CHAPTER 004

ANABEL’S POV

I woke up the next morning emotionally exhausted.

The moment I opened my eyes, reality settled over me again. Cierra remained in the house. Miles was still avoiding me. And somehow everything that had happened over the past few days still seemed impossible to process even after everything I had seen with my own eyes.

For a few seconds, I lay there staring at the ceiling while the quiet hum of the air conditioner filled the room. Then my gaze drifted toward the digital clock beside the bed.

8:12 AM. Beneath the glowing numbers, JULY 18 flashed softly. My birthday.

A bitter smile almost touched my lips before fading again.

By the time I came downstairs, the smell of coffee already filled the kitchen. Cierra sat at the island wearing one of Miles’ hoodies while holding a mug between both hands. The oversized sleeves nearly swallowed her fingers. The sight stopped me near the doorway.

Something about that small detail hurt more than it should have.

Miles stood near the counter making coffee while murmuring something to her. He looked relaxed for the first time in days. Then Cierra laughed softly at whatever he said, lowering her head toward the mug in her hands, and I suddenly felt like a stranger in my own home.

Neither of them noticed me at first.

I lingered there awkwardly for a moment before Miles finally glanced up from the coffee machine.

“Oh,” he said simply. “You’re awake.”

That was it.

He didn’t even wish me a happy birthday.

I tightened my fingers around the bottle of water sitting nearby before walking farther into the kitchen. “Morning.”

Cierra offered me a small smile. “Morning, Anabel.”

An awkward tension hung in the room. Everyone seemed to be pretending there wasn’t something massive sitting between us.

Miles slid another cup of coffee toward Cierra before leaning back against the counter. “Did you sleep at all?”

“A little,” she admitted softly, rubbing her thumb against the side of the mug. “Not much.”

“You should try eating something today.”

“I’m not really hungry.”

Miles exhaled quietly before nudging the plate beside her closer. “You still need to eat.”

I stood at the counter pouring myself water while listening to them talk. He sounded patient with her. Gentle in a way he hadn’t been with me in a very long time.

For one pathetic second, I waited for him to suddenly remember what day it was.

But he never did.

The morning dragged on like that. Miles barely spoke to me unless necessary, but somehow he always stayed close to Cierra. If she moved into another room, he followed not long afterward. If her expression shifted even a little, he noticed instantly.

Later, I walked into the living room and found Cierra asleep on the couch. Miles stood beside her adjusting the blanket carefully over her legs before lowering the volume on the television.

He didn’t notice me standing there.

A lump formed painfully in my throat as I watched him tuck the edge of the blanket beneath her arm so it wouldn’t slip away.

Such a small thing.

But it broke something inside me all over again. Because I couldn’t even remember the last time he paid attention to me like that.

That afternoon, I came downstairs after hearing voices near the dining area. Miles was helping Cierra into her coat while she stood quietly beside him.

“Where are you going?” I asked before I could stop myself.

Miles looked up while fixing the sleeve of his jacket. “Out.”

“Out where?”

“Grandpa thinks she needs to get out of the house for a while,” he answered calmly. “She’s barely eaten or slept properly since the accident.”

Grandfather again?

I stared at him silently. Then at her before returning my attention to him.

Today was my birthday.

And he was spending the evening taking another woman out.

A sharp sting spread across my palm where my nails dug into my skin, but I forced my expression to remain calm.

“Oh,” I said. “Okay.”

Cierra shifted awkwardly beside him. “Anabel…”

“We won’t be late,” Miles interrupted before she could finish.

The interruption irritated me instantly. He cut her off so quickly it almost felt deliberate.

A few minutes later, I stood near the window watching them leave together. Miles rested his hand lightly against Cierra’s back while guiding her toward the car, and the sight made nausea roll through me.

The silence after the front door closed became unbearable.

I stayed downstairs for a while before eventually heading back toward the bedroom. The divorce papers sitting on the small table near the window immediately caught my attention.

Chloe had prepared them two days earlier.

At first, I couldn’t even bring myself to read them properly. Everything had seemed too unreal then.

But now?

Now the papers felt painfully real.

I picked them up and sat on the edge of the bed.

Miles hadn’t stepped into this room in days. Even last night, he slept in the guest room. His side of the bed remained untouched, cold, and perfectly made every morning as if nobody belonged there anymore.

My gaze moved across the papers while memories flashed through my mind at the same time.

Our wedding day.

Our honeymoon.

The way Miles used to kiss my forehead absentmindedly whenever he walked past me.

Emotion blurred my vision.

I swallowed hard and pressed the heel of my hand beneath my eyes before the tears could fall.

At what point did we become this? When did he stop loving me enough to care that this would destroy me?

Maybe Chloe was right. Maybe holding onto this marriage was only hurting me more.

I lost track of time completely. Eventually, my phone started vibrating nonstop beside me. I ignored it at first, but after what felt like the tenth call, I finally answered tiredly.

“Hello?”

“Ana, what the hell?” Chloe’s voice came instantly. “Why aren’t you answering your phone?”

“I didn’t feel like talking.”

“You’ve been alone in that house all day, haven’t you?”

I stayed silent.

“Oh my God,” she sighed heavily. “I’m coming over.”

About thirty minutes later, she walked into my room without knocking and frowned the moment she saw my face.

“Oh no.”

I looked away tiredly. “I’m fine.”

“You look like you’ve been crying for hours.”

“I probably have.”

Chloe sat beside me carefully, studying my face for a moment before gently pulling the divorce papers from my hands.

“You spent your birthday reading divorce documents?” she asked in disbelief.

A humorless laugh escaped me. “Pretty depressing, right?”

“Ana, you can’t stay in this room all night.” She nudged my shoulder lightly. “Girl, it’s your birthday.”

“I don’t want to go anywhere.”

“Yes, you do.”

“No, I really don’t.”

She folded her arms stubbornly while staring at me. “Get dressed.”

I groaned and dropped backward against the bed. “Chloe…”

“I’m serious. We’re going out for drinks.”

Surprisingly, an hour later, I found myself sitting inside a beautiful lounge downtown with soft music playing in the background.

The lighting was dim and warm, reflecting against the glasses lined behind the bar. People sat around chatting softly while waiters moved through the room carrying drinks.

For once, my thoughts drifted somewhere else.

Not better.

Just distracted.

Chloe kept trying to make me laugh throughout the night. "Remember when you almost failed your driving test because you hit that trash can?”

I groaned immediately, nearly choking on my drink. “Please don’t start.”

“You cried!”

“I did not cry.”

“You absolutely cried.”

“I was stressed!”

Chloe burst out laughing, leaning against the table. “The instructor looked terrified.”

Despite myself, I laughed too. Small at first, but real. And honestly, I had missed that feeling.

I drank more than I normally would that night. Enough for warmth to spread through my body and loosen some of the heaviness buried in my chest.

A while later, Chloe’s phone suddenly rang. The moment she answered, concern crossed her face instantly.

“What?” She straightened in her chair. “Okay, okay. I’m coming.”

My brows creased. “What happened?”

“My Aunt was rushed to the hospital,” she said while grabbing her purse quickly. “I’m sorry, babes, but I need to go."

“It's fine,” I told her immediately. “Go.”

She hesitated while looking at me carefully. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Ana…” She sighed. “Let me call a driver for you.”

“I’m not ready to go home yet.”

Chloe watched me for a few seconds before finally nodding reluctantly.

“Promise me you’ll call me when you’re leaving.”

“I promise.”

After she left, the distraction disappeared almost immediately.

I sat there alone nursing another drink while droplets rolled down the side of the glass onto my fingers. My thoughts kept drifting back to Miles no matter how hard I tried to stop them.

The worst part was realizing that despite everything, I loved him.

Even after everything. Even after humiliating me over and over again.

“Are you planning to drink that or fight with it?”

An unfamiliar voice interrupted my thoughts, and I looked up.