LOGINThe door slammed shut.And the silence that followed immediately was louder than anything that had been said.Johnny stood still.Right where Grace had left him.Her words still echoing.“Maybe I’ll go ahead and marry Richard.”It didn’t feel like anger.It didn’t feel like a threat.It felt real.Too real.SlowlyHe turned back. And his eyes met Anita.For the first timeShe didn’t see control.She didn’t see confusion.She saw something else.Pain.Raw.And underneath itAnger.The kind that doesn’t shout immediately.The kind that builds.Anita took a small step forward.“Johnny….” she started.“Leave.”The word came out cold.Sharp.Final.She paused.Not expecting that.“Johnny, I was just…..”“Leave,” he repeated.This time louder.His jaw clenched.His hands tight at his sides.Anita tried to close the distance.“Let me just….”He stepped back immediately.Like her touch would burn him.And for the first timeHis voice rose.“Go inside. Get your things and leave. Right now.”S
Grace stopped.Right at the door.Johnny’s hand had almost reached hersAlmost.But not enough.“What is there to explain, Johnny?” she said quietly.Her voice wasn’t loud.But it carried weight.Pain.“Do you really want to tell me what I just saw now isn’t real?”Johnny stepped closer immediately.“Come on… you know I’ve never lied to you or have a reason to”“Then what?” she cut in.Her voice shaking now.“What do you want to say Johnny?”Her eyes met his—Tears sitting right there.Refusing to fall.Johnny swallowed hard.“Will you please Just let me explain,” he said again.This time softer.Sounding more desperate.Grace didn’t move.She Didn’t walk away. But she didn’t come closer either.So he spoke.“You said you needed space,” he began.“You had the father of your child there… your mom chose him… your sister chose him…”His voice tightened.“I felt out of place like I didn’t belong there.”That truth landed.Heavy.“I thought maybe… after some time, you’d come back.”A paus
Grace didn’t feel at peace anymore.Not after what she heard.Not after what she chose.And definitely not after what she was starting to realize.She sat on the edge of her bed, staring at nothing.The baby was asleep.The house was quiet.But her mind—Her mind was loud again.Louder than it had been in days.Maybe I rushed it…The thought came slowly.Carefully.But once it came—It didn’t leave.She leaned back slightly.Closing her eyes.Johnny didn’t deserve that…Her chest tightened.All he had done.All he had been.And she—She didn’t even try.Didn’t call.Didn’t reach out.She just… let go.Or worse—She assumed.Her eyes opened slowly.“What if…” she whispered to herself.What if she had just gone to him?What if she had spoken?What if she had fought—Just a little more?Her heart started beating faster now.Because suddenly—The distance between them didn’t feel like fate.It felt like a mistake.She stood up.Restless.Pacing slowly.The baby stirred slightly.Grace pau
Morning didn’t feel like a fresh start.It felt like the aftermath of something neither of them had fully faced.Johnny sat at the edge of his bed.Still.Quiet.But not at peace.The events of the night before lingered heavily in the room.The drinks.The blurred decisions.Anita.He ran a hand through his hair slowly.Trying to clear his head.Trying to ignore the weight in his chest.But it didn’t go away.Because no matter how much he tried to distract himself—One thing stayed constant.Grace.And now—She was getting married.The thought hit again.Harder this time.The door opened softly.Anita stepped out from the room behind him.Dressed.Composed.Like nothing had happened.“Morning,” she said lightly.Johnny didn’t respond.Didn’t even look at her.She walked closer.“You didn’t sleep much,” she added.Still nothing.Anita exhaled slowly.Then sat across from him.“Look… about last night—”“What do you actually want, Anita?”His voice cut through hers.Sharp.Cold.She paus
Morning came without peace.Grace had barely slept.The night had been long—Not because of the baby.But because of her thoughts.They didn’t stop.They didn’t soften.They just… repeated.Over and over again.Johnny.The baby.Richard.Stability.Choices.Consequences.By the time the sun crept through the curtains—Grace was already awake.Already tired.But inside her, she knew she wasn’t the same anymore.Not emotionally.But mentally.She had reached a point where feelings no longer mattered as much as outcomes.And that was dangerous.Later that morning—The house was awake.Her mother in the kitchen.Richard already around.Like always.Consistent.Predictable.Present.Grace stood at the hallway for a moment.Watching him.Then made a decision.“Richard,” she called.He turned immediately.“Can we talk?”Her tone was calm.But serious.He nodded.“Of course.”She didn’t wait.Just turned—And walked toward her room.Richard followed.Inside her room—Grace closed the door beh
The silence Anita left behind didn’t feel like peace.It felt like a warning.Grace sat exactly where she had been, the baby now asleep against her chest.But her mind wasn’t still.Not anymore.Anita’s visit—Her words—Her presence—They didn’t break Grace.But they shifted something inside her.Because now—This wasn’t just distance.This was a game.And everyone was playing.Across the room—Richard stood by the window, quieter than before.Thinking.Not about Grace.Not about the baby.But about Anita.Her words.“I’m the reason you even have a chance.”His jaw tightened slightly.He didn’t like that.Didn’t like the truth in it.But more than that—He didn’t like that she thought she could control how this ended.“Richard.”Grace’s voice pulled him back.He turned.She was looking at him now.Calm.But direct.“What did she say to you outside?” she asked.No hesitation.No pretending.Richard paused for a second.Then walked closer.“She thinks I should push harder,” he said.Gr
The walk back from the park was quiet.Not the heavy, suffocating silence from before—But something more careful.Measured.Grace walked beside Johnny, her fingers loosely wrapped around his hand like she was afraid he might disappear again if she let go.Johnny didn’t pull away.But he didn’t tig
The silence that followed Johnny’s departure was not ordinary.It wasn’t the kind of silence that came with peace or rest.It was heavy.Thick.Suffocating.Grace stood at the doorway long after he was gone, her fingers still curled slightly as if she could reach out and pull him back. But the road
Grace didn’t sleep.Not really. She lay on her bed, eyes open, staring at nothing while everything replayed in her mind.Johnny’s voice.His questions.That look in his eyes.“Is he the father of your child?”Her chest tightened again.She turned to her side.Reached for her phone.The message was
Johnny didn’t move for a long time.He just sat there.Phone in his hand.Eyes fixed on the screen.Grace.At a hotel.With another man.Her face—Soft.Emotional.Close to him.Johnny’s jaw tightened.“She lied…” he muttered under his breath.Not fully.But enough.He stood up suddenly.Ran a hand







