It was raining by the time Lena reached Daniel's apartment.
Not the soft, poetic kind of rain that dances on rooftops.
This rain was violent—needling through the air like bullets, soaking her to the skin before she even reached the steps. Thunder cracked above her, a jagged reminder that the world was, indeed, falling apart.
Her fist pounded against the door with urgency.
Once. Twice.
Then it opened.
Daniel stood shirtless, wearing only sweatpants, water bottle in hand. His eyes widened as if he hadn't expected her to come.
"You shouldn't have texted me," she snapped, shoving past him and into the warmth of his apartment.
"I didn't think you'd actually show up."
"Well, I did," she spat. "You know what happened? Someone threw a rock into my store. They left a note. Then someone left photos."
Daniel shut the door slowly.
"Photos?"
"Of us," she hissed. "Together. Every moment. Every touch."
He went still.
Then slowly, "I didn't take any photos, Lena."
"Well, someone did. And they knew where to find me. They knew where to hurt me."
Her voice cracked on the last word.
Daniel sat down on the armrest of his couch, rubbing his jaw. "You think it was me?"
"I don't know!" she shouted. "That's the problem! I don't know who to trust anymore."
Daniel looked up, suddenly serious. "You think I'd blackmail you? Hurt you? After all the nights we've shared?"
She froze. The intimacy in his words made her flinch.
"This wasn't just sex for me, Lena."
She closed her eyes.
"This can't happen again. It was wrong. It was never meant to be right."
"You say that," Daniel murmured, stepping toward her, "but you came back. Again. And again."
"I was broken," she whispered.
He reached out, gently, but she stepped back.
"I'm pregnant," she said.
The words sliced the air like a knife.
Daniel blinked. "Wait… is it…?"
"I told my husband it's his."
Silence.
Heavy. Suffocating.
"And now someone knows. Someone who wants to ruin me."
Daniel's jaw clenched. "I'll find them."
"No," she said. "You've done enough."
She turned to leave—but Daniel caught her arm.
"Lena," he said, softer now. "I never meant for this to happen. But I don't regret loving you."
She looked him in the eyes for the first time that night.
"I do," she whispered.
The moment Lena stepped out of Daniel's house, her hands wouldn't stop shaking. Her lips still tingled from the kisses she should've never allowed, and guilt clung to her skin like sweat. She drove in silence, the road ahead blurry through unshed tears. She had promised herself it was over—and yet, there she was, once again, drowning in weakness and betrayal.
By the time she opened the front door of their home, it was dark.
Theo was already standing in the hallway, arms crossed, eyes shadowed with concern and something heavier—mistrust.
"Where have you been?" he asked softly, but the edge in his voice was unmistakable.
Lena tried to mask her trembling. "I told you… I had to stop by the clinic."
Theo's eyes narrowed. "I called. The receptionist said you never came."
Silence.
His voice deepened. "Where were you, Lena?"
"I—I was just driving," she stammered, avoiding his gaze. "I needed air."
"Air? You're carrying a child, Lena," he snapped. "The doctor said stress isn't safe for you—or the baby. You've been distant. Cold. Hiding things. Do you think I haven't noticed?"
"I didn't ask for this fight!" she shouted suddenly. "I didn't ask to be interrogated every time I walk through the door!"
"What am I supposed to do?" he fired back. "Pretend I don't see you slipping away from me?"
"You think this is easy for me?" Her voice cracked, and this time the tears fell freely. "I'm trying to hold everything together—my life, my sanity, our marriage—and I'm failing at all of it."
"You're not alone," Theo said, softer now. "But you act like I'm the enemy."
Lena looked at him then—really looked at him. This man who once brought her peace now only mirrored her chaos. He didn't know the truth. Not about Daniel. Not about the paternity. Not about the night she swore she'd stop and then went back anyway. Her tears doubled, but the pain wasn't from the argument.
It was the crushing weight of her own betrayal.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, breaking.
"For what?" he asked.
Lena shook her head, unable to answer.
Theo approached her slowly. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, but she flinched. That was the moment he knew.
Something was broken between them—and it wasn't just the trust. It was something deeper, something unsaid, growing between them like a crack in glass.
"I just want us to be okay again," he said quietly.
Lena collapsed onto the couch, sobbing uncontrollably. "I'm so tired, Theo… I'm so tired of pretending."
He stood there for a long moment, watching her unravel.