After my husband ʜɪᴛ me, I went to bed without saying a word. The next morning, he woke up to the smell of pancakes and saw the table filled with delicious food. He said, “Good, you finally understand.” But when he saw the person sitting at the table, his expression changed instantly…

Silence stretched across the table. The kitchen clock ticked in steady rhythm. Gavin’s eyes darted toward the hallway, as if calculating the distance to the door.

Patrick leaned back slightly, not in threat, but in something far more unsettling to Gavin: quiet certainty. “She asked me to be here. That is the only reason I came.”

Tessa folded her hands in front of her. “I am leaving today. I packed my things before you came downstairs.”

Gavin blinked rapidly. “Leave? Where? You cannot just do that.”

“I can,” she said. “And I am.”

“You will not survive without me,” he snapped. “You know that.”

Tessa’s eyes softened, but not with pity. With relief. “I already have been surviving without you Gavin. What I need now is room to breathe.”

Gavin took a step toward her, then stopped when Patrick subtly shifted in his chair. There was no threat in the movement, yet Gavin understood its meaning clearly.

His voice faltered. “You… made breakfast. Why would you do that if you are planning to walk out?”