"

He nodded.

“Yes." The answer was simple. Too simple.

Because I could hear everything hidden behind it. Years of frustration. Regret. Pain.

For several moments, neither of us spoke. Then Daniel suddenly laughed. Not because anything was funny. Because sometimes people laugh when the alternative is breaking.

"You know what's terrible?” His eyes finally met mine. The pain there nearly stole my breath.

"For years…" He paused. Then corrected himself. "Sometimes I still blame her."

I froze.

"My grandmother.” His voice dropped lower. "I blame her for what happened to my mother."

The confession hung heavily between us.

"I know it's irrational.” He looked back at the road. "I know the world isn't that simple.” A bitter smile touched his lips.

"But part of me always wonders…" He swallowed. "What if Mom had gotten that job?"

My chest tightened.

"What if she'd had something that belonged only to her?” His fingers tapped against the steering wheel. "What if she'd been happier?"

He let out a long breath.

"What if things had turned out differently?"

I had no answer. Because there wasn't one. Sometimes life simply wasn't fair.

"I won't make the same mistake.” The conviction in his voice startled me. Daniel looked straight ahead. Focused. Certain.

"If you want to work, you work.” The words were simple.

But I knew they weren't really about me. Not entirely. They were about Sarah. About promises made years ago. About regrets he still carried.

"You don't owe anyone an explanation.” His voice softened. "Not me. Not Liza. Not anyone."

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

I suddenly understood why he'd defended me so fiercely back at the house. It hadn't been about winning an argument. It had been about protecting something he'd once watched someone else lose.

We finally pulled up outside my office building. Neither of us moved immediately. For some reason, I didn't want to leave.

Not yet.

Daniel looked angry. Sad. Lost. All at the same time. And suddenly walking away felt wrong.

“Daniel." My voice came out softer than intended.

He looked at me. I placed my hand gently over his. He stared at the contact for a moment but didn't pull away.

"Everything will be okay.” I squeezed his hand lightly. "We'll get through this."

A small smile appeared. Weak. Fragile.

"If we work as a team," I continued, "nothing will stop us."

For a second, I thought he might actually believe me. Then the smile faded slightly. Not completely. But enough.

Because deep down, he wasn't convinced.

Not yet.

I gave his hand one last squeeze before opening the door. As I stepped out of the car, I turned back and watched him drive away.

And one thought refused to leave me - Was Sarah the only woman who had broken Daniel so deeply?

Or had there been someone else?