Chapter 7%
For a moment, Norris felt like all his senses had vanished. He couldn’t hear anything, couldn’t move. His feet were frozen in place
The airport terminal was packed with people, but to him, the world had gone still. All he could hear was the sound of the announcement repeating Clarissa’s name. All he could see was that familiar name flashing across the screen X
He didn’t know how long he had stood there like that. Then, like waking from a nightmare, his chest heaved as he tried to breathe. He turned, wanting to leave, but his legs gave out from under him, and he collapsed to the ground.%
Frank rushed over to help him up, but Norris was limp, a dead weight. No matter how hard the driver tried, he couldn’t lift him.2
But Norris couldn’t feel a thing. The pain in his chest was so intense that it felt like he couldn’t breathe. His head throbbed like it was being electrocuted.
“Clarissa…” he murmured, barely audible, but no one answered.
Reality hit him all at once.
The voice over the speaker kept repeating the names like a blade slicing through him again and again.
Suddenly, he pounded his fists against the floor, once or twice, then dragged himself upright.%
Frank’s tears started flowing again as he watched Norris move like a ghost. He quickly helped him back into the car and drove him home. The whole way back, Norris didn’t say a word. He just stared out the window, not even blinking.%
When they arrived at his home, he seemed composed again. He turned to Frank and said calmly, “You can head home now’s
Frank hesitated. He glanced at him a few more times, trying to see if something was really wrong. When he was finally sure Noms looked
stable, he left.
But the moment Norris stepped through the door and saw the familiar surroundings, everything crumbled.%
The sorrow hit him like a flood. He collapsed onto the couch and buried his face in his arm, trying to hide the redness in his eyes.% Only if you looked closely would you notice how soaked his sleeves had become./
What he didn’t realize was that Gabrielle had been waiting for him inside.
She had sent the child away and spent hours getting ready, dressed in seductive lingerie, thinking tonight was the night.
Hearing a sound coming from the bedroom, Norris jolted upright, and his breath caught in his throat. He stared at the door, frozen. Just then, the door creaked open just slightly, and his breath became rapid. A part of him hoped, but a bigger part feared. But then, the door stopped.
He waited a long time before finally pushing himself to go check. When he opened the door and saw who was inside, all the color drained from his face.
It wasn’t Clarissa.
Gabrielle didn’t notice the pain in his eyes. All she saw was a man she thought had feelings for her. And tonight, she would finally make
her move.
She walked toward him on tiptoes, one slow step at a time.
But the moment she touched him, Norris’s face turned cold, and he roared out, full of rage, “Enough! Gabrielle, didn’t I already tell you that I’m married! If you insist on doing this, I’ll find you a new place to stay!”
Her body stiffened instantly. Anger flashed across her face, but she didn’t dare lash out. Instead, she turned and walked away, humiliated. As soon as she left, Norris yanked the bedsheets off the bed and threw them in the trash. Then he collapsed onto the bed, hard.%
The familiar scent still lingered. The furniture, the air–everything reminded him of Clarissa.
At that time, he didn’t hold back. He broke down and sobbed.
Then suddenly, in the quiet of the dark room, his phone buzzed.
That familiar notification sound stopped him cold.
He grabbed the phone like a lifeline, and there he saw the sender’s name lit up on the screen. (Clarissa)
The moment he saw it, he burst into tears all over again. But at that time, his lips curled into a smile.
With shaking hands, he opened the message.
But the moment his eyes scanned the text, that fragile hope shattered.
His ears rang. His mind went blank. He stared at the screen in disbelief.”
‘She knew about the child. But how? I’ve told the hospital to keep it quiet,’ he wondered in disbelief.
Then came the last line of her message.
(Let’s never see each other again.
That one sentence felt like a dull blade carving into his heart. The pain didn’t stop, and it just kept cutting deeper $
Nonetheless, she was alive. That was all that mattered.)
He clutched the phone, trembling with emotion. He was about to call her, ask her where she was, and beg her to come back, but then he saw that it was just a scheduled message.
