The Hotel Room: His Broken Vows

Chapter Eight - Kate

CHAPTER EIGHT

Kate

Kate sat cross-legged on the floor of Leah’s guest room, sorting through the endless tangle of socks, shirts, and jeans that seemed to multiply overnight. Lily’s sparkly leggings mixed with Noah’s hoodies, her own worn sweater tangled in the mess.

The guest room felt smaller every day. The twin bed creaked when she shifted, the floral bedspread one Leah had probably owned since college. It was cozy, but not home.

And the kids felt it.

Lily hadn’t said much, but she clung tighter each night, asking endless questions about when they were going back. And Noah—well, he’d barely spoken to her at all.

The ache pressed harder in her chest as she folded another pair of jeans.

There was a knock on the open door. Leah. She hovered just inside the doorway, arms crossed, leaning against the frame like she was working herself up to something.

Kate knew that look.

It never meant anything good.

“Hey,” Kate said softly, folding a shirt. “You’re home early.”

Leah didn’t answer right away.

Instead, she exhaled slowly, like she was bracing herself.

“Kate. We need to talk.”

Here it comes.

Kate forced a weak smile, still folding. “If this is about the guest towels again, I promise Lily didn’t mean to—”

“It’s not the towels.” Leah stepped closer, voice gentler now, but firm in that way only a big sister could be. “Look, I love having you guys here. Really. But…”

Kate froze, a sock half-folded in her hand.

But.

She swallowed hard, not meeting Leah’s gaze. “It’s fine, I get it. We’ve been here too long. I’ll start looking for a rental tomorrow.”

“Kate, that’s not—”

“No, you’re right.” Her voice cracked as she stood, hands clenched around the laundry. “I know we’re in the way. You didn’t sign up to be a full-time babysitter or roommate or—”

“ Kate. ”

The sharpness in Leah’s voice made her stop.

When Kate finally met her sister’s eyes, Leah’s face wasn’t annoyed or exasperated. It was soft. Concerned.

“This isn’t about me,” Leah said quietly. “I love you guys here. But it’s not working for the kids. And it’s not working for you .”

Kate blinked. “What?”

Leah sighed, stepping closer. “Lily’s scared, Kate. She asked me last night if she did something wrong to make you leave the house. And Noah—he’s completely shut down. You know how much space he needs. He doesn’t even fit in that twin bed you’ve crammed him into.”

Kate swallowed hard, shame burning under her skin. “I’m doing the best I can. I just—”

“I know you are.” Leah’s voice softened. “But you can’t keep squeezing them into this space, waiting for things to magically get better. They need their rooms. Their house. Their stability.”

Kate turned away, hugging herself, the ache rising like a tide she couldn’t control.

“That house doesn’t feel like home anymore.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

Leah was quiet for a long moment.

Leah’s voice stayed soft, but unyielding. “It does for them. Kate…you’re not just punishing James with this. I get it. I do. But the kids? They’re being dragged through this too.”

Kate turned sharply. “You think I don’t know that? You think I don’t see how much they’re hurting? I’m trying, Leah! I’m trying to figure out how to keep it together when everything—”

Her voice broke.

Everything felt like it was unraveling.

Leah stepped closer, placing a hand gently on Kate’s arm.

“I’m not saying you should go back him,” she said softly. “But you do need to take back your life. And part of that means going home. For them . And for you.”

Kate swallowed hard, her voice hollow. “It won’t feel the same.”

Leah nodded. “Maybe not. But running from it isn’t working either. The kids need their space. You need your space. Why does he get to stay in the house and force you out of your own home?”

Kate felt the weight of it pressing down—her sister’s words cracking open the truth she’d been too afraid to face.

She had left because it felt unbearable to stay. Because every inch of that house felt like a wound.

But Leah was right. Staying here— hiding —wasn’t solving anything.

And her kids were paying the price.