Radio Silence

The morning after Brian's birthday felt unreal. Selena woke up to the pale light of dawn slipping through the curtains. Her mouth was dry, her body heavy with shame and exhaustion. Her dress from last night lay crumpled in a corner like the remnants of a bad dream, and Peter… was still fast asleep. He snored softly, sprawled across the bed with one arm hanging off the edge, smelling of stale wine and regret.

Selena turned away from him.

Her heart ached, and her first instinct was to check her phone. She grabbed it from the nightstand with trembling fingers, breath caught in her throat.

No new messages. No missed calls. Nothing from Jack.

She tapped his name.

Calling Jack Brooks…

It rang. Once. Twice. Three times.

Voicemail.

She tried again. Still nothing.

Selena sat on the edge of the bed, phone clutched in her lap. The silence on the other end of the line was louder than anything Peter had screamed last night.

Finally, she stood. She didn't bother changing out of her oversized tee and leggings. She just needed to see him.

The drive to Jack's estate was a blur. The roads felt unfamiliar, even though she'd taken them countless times. Everything was dimmed, like someone had turned down the contrast on her world.

She parked in the curved driveway and rang the bell.

Jack's housekeeper, a kind older woman named Maritza, opened the door. She looked surprised, then a little uneasy.

"Miss Selena," she greeted politely, "Mr. Jack has already left for work this morning."

Selena blinked. "What time?"

"Very early. He didn't say much. Just… quiet. Looked tired."

Selena nodded slowly. "Thank you."

Her hands were cold on the steering wheel as she drove across the city toward Brooks Holdings. She didn't know what she was going to say. Maybe she'd apologize. Maybe she'd fall apart.

The receptionist smiled as soon as Selena walked in.

"Mrs. Blake," she greeted. "You're okay to go up."

Selena gave a tight smile and nodded. She didn't have the energy to explain that she wasn't going by that name for much longer.

The elevator ride to the fifteenth floor felt like it took forever.

Her reflection in the mirrored walls stared back—messy hair, tired eyes, no lipstick. But she didn't care. All that mattered was seeing him.

She stepped out and walked to the glass doors of his office.

She hesitated for a second, then knocked.

"Come in," Jack's voice called, muffled.

She opened the door slowly.

Jack looked up from his desk and stopped mid-sentence when he saw her. His features froze. For a moment, he didn't move. Just stared.

Selena stood there like she'd been carved out of stone.

Jack finally leaned back in his chair, composing himself. He cleared his throat.

"Selena."

She stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. "Jack, I—"

"You shouldn't be here," he said evenly.

His tone wasn't harsh, but it wasn't warm either. It was… professional. Cold.

"I needed to see you," she said, voice shaking.

He nodded slowly. "I figured you might."

Selena crossed her arms tightly. "You left last night. You didn't say anything."

"What was there to say?" he asked quietly. "I meant everything I said. And everything I saw told me I was the only one who meant it."

Her throat tightened. "Jack, that's not fair."

"No?" His eyes met hers, calm but distant. "You didn't say a word, Selena. Not one word when I said I loved you. Not one look. Not even a breath."

"I was shocked—"

"You were ashamed. You thought what happened is just—, I don't know,—"

That word hit her like a slap. "No. I wasn't ashamed of you."

Jack stood up from his chair. "Then what's the right words to describe it? Were you ashamed of? Me? Us? Or the fact that you've used me as your escape hatch from a broken marriage and now you don't know what the hell to do?"

Selena stepped back like he'd hit her.

"Jack—"

"I get it," he said, quieter now. "Peter proposed an open marriage. He's been emotionally absent. He's been cheating. But that doesn't make me your band-aid. And I shouldn't have stepped in. Brian's right! I should have known better that you are married."

"I never—"

"You didn't mean to. But you did." He moved around the desk and stopped in front of her. "I gave you everything I had. I said things I've never said to anyone. I waited for years, Selena. And last night I realized… I'm just a fool."

Her eyes filled with tears.

Jack swallowed, jaw tight. "And now you show up here, in my office, hoping what? That I'll pretend last night didn't happen? That I'll go back to being the man in the shadows while you figure yourself out?"

"No," she whispered. "I just… I wanted to say I'm sorry."

He nodded once. "Apology accepted. But that doesn't change anything."

"I miss you."

"You miss the idea of me," Jack said. "Not me."

Selena's voice cracked. "Don't do this. Please. Don't push me away."

Jack stepped back, crossing his arms. His gaze softened for a moment, then hardened again. "You told me last night without saying a word that this wasn't real for you. You couldn't even look at me when Brian asked what we were."

Tears spilled down her cheeks now.

Jack exhaled through his nose, then pointed to the door.

"You need to leave."

She didn't move. "What—"

"I'm serious, Selena. I need you to go. And don't come back here again. Not to this building. Not to this floor. Not to this office."

His words were knives, each one colder than the last.

She turned slowly, her heart splintering.

"I never meant to hurt you," she whispered.

"I know," he replied. "But you did."

She walked out without looking back.

Outside, in the small garden just beyond the lobby, Selena collapsed onto a wooden bench. Her breath came in shallow, painful gulps. The morning sun was too bright. The world too loud.

She stared at the stone path, at the neat hedges and trimmed roses, and she hated all of it.

She hated the silence. The mess she created by herself.

Selena buried her face in her hands, sobbing alone on a bench in front of Brooks Holdings.