Chapter 24
Gray went green.
Not just pale, not just shaken—sickly, ghostly green.
And then, before Cadi could process it, he bolted.
She followed the sound of hurried, stumbling steps, the slam of the bathroom door, and then—the violent retching.
Cadi stood just outside the door, expression impassive, listening as Gray emptied his stomach into the toilet bowl. Then she slowly opened the door.
The harsh, gut-wrenching sounds filled the small space, punctuated by gasps as he fought for breath before another wave hit him.
She did not move to comfort him.
Did not say a word.
She just stood there, arms crossed, watching the man who had destroyed their marriage fall apart before her eyes.
When the retching finally subsided, she turned and walked into the kitchen.
She opened a drawer, pulled out a clean towel, and filled a glass with water.
Then she walked back, standing in the doorway, waiting.
Gray sat on the cold bathroom floor, his forehead resting against his arm, one hand still gripping the porcelain rim of the toilet.
For a long moment, he didn't move.
Then he forced himself upright, dragging his shaking body to the sink.
He turned the tap on, cupped his hands, and splashed cold water over his face before rinsing his mouth out.
When he lifted his head, he caught sight of Cadi in the mirror.
His pupils were dilated, the black eating the grey until there was only a thin rim of silver left.
He looked like a man who had lost everything.
Cadi extended the towel toward him.
"I'll be in the sitting room."
And then she walked away.
Cadi sat in the sitting room, her hands clasped tightly together, anger and grief warring inside her.
She had held on to her rage for weeks.
Had clung to it like a lifeline, because if she let go of the anger—
She would drown in the pain.
When Gray finally emerged, he looked like he had gone a couple of rounds with a truck.
And the truck had won.
He stopped in the doorway, hesitating, but Cadi's voice cut through the silence.
"Now you will tell me."
Gray flinched at the barely suppressed fury in her voice.
"Tell me why you would betray our marriage."
She stood up.
"Tell me. Tell me."
Gray ran a hand over his face, looking like he wanted to sink into the floor.
Then, finally, he spoke.
"I always noticed how much Callum was around," Gray admitted, his voice hoarse. "Not jealousy, exactly. Just... uneasiness."
He let out a bitter laugh.
"But gradually, we became friends. Or so I thought."
Cadi stared at him, arms crossed, waiting.
Gray swallowed.
"Regan overheard a conversation between you and Callum at a barbecue."
Cadi's frown deepened.
Gray continued.
"You were telling him that you didn't like lying to me. That if he didn't come clean soon, you would tell me yourself."
Cadi's brows knitted together, her confusion deepening.
"And?"
Gray exhaled slowly, as if the words physically pained him.
"Callum looked frustrated. He said he needed more time. And then you—" He hesitated. "You put your hand on his arm and said, But this baby is your family. And I think we should tell Gray soon."
Cadi's stomach plummeted.
Gray's voice cracked.
"You were six months along with Tomos."
She staggered back a step, her mind spinning.
No. No, no, no.
She remembered that conversation.
But not like that.
Gray let out a bitter laugh, rubbing his temples as if the memory physically hurt him.
"Regan sat on it for years. And then... four months ago, she told me."
Cadi's breath hitched.
"Why?"
Gray closed his eyes.
"She had just broken up with Jon . She had come down to see me before clinic, you know how she is." Regan's secret crush on Gray was not a secret to anyone in the family. She adored him. But Gray always treated her like a little sister." I was consoling her... and she just—she let it slip. She felt guilty. And she... she thought maybe you would be happier with Callum."
Cadi's eyes flashed dangerously.
"And you believed her."
Gray flinched.
"I didn't want to, Cadi. But I kept thinking about it. I kept seeing it. You and Callum. How easy it was for him to be there when I wasn't."
He let out a broken laugh.
"And then I saw you just as you were about to step into the consultant's room. Your hair gave you away. And I—" He swallowed. "I made it look like I was going to kiss Venessa."
Cadi's stomach twisted in disgust.
Gray ran a hand through his hair, voice wrecked.
"I was wild with jealousy. In a lot of pain. I wanted you to hurt like I was hurting."
His eyes met hers, desperate, shattered.
"But I never kissed her. And I have never slept with her....or anyone else but you , Cadi. I swear to God."
Cadi said nothing.
Gray stepped closer, voice barely above a whisper.
"Now tell me, Cadi. Tell me what that conversation with Callum really meant."
Cadi stood frozen.
Then—
She laughed.
Soft at first, then louder—until the laughter morphed into sobs.
Her entire body shook, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
"If only you had come to me," she whispered. "Why didn't you just ask me, Gray?"
Gray stared at her, his own breath unsteady.
Cadi let out a shaky, humourless exhale, then reached into her pocket.
She pulled out her phone.
Dialled a number.
Lifted it to her ear.
"Callum," she said, her voice flat, exhausted.
A pause.
Then—"I think it's time for that chat."