Clarifying

3

Cress had spent the entire day trying to forget.

She poured herself into distractions—small conversations with guests still lingering from the celebration, organizing thank-you gifts, sitting beside Deon as he scrolled through their anniversary pictures, his arm wrapped around her waist.

From the outside, everything looked perfect.

But inside, she was unraveling.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Gab.

The way he had touched her.

The way he had said nothing happened.

The words had dug into her, deeper than she wanted to admit. She should have been relieved. It was exactly what she wanted—to pretend, to erase the mistake.

But the way he had said it… so indifferent, so final.

It shouldn’t have stung.

And yet, it did.

“Cress?”

She jolted at the sound of Deon’s voice. He was looking at her expectantly, a small smile playing on his lips.

“Hmm?” she forced out, trying to keep her expression neutral.

“I asked if you wanted to go out for dinner tonight. Just us. Get away from all this for a while.”

Her heart clenched.

Deon was trying. He was giving her everything—his love, his devotion.

And she was giving him nothing but lies.

She managed a soft smile. “That sounds nice.”

Deon grinned, leaning in to kiss her forehead. “Good. I’ll make reservations.”

Cress exhaled slowly as he got up and left the room. The second he was gone, she let her facade drop, pressing her fingers to her temples.

She needed to get herself together.

She needed to push Gab out of her mind.

But fate, it seemed, had other plans.

Because the moment she turned, she saw him.

Standing in the doorway. Watching her.

Cress’s breath caught in her throat.

Gab stood in the doorway, his posture tense, his expression unreadable. For a second, neither of them moved. The world outside their small, shared silence felt distant, muted—like they were trapped in a space where only their unspoken thoughts existed.

She should say something.

She should tell him to leave.

But she didn’t.

Gab was the first to break the silence. “I was looking for Deon.” His voice was neutral, casual—but his eyes? They told a different story.

Cress’s fingers curled against her lap. “He just left,” she said, voice carefully even.

Gab nodded, but he didn’t move.

Didn’t turn away.

Didn’t leave.

The air in the room felt heavier, thick with something she couldn’t escape. She hated that she could still feel last night lingering between them, no matter how much she willed it away.

She forced herself to meet his gaze, hoping to find indifference. Distance.

But there was none.

His eyes darkened, just for a flicker of a second—like a spark waiting to catch fire.

She swallowed hard. “You should go.”

His jaw tensed. “Is that what you really want?”

Yes.

No.

She didn’t know anymore.

Cress inhaled sharply, willing her pulse to slow. “It doesn’t matter what I want. It shouldn’t have happened.”

Gab exhaled through his nose, shaking his head slightly. “You keep saying that like it changes anything.”

“Because it has to change things,” she whispered, more to herself than to him.

Gab took a slow step forward, closing the space between them, but not touching her. “Tell me something, Cress.” His voice dropped lower, steady, dangerous. “When I said nothing happened… did that bother you?”

Cress felt her entire body stiffen.

A bitter laugh almost escaped her. Of course, it did.

But admitting it? That was even worse than what they had already done.

She lifted her chin, eyes sharp. “You were right to say it. Because it can’t happen again.”

Gab held her gaze, searching, as if trying to peel back the layers of her words. And for a moment, she thought he might fight her on it.

But then, just like before—

He nodded.

“Alright.”

Cress wasn’t sure why that single word made her chest ache.

Maybe because it was too easy.

Maybe because a part of her wanted him to not let go so easily.

Gab turned to leave, but paused at the door. His voice was quiet when he spoke again. “You can lie to yourself all you want, Cress.” He glanced back at her, eyes unreadable. “But you can’t lie to me.”

Then he was gone.

And Cress was left sitting there, her heart beating far too fast for comfort.

Cress sat frozen long after Gab had left, his words echoing in her mind.

You can lie to yourself all you want, but you can’t lie to me.

Her fingers clenched against her dress as a wave of frustration crashed over her. How dare he say that? As if he knew her better than she knew herself. As if last night hadn’t wrecked her just as much as it had him.

Because it had.

Cress wasn’t sure how long she sat there, trying to steady her thoughts. But eventually, she pulled herself together and left the room, forcing her mind back to reality.

She had a husband.

She had a life.

And she wasn’t about to throw it away over something that should have never happened.

By the time evening arrived, Cress had convinced herself she was fine.

She dressed carefully for dinner, choosing a simple but elegant black dress that Deon had once said was his favorite on her. She even smiled when he entered the room, watching as his eyes lit up at the sight of her.

“You look beautiful,” Deon murmured, coming up behind her and pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

Cress forced herself to relax under his touch. “Thank you.”

He grinned. “I made reservations at that little place by the lake. Thought we could take a walk after.”

She nodded, letting him take her hand as they headed out.

Everything about the evening was perfect. The food, the atmosphere, the way Deon held her hand across the table, completely unaware of the storm inside her.

And for a little while, Cress let herself believe that she could fix this.

That if she just focused on Deon—on their life together—then everything else would fade.

But then, he walked in.

Gab.

He entered the restaurant, dressed in dark slacks and a fitted button-down, looking effortlessly composed. But Cress felt it the second his eyes found her.

A current.

A silent pull.

And suddenly, she couldn’t breathe.

Deon noticed her sudden tension and followed her gaze. “Huh. Looks like Gab had the same idea.”

Cress forced a tight smile. “Yeah. Looks like it.”

Gab didn’t approach. He simply nodded at them in acknowledgment before taking a seat across the room.

But it didn’t matter.

Cress felt him.

She felt his presence like a shadow, a weight pressing into her no matter how much she tried to ignore it.

And the worst part?

She knew he felt it too.

Because even as she forced herself to focus on Deon, even as she laughed at his stories and held his hand across the table…

Gab never looked away.

And neither did she.

Cress barely tasted the food.

Deon was speaking—something about work, about a potential trip—but his voice was distant, barely registering in her mind.

Because all she could think about was Gab.

How, no matter how hard she tried, she could feel him in the room.

His presence was like a fire against her skin, an unshakable weight pressing into her. And the worst part? She knew it wasn’t just in her head.

Every time she shifted, every time she moved even slightly, she caught his gaze. Across the dimly lit restaurant, through the soft murmur of voices, Gab was watching her.

Not openly.

Not obviously.

But she knew.

Because she was doing the same.

She wanted to look away. Needed to look away.

But she couldn’t.

And then—Deon’s hand covered hers.

Cress jerked slightly, her pulse spiking as she turned to her husband. His brows furrowed slightly.

“You okay?”

She swallowed, nodding quickly. “Of course. Just a little tired.”

Deon studied her for a moment, but then smiled, lifting her hand to press a kiss to her knuckles. “Want to head back early?”

Yes.

No.

She wasn’t sure.

But before she could respond, the sound of a chair scraping against the floor made her stomach twist.

Gab was leaving.

Cress’s breath caught as he moved toward the exit, his face unreadable, his posture controlled. But just as he passed their table, he slowed—just enough for his fingers to graze the edge of hers beneath the table.

A touch so fleeting, so light, that it could have been an accident.

Except it wasn’t.

Cress knew it.

And when she glanced up, their eyes locked—just for a second.

Something crackled in the space between them.

Something that made her ache.

And then, just like that, he was gone.

Cress exhaled shakily, her heart pounding against her ribs.

Deon didn’t notice.

Didn’t see the way her fingers curled against her lap.

Didn’t hear the way her breath caught in her throat.

Didn’t feel the way her world was slowly starting to crack.

Because no matter how much she tried to fight it—no matter how much she told herself it was wrong—

Gab was still inside her.

Still under her skin.

Still in the space between every breath she took.

And she had no idea how to make it stop.