Chapter 37: Fracture

The silence shattered when Elias stepped fully into the living room, his easy grin dying on his lips as the reality of the scene before him registered.

Maddy stood first, her movements smooth and deliberate, and before Elias could even blink, she crossed the room and threw her arms around him. The delicate scent of her perfume enveloped him instantly; jasmine laced with something darker, almost suffocating. Her embrace was gentle but firm, every second longer than necessary, as if staking a silent claim.

Elias's arms moved on instinct, a habitual politeness more than affection. He hugged her back but there was hesitation in his limbs, tension gathering in his shoulders like an oncoming storm.

"Surprise," Maddy said, voice high and sweet, eyes twinkling up at him as if they were alone. He gently stepped back, shifting the tray in his hands. "Maddy… what are you doing here?" he asked, forcing a neutral tone.

Anya sat frozen on the couch, hands clasped tightly in her lap. The coffee Elias brought for her sat untouched on the table. He offered it to her now, stepping past Maddy like she hadn't just detonated a bomb in the middle of his apartment.

"Your coffee," he said softly to Anya, brushing a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. His fingers lingered a beat longer than they should have. It was gentle, familiar, an unconscious gesture that said more than words could.

Anya met his gaze, and something passed between them. A flicker of something warm, frayed now at the edges.

But Maddy wasn't finished.

Maddy, undeterred, followed behind with a light step, her voice pitching higher, like a child trying to charm her way out of trouble. "Aunty mentioned you extended your trip by another week," she said, settling back into the armchair. "So I thought… why not surprise you?" She added a sweet smile, tilted just right.

Elias raised an eyebrow, not smiling back. "That's a long trip for a surprise."

"I had nothing else planned," she shrugged, crossing her legs elegantly. "And besides, it's been too long since we last saw each other, don't you think?"

He didn't answer. Instead, his gaze shifted to Anya again.

Anya slowly stood, lifting her coffee mug with a quiet nod. "I'll get started on something to eat," she said, her voice light but clipped.

"Anya—" Elias began, but she was already walking toward the kitchen.

Maddy waited until Anya had almost reached the hallway, then leaned back and spoke with mock-innocence, her tone dipped in honey. "Did you miss me?"

The words, though aimed at Elias, were clearly intended for Anya to hear.

Anya paused, only for a fraction of a second, but it was enough. She resumed walking without a word, vanishing into the kitchen.

Elias's jaw tightened. He turned slowly to Maddy, setting down his own coffee. "Was that really necessary?"

Maddy blinked, feigning surprise. "What? I'm just happy to see you."

His brows drew together. "You don't need to fly down and barge into my life to say that."

"Barge?" she repeated with a short, brittle laugh. "I'm sorry, Elias. I didn't realize visiting someone I care about was considered trespassing now."

"You care about me?" Elias asked bluntly, his voice quieter but sharper now. "Maddy, we're not in a relationship. We've never been. You know that."

She faltered for just a second, then her eyes narrowed, her smile fading. "Is that what this is about? Because I found your little secret here?"

Elias took a step back, his frustration bubbling beneath the surface. "You don't get to intervene in my life like this. You don't have that right."

Maddy stood up slowly, her voice suddenly cold. "Not yet. But we will. Soon."

He stared at her. "When exactly did I agree to that?"

She looked at him like he was being foolish, like a child who'd forgotten a promise he never made. "Our families are already talking. It's been in discussion for months. You know that."

"That's between the families," Elias shot back. "Not between us. You can't just decide something this big and assume I'll fall in line."

Her face darkened, the mask slipping. "You're acting like I made this all up."

"You did," he said, voice steely now. "You've been feeding yourself this fantasy, and now you've dragged it into my home—without asking, without warning."

"Because I knew you wouldn't give me the chance otherwise!" she snapped, her voice rising. "And now she's here — this stranger — and suddenly you're different. Suddenly she gets the time, the attention, the softness that I've waited years for."

Elias gave a short, humorless laugh. "This? This whole stunt your performance—it's not about love, Maddy. It's control. It's ego."

Her eyes flared. "You think I came here to control you? I came here because I care! Because I heard you extended your trip and I wanted to surprise you."

"No, you came here because you couldn't stand not knowing what I was doing," he shot back, his tone sharper now. "You don't care about me—you care about the idea of owning me."

She took a step closer, her voice rising. "I'm the one who's always understood your world! The meetings, the pressure, the expectations. That girl—she's barely been in your life for five minutes!"

"That doesn't give you the right to storm in here like this." Elias's voice was low, dangerously calm. "You don't get to decide who belongs in my life and who doesn't."

"She's a distraction, Elias. She's not going to last."

His jaw clenched. "You don't know anything about her."

"I don't need to!" she snapped. "I can already see how she makes you soft—weak."

Elias took a step forward now, his voice cold and biting. "You're confusing vulnerability with weakness. And you've mistaken obsession for love."

Maddy's expression twisted with fury, but it was her pride that took the hit. "You think you love her already? After what—two weeks?"

"I never said that," he said tightly. "But I do know what isn't love. And this—whatever you think we had—died the moment you started keeping score."

Her lips trembled. "You think I can't win you over?"

He didn't blink. "I think you're trying to compete in a race I never agreed to run. You can't force feelings, Maddy. You sure as hell can't buy them."

The silence that followed felt like a slap.

For a long moment, she stood still, breathing hard. Her expression flickered—anger, pain, then cold detachment.

"So that's how it is," she said, voice low and bitter. "I came here trying to show you I still believed in us. And now I see—you were never mine to begin with."

Elias just stared at her, eyes tired but resolute. "You were the one who wrote a future I never signed up for."

She turned abruptly, grabbing her purse. At the door, she paused, glancing back with narrowed eyes.

"You'll regret this. One day, when she's gone and you realize what you threw away."

The door slammed shut behind her like a judge's gavel.

Elias stood frozen, the silence in the apartment pressing in like a vice. Everything felt louder now—the low hum of the fridge, the uneven beat of his own heart, the sting of everything unsaid.

He slowly ran a hand down his face, dragging his fingers through his hair. He didn't even remember setting the coffee down. All he knew was that something had cracked open—and now he had to face what was left.

Anya.

He moved toward the kitchen, each step heavy.

She stood by the counter, slicing vegetables with slow, methodical movements. She didn't turn around. The only sound was the soft rhythm of the knife hitting the cutting board.

"Anya," he said quietly.

She paused but didn't look at him.

"I didn't know she was coming," he added, voice rough. "I swear to you, I had no idea."

Still silent, she resumed chopping.

He took a step closer. "You didn't deserve that. Any of it."

"No," she said softly, without looking up. "I didn't."

That single, calm sentence cut deeper than any scream.

"I should've told you," Elias admitted. "About her. About the history. About... the fact that she still thinks there's something between us."

"Why didn't you?" Her voice was quiet, almost gentle—but each word struck like a hammer.

"I didn't think it mattered anymore," he said. "I thought I had moved on. Clearly, she hasn't."

She finally turned then, eyes meeting his—calm, but full of something simmering beneath.

"You should've told me," she repeated, not in accusation, but in exhausted honesty.

"I didn't want to scare you off," he confessed.

"You didn't scare me," she said. "You just didn't trust me enough to let me decide for myself."

That hurt. Because it was true.

The silence between them stretched again, heavy with unspoken things.

"I don't know what this is yet," Anya continued, voice soft but steady. "But if you want anything real with me, Elias, you need to leave the mess behind you. Not drag it into the room and expect me to act like it doesn't exist."

"I know." His voice cracked. "I know, and I'm sorry."

She gave a small nod, not forgiving, not condemning—just acknowledging. Then she turned back to the cutting board.

Elias stood there for a while longer, hands at his sides, aching with the weight of everything he couldn't fix in a single apology.

And he knew.

This wasn't over.

Not by a long shot.

Because the storm hadn't just passed through.

It had settled in.