Clarifying

2

The morning light was soft, golden, spilling through the curtains like a quiet confession. Cress sat on the edge of the bed, the sheets still twisted around her legs, her heart pounding against the silence of the room.

She could still feel him.

Gab’s touch lingered on her skin like a ghost, his lips, his hands, the weight of his body pressed against hers—memories that hadn’t even had time to fade.

Her stomach twisted.

What have I done?

She squeezed her eyes shut, as if she could block out the night before, as if she could will away the reality of what had happened between them. But it was there, burned into her mind, into her body.

She had crossed a line.

A line that couldn’t be undone.

Her breath came uneven as she forced herself to move, to pull the sheet tighter around her and step onto the cool hardwood floor. Her legs felt unsteady—whether from last night or the crushing weight of guilt settling over her, she didn’t know.

She needed to leave.

Before anyone noticed she was gone. Before Deon woke up and realized she hadn’t been in their bed.

Before Gab—

The thought barely formed when she heard the shift of movement behind her.

Her body tensed.

“Cress…”

His voice was rough, laced with something unreadable.

She didn’t turn around. Couldn’t. If she looked at him now, if she saw whatever was in his expression, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to breathe.

“We can’t talk about this,” she said, her voice quiet, strained.

A heavy silence followed.

Then, “So that’s it?”

She swallowed, gripping the edge of the dresser to steady herself. “It has to be.”

Gab exhaled, a slow, measured sound, but there was something else beneath it. Something sharp. “That’s not how it felt last night.”

Her fingers curled into her palm. “Last night was a mistake.”

A pause. Then, softly, “Was it?”

She turned then, anger flaring in her chest—not at him, but at herself, at this entire mess. “It doesn’t matter what it was, Gab. It’s over.”

His gaze held hers, steady and unreadable, but there was something dark beneath the surface. Something restrained.

And then, he nodded.

“Alright.”

That was all he said.

No argument. No attempt to convince her otherwise.

Just acceptance.

It should have been a relief.

So why did it feel like something inside her cracked?

She tore her gaze away and gathered her dress, slipping it on with trembling hands. Every movement felt heavy, like wading through deep water, like trying to escape something that had already swallowed her whole.

She needed to go back to Deon.

She needed to forget.

But as she left the room, as she stepped out into the quiet hallway, she knew—

Some things couldn’t be forgotten.

And some mistakes didn’t feel like mistakes at all.

The walk back to her bedroom felt like an eternity. Each step was heavy, her heartbeat thrumming so loudly in her ears that she could barely hear the soft murmurs of the house waking up. The anniversary celebration had left everything in a delicate hush—staff cleaning up, lingering guests still asleep in their rooms.

No one noticed her.

Except for the guilt pressing down on her like a weight she couldn’t shake.

Cress stopped in front of the bedroom door and took a deep breath before quietly pushing it open.

The room was dim, the curtains drawn, and Deon was still in bed, his back to her. The sight of him—peaceful, unaware—made her chest tighten.

She slipped inside, careful to move quietly as she made her way to the bathroom. The moment the door closed behind her, she braced herself against the sink, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

Her skin was flushed.

Her lips were swollen.

No amount of water could wash away what she had done.

She turned the faucet on, letting the cool water run over her hands before pressing them against her face, trying to ground herself. Breathe. Just breathe.

But the second she closed her eyes, all she could see was him.

The way he had looked at her. The way he had touched her. The way she had let him.

She gritted her teeth, forcing the thoughts away. It was a mistake. It can’t happen again.

A knock on the door startled her.

“Cress?” Deon’s voice was groggy, thick with sleep.

Her stomach twisted.

She quickly straightened, schooling her expression before opening the door. “Morning,” she said, forcing a smile.

Deon blinked at her, still half-asleep. “Were you up early?”

She hesitated. “Yeah… just needed some air.”

He hummed, pulling her into a loose hug, pressing a lazy kiss to her hair. “You should’ve woken me up. I would’ve gone with you.”

Cress swallowed hard, guilt lodging itself deeper in her throat.

If only he knew.

If only he knew that she had spent the night in another man’s bed.

In his brother’s bed.

She forced herself to relax into his embrace, nodding against his chest. “I know. I just didn’t want to disturb you.”

Deon smiled, cupping her cheek as he looked at her. “You okay?”

No.

Not even close.

But she nodded anyway. “Of course.”

Deon kissed her forehead. “Good. Because I was thinking maybe we could go out today. Just the two of us. A late anniversary date.”

Her heart clenched.

She should say yes. She should grab onto this moment, let Deon pull her back into the life she had built with him, let him anchor her before she drifted any further into dangerous waters.

But before she could answer, a knock at the bedroom door interrupted them.

Deon sighed, running a hand through his hair before heading over. He pulled it open, revealing one of the house staff.

“Sir, Mr. Hayes is waiting for you in the study.”

Cress’s breath caught.

Gab.

The name rang through her like an electric current, like a secret waiting to be exposed.

Deon sighed again. “Of course, he is,” he muttered before glancing at Cress with an apologetic smile. “I should’ve known my brother wouldn’t leave without a dramatic exit.”

Cress forced a small laugh, even as her pulse pounded in her ears.

Deon leaned in, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “I’ll deal with him. You get some more rest, okay?”

She nodded, but as she watched him leave, her body felt frozen.

Gab was still here.

And that meant last night wasn’t over yet.

Cress shouldn’t have gone looking for him.

She told herself she was only passing through the hall, that it was coincidence, that she wasn’t drawn to the study where Deon and Gab were talking.

But when she reached the doorway, she didn’t walk away.

She stayed.

The door wasn’t fully shut, leaving a sliver of space where she could see Gab standing by the bookshelves, his expression carefully neutral. Deon sat at the desk, rubbing his temples.

“Are you leaving today?” Deon asked.

Gab smirked, but there was no humor in it. “Don’t worry. I won’t overstay my welcome.”

Deon sighed. “Look, I know it’s… weird, us finding out we’re brothers like this. But I meant what I said—I want to figure this out. You don’t have to run.”

Cress’s chest tightened.

Gab had always been like this. Always the first to leave, to walk away before things could become too complicated, too painful.

But he hadn’t walked away last night.

Deon leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. “I just don’t get it. You’ve been avoiding me all morning. Hell, you won’t even look at Cress.”

Cress’s breath caught.

Gab stiffened. It was subtle—so subtle that Deon didn’t notice.

But she did.

She knew that tension.

Deon sighed. “Did something happen between you two?”

Silence.

A heartbeat.

Then—

“No.” Gab’s voice was steady, cold. “Nothing happened.”

The words sliced through her.

Nothing happened.

As if last night had been erased. As if it meant nothing at all.

Cress clenched her fists, stepping back before she could hear any more.

She turned and left, her pulse a frantic rhythm in her ears.

She didn’t know what she had expected.

But it wasn’t that