Clarity Of The Other Man

s the kitchen counter, remnants of Jackson's half-hearted attempt to apologize. The hollow ache in her chest hadn't diminished, no matter how many nights she'd

For years, she had been blinded by it, swept away by the illusion of a love she thought was indestructible. The voice on the phone call she had ove

hair slightly disheveled. He exuded the effortless charisma that had once ma

dn't r

continued, walking over to th

to demand answers, but the weight of her own disbelief kept her silent.

is

. For a fleeting moment, his expression wavered,

d, her voice steady despite the storm brewing insid

by something colder. "Lena, don't do

g? I heard you, Jackson. I heard everything

. You want the truth? Things between us haven't been t

could conjure, but hearing the blunt truth was worse. "Something different?"

, his tone growing defensive. "I never

? You didn't mean f

oke louder than any

chest, making it hard to breathe. "I trusted yo

be that's the problem, Lena. You put everything i

ble. She stood there, stunned, as Jackson g

d, not bothering to look back. "We

resounding click, leaving Lena a

he cabinet. Tears blurred her vision, but she didn't let them fall. Crying wouldn'

as anger. She had spent years molding herself into the perfect wife, sacri

the mess her life had become. She stood, grabbing the vase and hurling it acro

uffocating, each room a reminder of the life she had lost. Grabbing her

reetlights casting long shadows on the pavement. Her feet carried her

to her. The bench by the water had always been her refuge, a place where she could

e water shimmered under the moonlight, its gentle

h nig

s shoved into the pockets of a worn leather jacket. His dark hair fell across his

p back. "I didn't mean to intr

o late that her cheeks were damp. "I

t leave. "Sometimes talk

here was something disarming about him, something that made

ing on his lips. "Just a hunch.

nstead, she surprised herself. "It's my husband," she

darkened, his jaw tig

ut a bitter laugh. "Don't be.

pecially not someone who cares enough to sit out her

hed despite herself. "Who say

m and genuine. "Fair enoug

ed, her voice sof

ing a seat on the bench beside her. "E

but it was enough to remind her that maybe,