Betrayed By My Fiancée

Chapter 13: The Gap Between Us

I stand there in the bathroom, my phone heavy in my hand, Dante’s message glowing on the screen like it means nothing.

Like everything is normal. Like the last few days didn’t happen. I read it again. Then again. Waiting for it to feel warmer, softer, more like him. It doesn’t. It just sits there. Plain. Casual. My thumb hovers over the screen as I open the chat.

I start typing fast, almost by habit. Then I stop halfway. Delete. The cursor blinks at me. Slow. Loud. Irritating. Before, I would’ve called him already. Filled the silence.

Explained everything.

Reached for him first. Now… I don’t even know what I’d be explaining. My mind slips without warning. Leondra’s voice. Calm. Too calm. That question. Pregnant. Then Dante’s voice slides right in after it.

I don’t want to hurt her… just give me more time… I close my eyes and take a slow breath, forcing myself back into the room.

Back into now. I type again, this time without overthinking it.

Reply: It’s fine. I handled it. I stare at the words for a second before hitting send. The second it goes through, something shifts. Not relief. Just space. The phone stays quiet for a few seconds. Then it buzzes again.

Message: What do you mean you handled it? Are you okay? I lean against the sink and read it carefully.

The words sound right. Concerned. But it feels thin. Like he’s asking because he should, not because he feels it. I don’t answer.

I walk out into the living room and sit down slowly, my body heavier than it should be. My thoughts aren’t racing anymore. They’re lining up. Settling into places I can’t ignore. My phone buzzes again.

Message: Jade? I look at it. Just look. Then I place the phone beside me and lean back, letting the silence stretch. It doesn’t scare me this time. I don’t rush to fix it. After a few minutes, I pick it up again. My fingers hover, then move.

Reply: I got hurt at work. It’s nothing serious. I send it and wait. This time he replies fast.

Message: Hurt? What happened? Did you go to the hospital? I squint slightly at the screen. There it is again. That careful tone.

Controlled.

It doesn’t feel like the Dante I know. I stare at the message longer than I need to, then type.

Reply: No. I came home. The typing bubble appears almost immediately. Stops. Starts again. Stops again. I watch it, my chest tightening just a little.

Message: You came home? How? I don’t answer right away. I already know where this is going. Another message comes in.

Message: Jade… you didn’t walk all the way, right? My lips press together. So he remembers that. The small things. Just not when it mattered most. I exhale quietly and type.

Reply: I didn’t walk. Someone helped me. The typing bubble comes back fast this time. Stays longer. Disappears. Comes back again.

Message: Someone? Who? I stare at the screen, my face still. The concern is still there, but now it feels sharper. More interested in the wrong part.

Reply: A neighbor. There’s a pause. A long one. Long enough that I feel it.

Message: A neighbor? I lean back into the couch, my head resting against it as I stare at the ceiling. Another message follows quickly.

Message: Jade, you should’ve told me. I would’ve come to get you. Before, that would’ve made me feel safe. Now it just feels late.

Reply: You didn’t answer. No typing bubble this time. No quick reply. Nothing. I let the silence sit there. My phone finally buzzes again.

Message: I was in a meeting. I read it once. Then again. It doesn’t sound sorry. It sounds defensive. And that small difference lands harder than I expect. Everything starts lining up quietly in my head.

The lie about Leondra.

The late-night call. The distance in his eyes. This. I type one last time.

Reply: It’s okay. No extra words. No soft tone. Nothing. My phone buzzes almost immediately.

Message: I'm outside. I stare at it for a long moment. Before, that would’ve been enough. I would’ve waited by the window like an i***t. Smiled the second I heard his knock.

Now I just set my phone down beside me and lean back slowly. The apartment is quiet. Not peaceful. Just empty. And for the first time, I don’t feel the need to reach for him. Not to fix it. Not to hold onto something that already feels loose in my hands.

I just sit there and let the silence stay. I don’t know how long passes before I hear the knock. Soft. Careful. My body tenses anyway.

I already know it’s him. I take a second before getting up, like I need to prepare myself for something I can’t name.

Then I walk to the door and open it. Dante stands there, eyes going straight to my face. I see it instantly. Relief. Real and quick, like he’s been carrying it all day.

“Jade…” he says, stepping closer, and before I can think too much, he pulls me into a hug. I let myself lean into him for a second. It still feels familiar. His arms. His scent.

The warmth of his chest. But something doesn’t settle the way it used to. There’s a small gap inside me now, and it stays open.

He pulls back and looks down at my hand almost immediately. “What happened?” he asks, brows pulling together as he takes it gently.

His fingers are careful, but his focus slips for a second. I catch it. “It’s just a cut,” I say quietly, watching him more than answering.

He nods, but his eyes flick away before returning. “You should’ve told me,” he says. “I would’ve come earlier.” I hold his gaze. “You didn’t answer.”

My voice stays calm. No attitude. Just truth. He exhales and runs a hand through his hair.

“I told you, I was in a meeting,”

he says, and there’s a slight edge now. Small, but there. I don’t push it. I just step aside so he can come in. He walks in, glancing around the apartment like he hasn’t been here a hundred times before.

It’s quick, but I notice it.

He sits down, leaning forward. I stay standing for a second before sitting across from him. I study him quietly. The pauses. The drifting attention.

The way he seems half here.

“Did you at least clean it properly?” he asks, nodding toward my hand. “Yes,” I say. “I managed.” He nods again, but then his phone lights up. Just for a second.

His eyes drop to it without touching it. I follow the movement, then look back at him. Neither of us says anything. “You should rest,” he says after a moment. “Don’t go to work tomorrow.” “I already got a few days off.” He looks at me like that surprises him.

“That’s… good,” he says, though it doesn’t sound fully meant. The silence between us feels heavy now. Not empty. Full of things we’re not saying. He leans forward and takes my hand again. “Just be more careful next time,” he says softly.

I nod, but I don’t look away from him this time. Then suddenly he stands and grabs his keys. Too fast. Too sudden. “You’re leaving?” I ask, softer than I mean to. He pauses, then nods. “Yeah… I should head back. My mom is expecting me.”

His eyes slip away for a second.

“I just wanted to come check on you.”

I hold his gaze, then nod. “Okay.” I don’t ask him to stay. I don’t ask anything. He steps closer and leans in. I tilt my face up slightly, expecting his lips. But he kisses my forehead. Soft. Quick. Gone. Something in my chest drops, just a little.

“Get some rest,” he says. I nod again, though I don’t feel tired at all. As he turns toward the door, his phone buzzes in his hand. His eyes flick down, and I see it. That small shift in his jaw. Tight. Controlled.

Then it’s gone, and the phone disappears into his pocket like nothing happened. I see that too. I say nothing. He opens the door and pauses like he might turn back. Like he might finally say something real. He doesn’t.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he says instead.

Then he leaves. The door closes, and just like that, it’s quiet again. I stand there staring at the door for a few seconds. My thoughts aren’t loud anymore. They’re settling.

That scares me more than panic ever could. I walk back to the couch slowly and sit down. My phone is right there, but I don’t pick it up. I don’t feel like texting him.

I don’t feel like fixing anything. I just sit there, breathing, replaying everything. The way he looked away. The way he rushed.

The way he left. I don’t need answers right now. But I’m not blind anymore. He came to see me. But he didn’t stay.