Chapter 7: The broken Promise

The doorbell rang with an unexpected urgency, the sound cutting through the stillness of the hotel room like a sharp knife. Grace didn't need to check the peephole to know who it was. She just open the door. She could feel it—the weight of the impending confrontation.

Andrew had come.

She hesitated for a moment, heart still raw from everything that had transpired, but then the door swung open, and there he was. His face was drawn, his eyes tired but determined, as if he had come to make one last plea for understanding, one last attempt to salvage whatever shred of their life together remained.

"Grace," he said softly, his voice almost pleading. "Can we talk?"

She didn't say anything at first. She simply stared at him, her chest tight with a mixture of emotions—hurt, anger, disbelief. He was standing in front of her, the same man who had vowed to love her forever, the same man who had promised her a future. And yet, here he was, asking her to accept the very thing that had torn their world apart.

"I didn't think you'd come," Grace finally said, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside her.

Andrew took a step closer, his face softening as he reached out, his hand hovering just an inch away from her. He dropped it, sensing she wasn't ready for him to touch her.

"I'm not asking for forgiveness," he began, his voice cracking slightly. "I'm not even sure you'll ever be able to forgive me. But Grace, I need you to understand. I need both of you. I can't live without either of you."

Grace shook her head slowly, the frustration building within her. Both of us? How could he even say those words after everything that had happened? After the way he had shattered the life they'd built?

"You need both of us?" she repeated, her voice sharp, biting. "You think this is about need? You think I'm just going to stand here and watch as you try to turn me into someone I'm not? Someone who shares her husband with another woman?"

Andrew's face hardened for a brief moment, as if he were bracing himself for the storm. He opened his mouth, as though to argue, but Grace didn't give him the chance.

"Do you even hear yourself?" she demanded. "You stand there, asking me to accept a life I never agreed to. I didn't sign up for this, Andrew. You didn't promise me this on our wedding day."

Andrew winced at the mention of their vows. The words she spoke stung like a slap across his face. He had known, deep down, that this wasn't what she had imagined for their life. He had known that the promises they made to each other in front of family and friends had meant something. That's why it hurt him so much to be standing here, to see the hurt in her eyes.

"I know," he said quietly, the regret in his voice palpable. "I know that I broke every promise I made to you, and I can't undo that. But, Grace, you have to understand. I thought I could make it work with just you. But the truth is, I can't keep pretending. I can't pretend that I don't love Sarah. I can't pretend that this isn't who I am anymore."

"Who you are?" Grace repeated, her voice trembling with anger and hurt. "So, this is who you are now? Someone who breaks every promise you made to the person who trusted you more than anyone else? Someone who can't even be honest about what they want until it's too late?"

"I never wanted to hurt you," he said, his voice softening, almost pleading. "I never wanted this to happen. I'm not asking you to accept this overnight, but I need you to try. Please, just try to understand."

Grace's chest tightened painfully as his words washed over her, but she didn't allow herself to soften. She couldn't. Not when the weight of his betrayal was still so fresh. Not when he was asking her to compromise everything she believed in.

She crossed her arms, standing firm, refusing to back down.

"No," she said, her voice icy and resolute. "I will not try. I won't be part of this life you want to build. I won't accept Sarah as another part of our marriage. I'm not sharing you, Andrew. I've already given you everything I had, and now, you want me to give more? No.

Andrew's face crumpled at her words, the pain of her rejection clear in his eyes. But he didn't turn away. He couldn't.

"Grace, please," he said again, his voice breaking. "I know I've hurt you. I've made mistakes. But I can't go back to who I was before. I can't undo what's happened. But I need you both. I want both of you in my life."

Grace felt something inside her snap at his words. This wasn't just about love. It wasn't even about needing someone. It was about something else entirely. Something selfish and cruel that Andrew had somehow convinced himself was acceptable.

"You want both of us?" she asked, her voice dangerously calm. "You want me to accept that? After everything you've done?"

She took a deep breath, standing taller as she leveled her gaze at him. "No, Andrew. I won't accept it. I won't be part of this life you're trying to create. This isn't what you promised me on our wedding day. You promised me love. You promised me loyalty. You promised me that we would build a future together. This—this isn't it. This is a broken promise. And I can't live in a world where promises like that are meaningless."

Andrew stood there, frozen, as if her words had struck him harder than anything else. His mouth opened, as if he wanted to explain, to apologize, but nothing came out. The weight of her rejection pressed down on him, suffocating him with its finality.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The air between them was thick with unspoken emotions, with the ache of love that had once been strong and now seemed like a distant memory. But Grace knew, deep in her heart, that there was nothing left to say.

Finally, Andrew took a step back, his eyes hollow, as if he had already accepted what she had said. He turned toward the door, his shoulders slumped with the burden of his own choices.

Before he left, he paused and looked back one last time.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, though the apology felt empty now, as if it were a shadow of what it should have been.

Grace didn't respond. She didn't need to.

As the door clicked shut behind him, Grace stood in the quiet of the apartment, her heart heavy but resolute. The man she had loved was gone, and with him, the life she had known.

But she would rebuild. She would find her way forward, even if it meant walking away from everything she thought she knew. All she knows is that she will never share her husband with anyone.