Warning: This chapter contains themes of betrayal, emotional anguish, and strong language.
Silver rested his hands on the railing of the large glass window, his eyes lost in the city sprawling beyond. The setting sun bathed the skyscrapers in hues of gold and orange, as if trying to soften the coldness of the concrete. Below, the traffic pulsed — a rhythm he knew by heart. But inside him, there was no calm — only a void that had grown year after year, like a shadow he couldn't explain.
So many choices. So many sacrifices. And yet, here I am.
He was waiting for Kalleb, the manager, with the patience of someone who had learned to swallow frustration. Years ago, Silver had been just an intern at NASA, dreaming of the stars. He wanted to uncover the secrets of the universe, to be more than just a name on forgotten reports. But the promotion never came. His ideas were rejected. His projects ignored. The memory still burned — hours of calculations, sleepless nights, all discarded without explanation.
Determined, he found another path. Azure Xpace, the second-largest aerospace company in the world, became his new home. Fifteen years of dedication, no breaks, no vacations — except for the honeymoon with Julie, a handful of stolen days that still warmed his memory. He could feel her scent, the gentle touch of her fingers as they danced under the stars, laughing as if time didn't exist.
Was it worth it? The question gnawed at him, a doubt that grew heavier with each passing day.
The soft click of the door pulled him from his thoughts. Kalleb entered, his polite smile contrasting with his sharp gaze.
"Good afternoon, Silver. Have a seat. Coffee? Tea?" His voice was honeyed, each word carefully measured.
"I'm fine, thank you." Silver sat, trying to mask the tension. "Your secretary must have informed you why I'm here."
Kalleb poured himself some tea, his movements slow, deliberate. Steam rose in spirals, and he blew on the cup with an irritating calm. Silence. A test of patience.
"Yes, she told me." He looked up, the smile still on his lips. "But please, call me Kal. Just Kal."
More silence. Silver clenched his fists under the table.
"Kal…" he pressed, his tone firm, with a hint of exasperation.
"Ah, of course! Got distracted by the aroma," Kal chuckled, though his eyes didn't follow suit. "Let's get to the point."
Silver took a deep breath, keeping his composure.
"I need a vacation. I have over a year accumulated. I want to spend some time with Julie. I feel like... I'm losing something important."
Kal stared at him, eyes probing, as if trying to uncover the source of Silver's fatigue.
"I know, Silver. And I know you deserve it." A pause. "But we're at a delicate moment. The research depends on you. Even so…" He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "You're our best specialist. If I say no now, who's to say you won't jump to the competition?"
A short laugh escaped him, but his face quickly hardened.
"Two months. No more. And when you return, I want the research finished in thirty days. Even if you have to burn the midnight oil. Deal?"
"Deal." The response came quick, almost instinctively.
"Great. Go, before I change my mind."
Silver stood, relief mixed with an unease that had no clear source. On his way to the lab to grab his things, he felt curious glances. Suppressed smiles. Hushed whispers.
They already know.
Upon entering the room, the atmosphere felt strange. His team stared at him as if he were a relic about to retire.
"Don't you all have work to do?" he muttered, trying to sound serious. "Or are you just shocked I'm finally taking a vacation?"
Marcos, the most senior team member, gave a respectful smile.
"Boss, you never stop. This is historic."
Silver chuckled, grabbing his things from the desk.
"Historic would be you guys finishing Curve 37 before the end of the decade." He looked at the team, his tone softening. "Thanks, everyone. I want to surprise Julie with this."
At the door, he looked back. They were still watching, a mix of admiration and curiosity.
"Try not to blow up the lab while I'm gone."
The wind outside felt lighter, almost gentle. Silver ran to his car, eager to leave the building behind. He started the engine, the familiar roar calming his nerves. He didn't need a GPS — he knew the way home by heart.
In twenty minutes, he'd be with Julie. He had reserved a special dinner, imagining her smile when she heard about the vacation. He wanted to remember that his life was more than formulas and deadlines. That there was warmth, laughter, a touch that made everything worthwhile.
But as he drove, Silver's mind was clouded, like the road slicing through the night. The car sped at 200 km/h, running red lights, as if speed could silence the storm inside him. The city, wrapped in a heavy silence, seemed to watch. Cold wind came through the window cracks, but it was the heat of his anguish that suffocated him.
Something's wrong.
The phrase echoed, a certainty he didn't want to face. He didn't need to check the rearview mirror to know he was heading somewhere that would never be the same again.
When he got home, he parked in the garage automatically, his mind lost in what was coming. The house was quiet, but something was off — a missing presence, an energy absent. The TV was off. The coffee never made. Small but disconcerting details that amplified the weight in the air.
Then he saw it. A pair of boots near the door.
Silver's mind raced for explanations. Maybe someone from her family… But he knew better. Julie always insisted on keeping the house spotless, refusing housekeepers. In recent months, he had noticed her growing distant — the silences, the fatigue she blamed on work.
Is that why she has no energy left for me?
The bitter doubt rose in his throat like poison.
He forced himself up the stairs, each step deepening the dread. He needed to change clothes, calm himself before confronting Julie. But the weight in his chest grew, the air thickening. At the bedroom door, he heard music — not loud, but enough to drown out other sounds. A precaution.
And then, he heard it. A faint sound, almost imperceptible… but soon it became clear.
The sound that tore through the night.
The sound of betrayal.
Silver shoved the door open, the wood slamming against the wall with a crash that echoed through the hall. In the next moment, he saw everything.
Julie, the woman he loved, entangled with another man, their bodies moving in a rhythm that felt like a nightmare. The air fled his lungs, and a storm of emotions engulfed him — rage, contempt, sorrow, and a pain so deep he could barely stand it.
"Julie!" His voice came out broken, a scream stuck in his throat. "What is this?! Who is this guy?!"
Julie turned to him, shock painted across her face. She scrambled to cover herself with the sheet, the panic in her eyes unmistakable.
"Silver?" Her voice trembled. "What are you doing here? You… weren't supposed to be at work?"
Her words dragged, but Silver wasn't listening. His gaze fixed on the man beside her, and a chill ran down his spine.
He recognized him.
It was Daniel.
An old colleague from NASA.
The man who had always outshined him.
The shadow Silver could never escape.
And now, he was there. In Silver's bed. With Julie.
"Daniel?" Silver spat the name, voice full of hate. "You? Of all people?"
Daniel rose slowly, unhurriedly buttoning his shirt with a calm that was almost insulting. His eyes met Silver's, and a subtle smile curved his lips.
"Silver. Didn't expect to see you so soon." His voice was soft, but carried a blade of arrogance.
"Didn't expect me? In my house? In my bed? With my wife?!"
Julie shrank back, clutching the sheet tighter to her chest.
"Silver, please…" she began, voice faint. "It's not what it looks like. I… I just…"
"Not what it looks like?!" Silver roared. "I see you with him, Julie! How is that not exactly what it looks like?!"
She lowered her eyes, unable to respond. Daniel, however, stepped forward, the smile never leaving.
"Let's stay calm, Silver. No need to make a scene." He crossed his arms, as if he were in control. "Julie and I… well, these things happen. You were so busy with your projects, your equations. She needed someone who was there."
Silver's rage exploded. He stepped forward, his face inches from Daniel's.
"There? I spent years building a life for us, Daniel. Years sacrificing everything! And you… you were always there, weren't you? Waiting to steal what was mine!"
Daniel raised an eyebrow, his grin widening.
"Steal?" he laughed, low and cruel. "You never understood, Silver. It's not about stealing. It's about deserving. You thought your NASA projects were brilliant, but did you ever wonder why they were never approved? Why your ideas always ended up in the trash?"
Silver froze. His fury drowned in a wave of confusion.
"What are you talking about?" His voice came low, dangerous.
Daniel leaned in, his whisper venomous.
"I was on the review board, Silver. Every one of your reports, every proposal… went through me. And I made sure they died there. You were good — but you were never going to be better than me."
Daniel straightened, his smile sharp as a stellar blade.
"Know why, Silver? You were dangerous. Your ideas, your calculations — too brilliant. If I let you rise, who would be NASA's prodigy? Me? Or the nerd who worked until he passed out? So I clipped your wings. Every rejection, every 'no' — that was me keeping you where you belong: beneath me. And it worked. Until now."
He chuckled, like Silver's ruin was an inside joke.
The world spun around Silver. The rejections. The sleepless nights. The constant feeling of not being enough.
Everything made sense now.
Daniel wasn't just the man sleeping with his wife. He was the reason Silver's dreams at NASA had collapsed. The reason he had to leave it all behind.
"You…" Silver could barely speak, his voice choked with fury. "You destroyed my career. And now this? My wife?"
Julie finally stood, the sheet falling as she stepped between them.
"Silver, stop!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. "It wasn't him fault. I… I felt alone. You were always working, always distant. I needed someone. And Daniel… he was there."
"He was there because he wanted to destroy me, and you fell for it!" Silver shouted, pointing at Daniel. "Can't you see, Julie? He doesn't care about you. He just wanted to break me, to humiliate me!"
Daniel shrugged, still smiling.
"Think what you want, Silver. But the truth is, Julie chose. And she didn't choose you."
The words struck like a punch.
Silver looked at Julie, searching for remorse, some explanation that could save him from the pain consuming him.
But she only looked down.
The silence said it all.
"How could you?" Silver murmured, voice weak and broken. "After everything we built… how could you?"
Julie opened her mouth, but no words came out. The room felt too small. The air too heavy to breathe. Silver took a step back, rage blending with crushing sorrow. He looked at Daniel — the man who had stolen his dreams and now his wife — and felt something inside him snap.
"This isn't over, Daniel." His voice was cold, a warning. "You'll pay for this."
Daniel just laughed. A sound that echoed like a final mockery.
"Good luck, Silver. You were never a match for me."
Without another word, Silver turned and left the room, his heavy steps echoing down the stairs.
The house that had once been his sanctuary now felt like a tomb.
He grabbed his car keys, mind blank, driven only by the need to escape. He had no idea where he was going.
But staying there, in that house, with those memories, was unbearable.
In the car, he sped into the night, the velocity a silent scream against the pain devouring him.
Julie's betrayal.
Daniel's revelation.
Everything swirled in a chaos he couldn't contain.
His life — the life he had known — had collapsed in mere minutes.
And as he drove to nowhere, Silver felt lost, as if the ground had vanished beneath his feet, plunging him into an abyss from which there was no return.