CHAPTER SIX
Archibald
She had stopped crying a while ago, but I bet her chest still ached. Her eyes were puffy, probably sore. And knowing her, she didn't stop because she felt better. She stopped because she was embarrassed. Sobbing like that in front of me. And the taxi driver.
I leaned back against the seat, my gaze drifting outside as the city blurred past the window. The car kept moving, circling aimlessly. The driver must have been exhausted by now, but he empathized with us too much to stop.
She tried so hard to keep herself together. Tried so hard to be strong. It was heartbreaking.
"Just let it all out, Peaches," I said softly. "It's better than holding it in like this."
"I'm tired of crying," she muttered.
"But you might still need to."
She didn't reply, but she finally turned her head to me. She had quiet sadness in her eyes.
My heart ached for her.
"Stop looking at me like that," she muttered, narrowing her eyes at me. I gave her a questioning look, and she said, "You look like you're trying to decide whether or not to hug me."
"Why? Does it bother you that I just want to hug you?"
She looked away again, sniffing. "Yeah."
"You need me to hug you," I said.
She turned back to glare at me. I grinned. "Or you could ask Hector to hug you."
Frowning, she asked, "Hector?"
"The driver," I said casually.
She blinked, her eyes questioning when I had even learned the driver's name. Then, her gaze drifted to the ID attached to the dashboard. Her face relaxed as realization dawned on her.
"The point is," I said, my tone softening, "you need a hug from someone."
She stayed silent.
"If you need one, I'm here."
She still ignored me.
"Sara..."
She closed her eyes and sank deeper into her seat.
I sighed. Okay. She didn't want to talk.
But for Hector's sake, I had to ask. "Where do you want to go now?"
She shook her head.
"Hector's about two miles away from needing a cast if he keeps driving any longer."
Hector shot a very convincing, pitiful glance through the rearview mirror.
"I don't want to go home," she finally spoke. "Cole might be there. I'm not ready to face him yet."
"You can come to my place," I offered.
She gave me a suspicious glare.
"I'm staying with my parents for now," I quickly clarified. "Temporarily. I just landed yesterday, so I haven't had time to find a place yet. And we have a guest room. You can spend the night there."
"Are you staying for good?" she asked.
"Depends," I answered simply. I wanted to say I'd stay as long as she needed me, but that might scare her. So instead, I just said, "Come on, Peaches. Let's go to my house. Mom's an excellent hugger, and she likes you a lot."
Sara was quiet for a long moment before she gave a small nod. "Okay."
My brows lifted, half wondering if I'd heard her correctly. "Okay?"
She nodded. "Let's go to your house."
I rattled off my address to Hector, and I could've sworn Hector was barely holding back a squeal of relief.
My phone buzzed, and I glanced down at it until it stopped—only for it to start again. It had been vibrating non-stop the entire drive, but I didn't bother picking it up.
Cole's name flashed on the screen.
With her phone off, he had no choice but to blow up mine instead.
*** *** ***
Sara stepped out of the taxi as I paid Hector, slipping him a generous tip that instantly wiped the tiredness from his face. He drove off in the next second.
Standing behind her, I watched her closely as she looked up at my house.
I had been assigned to cover war stories, standing in the middle of battlefields, filming complete and utter madness, and capturing the wreckage. I spent six days in captivity after kidnappers abducted me for ransom. I had been beaten, stabbed, starved, and pushed to the brink. Held at gunpoint. Shot in the leg.
I had endured every kind of pain imaginable.
And yet, my heart wasn't as strong as hers.
Right there on the sidewalk, I watched her shatter, and I didn't know what to do. The way she sobbed was soul-crushing, her tears soaking her face. She was so broken that I had to fight the overwhelming urge to scoop her up and take her far, far away from that asshole.
Then, just like that, she took a deep breath and pulled herself together. And damn, I couldn't have been prouder. She slapped him—good—but to me, it wasn't nearly enough. I would have been much more satisfied if she had stabbed him with a knife instead.
But she held her composure. She rose above them all.
I ground my teeth as the memory came back. Cole. He cheated and got that woman pregnant.
Fucking lying, cheating scumbag.
What the hell did Cole even see in that woman?
I couldn't even remember her name. Didn't even care to.
What could possibly have made him think she was better than Sara?
Because no one—no one—was better than Sara.
She was perfect.
"Archie," she called softly, and I instinctively drifted toward her as if pulled by an unseen force. "Will your parents be okay with me staying the night?"
"Of course," I replied without hesitation.
She looked up at me, a small smile forming on her lips. "Thank you," she whispered.
"You're welcome," I replied, warmth settling in my chest. "Let's go in."
Sara nodded and followed me to the house. We stepped inside and found Mom, as usual, in the kitchen, baking something.
The moment she saw us, her brows lifted slightly as her gaze flickered past me, searching. She was probably looking for Cole, as Sara usually came with him.
She smiled at Mom, who pulled her into a hug. Sara held her a little tighter, a little longer than usual. Like I said, Mom was an excellent hugger. And right now, Sara needed that. Comfort from someone she felt safe with.
Luckily, Mom was wise enough to read the situation. One look at Sara's face and she knew something was wrong. She didn't pry, didn't ask questions. Instead, she simply said, "My butter cake just came out of the oven. Fresh and warm. Want some?"
Sara glanced at me, then back at Mom. "Yes, I'd love that," she said with a small smile.
I wondered how she could still sound so steady, so firm, after crying so hard just moments ago.
She helped Mom cut the cake, carefully placing slices onto small plates. After thanking her, she ate—small bites, chewing slowly, her gaze fixed on the plate as if it held all the answers.
Mom's eyes flicked to me, silent questions written across her face.
I could only shake my head.
"Sara is spending the night here, Mom. The guest room is ready, right?"
"Yes!" Mom said with enthusiasm, then hesitated as if something had just occurred to her. "Let me double-check, okay? Give me a minute."
Once Mom was gone, I turned to Sara. "Are you feeling better now?"
Considering the circumstances, it was a stupid question, but I worried too much not to ask.
"Yes," she answered too quickly. My gaze locked onto hers. I could always tell what she was feeling from her eyes.
She lied, but I didn't press her. She was not okay.
"You're staring," she said.
"Yeah. Sorry." I mumbled and looked away.
"I'm fine, really," she said, looking up at me with those big, beautiful, watery eyes, and my heart pounded a little faster like it did every time she looked at me. "You don't need to worry about me."
"Okay," I replied. I was lying, too. I was so fucking worried.
But I knew I shouldn't be so worried about her. Sara wasn't like most people. When life screwed her over, she allowed herself a moment of vulnerability just long enough to let it out of her system. Then she meticulously pieced herself back together, not just to heal but to prove a fucking point. To show the world and those who had let her down that she could rise above anything life threw her way.
I had seen it in her once before, and I knew I would see it again.
She had a rare, unshakable determination to survive, even when the odds were against her. But despite everything, she never lost her softness, her kindness, her sensitivity. They remained untouched as if the world had tried to break her and failed.
Sara was a work of art. A beautiful contradiction, a clash of fire and fragility. She carried her scars like poetry and her strength like armor.
And Cole, the idiot, chose that whore over this woman.
Fucking stupid.
He fucked up. Big time. I wasn't sure if there was redemption for a betrayal this massive.
And now, she's here with me, in my home.
I had to keep myself in check, had to remind myself, over and over, not to cross the line. I wouldn't do that to her. I wouldn't take advantage.
I had accepted long ago that she had never seen me that way.
"You keep staring at me, Archie!" she protested with a frown.
See? She wasn't even comfortable with me looking at her.
"Sorry," I muttered.
"I promise, I'm fine." She misunderstood. Again.
I just nodded and turned my focus to my plate.
We sat in comfortable silence for a while; each lost in our own thoughts until Mom shuffled back into the room.
"The room is ready," she said to Sara. "Come, I'll take you there."
Before Sara could move, Dad hurried in from the front door, his expression tense.
"Cole is out there, looking for Sara," he announced, clearly baffled. "He's demanding we bring his wife out. What the hell happened, Archie? Why is he looking for her here? And why won't he come inside? This is practically his home, too."
Then his eyes landed on Sara, who was half-hidden behind me. And just like Mom, Dad was sharp. He noticed right away that something was off.
"Oh, shit," he muttered. "Something happened, didn't it?"
Sara hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.
Dad's gaze flicked to me, unsure of what to do.
I turned to Sara. "Do you want to see him?"
"No." Her answer was instant, firm.
"Okay," I said. "Then I'll go out."
When Sara paused, probably worried I'd end up in a confrontation with Cole, I added, "It'll be fine. I'll try not to punch him in the face."
Her voice was almost breathless as she said, "Okay." The worry didn't leave her eyes, though.
I took my time walking out of the house and found Cole standing in front of his car, arms crossed, scowling at me.
The moment I stopped in front of him, he spoke. "Sara is my wife. She's coming home with me."
I raised a brow. "By home, you mean which one..." I let the words hang, making him spell it out. Was he talking about the brownstone where they built a life together or Sterling Heights, where he built a lie?
"Don't fuck with me, Archie," he hissed. "This isn't your place to interfere."
I stepped closer, meeting his glare head-on. We were the same height, standing eye to eye, neither of us backing down.
"She's my friend," I said evenly. "She chose to be here for protection. From you. And I'm going to make damn sure she gets it."
"I need to talk to her," Cole said, softening his tone and changing tactics. "I'm going to wait here until she comes out."
I tilted my head, studying him. He looked utterly wrecked. Completely broken. It was as if life had been sucked out of him. Fear of losing her, jealousy of me, and raw desperation ripped through him, tearing him apart from the inside.
I understood that.
Sara wasn't someone you could just walk away from. You'd have to be a complete fucking moron to let her go.
"Suit yourself," I said. The night was closing in, but it was warm enough that he wouldn't freeze waiting outside.
I turned to leave, but his voice stopped me. "I know you're in love with her."
I sighed. Perhaps a confrontation was inevitable, anyway. I knew he wouldn't give up that easily.
"You've been in love with her forever," he went on. "But she never loved you back. She chose me. She married me. And now you see this as your opportunity to swoop in like a white fucking knight, saving her like some damsel in distress."
I spun on my heels, facing him again. I still didn't say a word to deny him, but my gaze was hard, daring him to keep going.
I wondered how far he'd push before I lost my patience.
"Her love for me is strong, Archie. It will never die, trust me. In time, she'll remember that and come back to me. I'll make sure of it."
"And what about the other woman?" I sneered. "You planning to have them both?"
"I'll leave Elsa," he answered without hesitation, his expression set with determination.
"Then what? Have Sara raise your kid with you?"
He didn't answer.
And then it hit me. My eyes widened. Fucking hell.
He would do that, wouldn't he?
My patience finally snapped. "Are you out of your fucking mind?"
"Careful, Archie," Cole hissed, glowering at me. "You're treading on dangerous ground."
"I'm not the one playing with fire, Cole," I said, my voice tight with restraint. "You fucked up. And right now, I can't even look at you without wanting to break your face."
My glare could have cut glass as I spat, "You have everything, Cole. Sara is the best damn thing in your life. And you threw it away for some shallow, brainless bimbo who didn't think twice about sleeping with a married man. Worse? You got her pregnant."
I let out a bitter laugh. "Not only are you a cheater, but a stupid one at that. You couldn't even bother to use a condom?"
The devastation slammed back into his face at my words. He pressed the heel of his palm to his right eye and shook his head.
"I always use a condom," he muttered. "It broke anyway."
I recoiled at that. "Are you sure this is your kid?"
"Yes." He met my eyes steadily. "I had a paternity test. She's mine."
"She?" I asked hesitantly.
His jaw tightened. "It's a girl."
I shook my head, exhaling sharply. "I just can't with you, Cole." My voice dropped, filled with disbelief. "Do you even realize how much you've hurt Sara?"
"I do," he muttered, his voice small as he dropped his head.
Well, that figured. He was probably the smallest asshole in existence.
"Why do you cheat, Cole? I can't understand that. Why?"
He sighed. "Because I'm a weak man who couldn't resist temptation. That's all I can say."
I observed him. He regretted it. I could see it. It was destroying him.
For a brief second, I almost felt sorry for him.
Then I remembered that pregnant whore, and just like that, any sympathy vanished.
"I won't let you take her away from me," he said firmly. His gaze sharpened, daring me. "Sara is mine. I'll do anything to make her forgive me. And she will forgive me."
He took another step closer—an obvious challenge. "Don't you fucking dare get in my way."
Our eyes locked, tension crackling between us. Then, slowly, he turned and walked back to his car.
"I'll wait inside my car," he called over his shoulder. "Tell her I'm not leaving until she comes out and sees me."