100 Days with My Ex-husband

Chapter 6: Why?

I froze, my hand gripping the door handle as my breath hitched. My heart pounded in my chest. There, just a few cars away, stood Cross. The man who had betrayed me. The man who had shattered everything we had built. I felt the world around me blur, the sound of my heartbeat pounding in my ears. But somehow, he didn’t see me.

I could barely process what was happening—how had I ended up here, so close to him again, after everything? The anger and the hurt rushed back to the surface, a storm threatening to swallow me whole.

I felt Vincent’s presence beside me, and when he noticed my stillness, I saw the change in his expression—his protective instincts kicking in. But instead of saying anything, he simply placed a hand gently on my shoulder, his touch a grounding force in the whirlwind inside me.

I took a shaky breath, but the weight of everything—my anger, the betrayal, the way Cross had abandoned me—was suffocating. I didn’t want to deal with this. Not now. Not here. Without a word, I stepped away from the car and quickly climbed back inside, shutting the door with a soft but firm click.

Vincent stood outside for a moment, his eyes locked on me, but I couldn’t meet his gaze. I turned to look out the window, trying to steady my breathing. I just needed space.

He didn’t press me. Instead, he slid into the driver’s seat and started the car. The engine hummed quietly as we sat in a thick silence, the only sound between us the rhythmic pulse of the engine.

Finally, Vincent spoke, his voice steady but with an underlying softness. "You don’t have to face him, Nora. You don’t owe him anything."

I didn’t reply. I couldn’t find the words. My heart felt like it was in a vice, but hearing Vincent’s voice was a reminder that I wasn’t entirely alone in this moment.

The car pulled away from the parking lot, but my mind was still back there, on Cross. It felt like a lifetime ago that I had trusted him, believed in him. And now, here I was—still carrying the weight of all that pain.

"Are you okay?" Vincent asked again, glancing at me with concern.

I shook my head, my voice barely above a whisper. "I don’t know. I just… I saw him. I saw Cross."

Vincent didn’t say anything for a long moment, his silence giving me the space I needed to collect myself, even if only just a little.

We drove in silence for what felt like forever, until we reached a quiet area outside of town. The streets were nearly empty, and the calm surroundings did little to ease the chaos inside me.

Vincent pulled the car to a stop by the side of the road, near an open field with no one else in sight.

He turned off the engine and looked at me. "We’re here."

I blinked at him, still lost in the fog of my emotions. "Where are we?"

He opened his door, stepping outside, and then came around to my side. Opening my door gently, he offered me a hand. "Come on," he said. "You can shout here, scream if you need to. Let it out."

I stared at him, confused and hesitant. "What? Why?"

He gave a small, patient smile. "I know you’re angry. You have every right to be. But I want you to let it go. Shout all that anger, all that pain, until it’s not weighing you down anymore."

I shook my head, feeling uncertain. "I can’t… I don’t even know where to start."

Vincent crouched down, looking me in the eyes. "You can do it. It’s the first step. I’m here with you, but you need to make a choice. You can hold on to all this hurt, or you can let it go. You have the strength to choose, Nora. But you have to promise me something first."

I looked up at him, my heart still racing. "What?"

He straightened up, his tone turning more serious, but still filled with kindness. "Promise me you’ll let go of the past. Forget everything that’s hurt you. Let it go. And start fresh. A new life. With me, if you’re ready. But you can’t keep dragging the past with you. It’s only going to keep hurting you."

I felt a knot tighten in my chest. Could I really do that? Could I leave all the pain behind?

Vincent didn’t push me. He simply stood there, waiting, giving me the space to think.

I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a shaky breath. Maybe he was right. Maybe I could never erase what Cross had done, but I didn’t have to let it define me.

With a deep, shaky breath, I nodded. "I promise. I’ll try."

Vincent’s smile softened, like a weight had been lifted. "That’s all I’m asking."

For the first time in a long time, I felt like there was a path forward, even if it was uncertain. As I stepped out of the car, I felt a spark of something—hope, maybe—flicker inside me.

I didn’t know if I could completely forget the past, but I was willing to try, for myself and for the future I wasn’t sure I deserved but might just have a chance at.

I faced the empty field, closed my eyes, and let out a long, agonized scream, releasing all the pent-up frustration, the anger, and the grief that had built up over the years. And as I did, I felt a small piece of the burden lift from my chest.

When I finished, Vincent was still standing nearby, watching me with quiet support.

I turned to him, wiping the remaining tears from my cheeks. "I don’t know if I can forgive him. But I’m trying to forget."

Vincent nodded, his voice soft but unwavering.

"That’s all anyone can do. Just keep moving forward, one step at a time."

I felt a chill in the air, a sharp contrast to the heat of the moment, as the weight of Vincent's silence pressed down on me.

My heart raced, and I stepped back, trying to distance myself from the knot of emotions tightening in my chest.

"Vincent... why?" I asked again, my voice shaky, the hurt slipping through despite my efforts to hold it together.

"Why are you being kind to me? What do you want from me?"