UNFAITHFUL

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Cole

Sara's office was still quiet; only a few people had arrived. I walked with my eyes fixed ahead, trying to block out their stares. But I was getting better at ignoring them after more than a month of doing this. With each step, I walked down the corridor, calm, the single red rose and the pink rose in my hand, making my way toward Sara's office.

I could still move in and out freely, as the separation of her company from mine was still in the works. I wondered what I would do after its completion.

Stepping into Sara's office, I walked to her desk and gently set the roses down, their petals still fresh with morning dew. Then, I reached for a Post-it note and a pen, writing the same simple words as always: " With love." I placed it carefully beside the roses, just as I had every day before.

I didn't put my name there. She knew it was from me.

Then I walked out, avoiding their gazes once more. They must've been thinking about how much I'd messed up and how relentlessly I was trying to win my wife back.

And probably wondering how pointless my efforts were.

Ex-wife. I had to keep reminding myself of that. The judge had signed the final divorce decree, and I couldn't move to dismiss or delay the case anymore. It was too late. Maria surely worked really fast.

I took the elevator down and stood in the same spot, just like every morning, waiting for her to arrive.

She was late today, and I couldn't help but worry that I'd be waiting for over an hour like many times before. She often had to go to one of her projects, and I never knew when that would keep her.

But then I saw her, hurrying toward the elevators, her handbag in one hand and her laptop bag in the other.

When she spotted me, she frowned, just like the days before, while I smiled so damn wide, happy to see her.

"Cole," she mumbled as she breezed past me. I hurried to catch up and stood beside her as we waited. Gently, I took her laptop bag from her, offering to carry the heavy one, like I always did when we were still together. She let me, probably because she was too tired to keep pushing me away.

"Morning," I said softly to her. She was wearing the soft pink blouse that somehow made her skin glow, paired with a gray and pink skirt that reached just below her knees. I saw her radiant beauty and knew my gaze held only adoration; I didn't need a damn mirror to confirm it.

"You look lovely today," I said, unable to stop myself.

"Thank you," she replied politely. Still detached, but polite.

The elevator arrived, and we stepped in, joined by a few other people. When we reached her floor, I walked beside her, feeling the weight of the stares. But now there were more of them as more people had arrived. But I didn't care. All that mattered was the beautiful woman walking beside me.

I walked her to her office and placed her bag on her desk, watching her gaze linger on the roses.

"Have a lovely day today, Sara." I said to her. I gave her a smile, which she didn't return, and walked out.

As long as she didn't outright forbid me from coming back, I'd be there every day. Well, technically, she had,but by now, she'd given up on trying to keep me away.

Walking toward my office, I was consumed with thoughts about what I needed to do for Sara that day. It had become all I could focus on lately, and work had taken a backseat, much to Bobby's dismay. She was getting overwhelmed with the extra workload I hadn't been able to keep up with.

"Maisie, come to my office, please," I said as I passed her desk.

"Sure, Cole," she replied, quickly rising from her seat and following me to my office. I sat down, and she took the chair across from me.

"It's time for the regular maintenance on Sara's car. Please remind her through Dona and arrange for the car to be delivered to the shop." It was something I always did for her since she often forgot about it.

Maisie scribbled quickly on her notepad. "Got it."

"And give me the latest report on her company's financials. Send me by email, please."

"Okay," she said. "Is there anything else?"

"Doctor's appointments," I said. "Remind her of that, too. I'm guessing it has been a while since her last check-up."

Sara had low blood sugar, and even though it wasn't serious, her doctor recommended that she have regular check-ups. She always needed to be reminded of that. Even though we're separated, I wouldn't stop taking care of her.

Maisie scribbled that on her notepad before leaving.

Within five minutes, I received an email from her with the latest report on Sara's company's financial status.

And it wasn't great. Sara was talented at what she did, but in budgeting and managing her finances, she always fell short.

Looking at the report, I was deeply worried.

Sara had been gaining a lot of new clients, thanks to Bobby referring to her more and more, even though these referrals came as part of a trade-off. My company covered fifteen percent of the cost that should have been paid to Sara, offering it as a discounted service to our clients.

Sara didn't know this. She believed her growing client list was purely the result of word-of-mouth and her own hard work. While that was true to some extent, my company had been quietly supporting her behind the scenes. And despite our separation, stopping wasn't an option for me.

But with our companies about to be completely disconnected, she would be on her own, and it was clear she was struggling to manage the financial side of things. I used to have an entire department helping her handle it, but now she had to do it alone.

With so many clients, this wasn't the ideal time for her company to break away from mine, but it was what Sara wanted. I had been wracking my brain for a way to help her, but I knew that if I offered, she would refuse.

She needed significant capital to take on the mounting projects, and what she had requested and received in the divorce settlement wasn't enough.

I needed to talk to Bobby about this, and I had a feeling she wouldn't like what I had to say, especially since this wasn't a good time for us to exceed our budget, as it would hurt us a great deal.

After that, I attended a meeting and finished replying to emails. Then, I headed down to the lobby again, knowing that, like clockwork, Sara would go down for lunch.

I searched for her in the park across from our office building, where she would sit on a bench, eating a sandwich alone. She used to have lunch there with Bobby, and sometimes, I still saw Bobby sitting with her. I knew Sara didn't like it, but Bobby kept going anyway, sitting in silence, just to let Sara know she was truly sorry and that she still considered her a best friend.

Bobby never wanted to cover for me. I knew that. She had always urged me to tell Sara the truth, and now, I could see she regretted not taking action sooner.

When Sara followed me in the taxi, Bobby could have warned me. But she didn't. She knew Sara deserved to find out the truth, so she chose to stay silent. I used to have mixed feelings about that, but I knew now that Bobby did the right thing.

I walked up to her, and as I reached her bench, I heard her sigh. She knew it was me without even turning. Somehow, despite everything, there was still a connection between us—one that had survived the pain.

"Hi, gorgeous," I said as I sat beside her.

She didn't reply, just took a bite of her sandwich. In the beginning, she would tell me to go away or move to another bench. But now, she had given up on that. Her retaliation was silence.

"How was your date last night?" I asked, already knowing she had gone out with Archie.

I knew because, like every night, I had driven by her house. That was when I noticed the light above her front door flickering, on the verge of dying. So, I went to the store, bought a new bulb, and changed it.

Just as I was finishing, Julian suddenly opened the door, frowning at me.

"She's not here," he said.

"That's okay. I'm just changing this bulb."

"I could've done that," he admitted, glancing up. "But I didn't realize it needed changing."

"Where is she now?" I asked.

"On a date." Julian's tone was casual, but his sharp gaze studied me, waiting for my reaction. And I couldn't hide it. A painful pinch in my chest—deep, piercing, immediate.

"With whom?" The words slipped out before I could stop them.

"With Archie," he replied, but his voice softened, as if he knew exactly how much this would hurt. Still, he told me the truth. "They finally went on an official date."

"Oh." That was all I managed to say.

"I'd offer to let you in, but this isn't my house," he said. "Besides, Emma would throw a fit if she saw you here."

I narrowed my eyes at him, suddenly suspicious. "Why are you here?"

"For Emma," he said, grinning. "We're dating."

"Oh, okay," I replied, trying to sound like I was interested, but my mind was stuck on one thing. Sara was with Archie now.

"But she doesn't know it yet," Julian added, his grin widening. "I just need to convince her first."

I nodded, feeling slightly dazed. I mumbled a goodbye and headed back to my car. Then, I just sat there. For a long time. Staring into space, trying to quiet my mind.

When I finally drove away almost two hours later, Sara still hadn't come home.

"Good." Her response pulled me out of my thoughts. "It was really nice."

She didn't ask how I knew, so I figured Julian must have told her I came by.

I nodded. "I'm happy for you," I said, meaning every word. "He's a good guy."

"You do?" She sounded surprised.

But I did. If she was happy, then I would be happy too.

Lately, I have learned a lot. And the more I understood myself, the more I realized just how fucked up I was. How selfish, how conceited I was.

My love had been toxic to her. Being with me had only deepened her wounds instead of healing them.

I used to believe that love alone was enough, that as long as I loved her, everything would work out. But love wasn't supposed to suffocate. It wasn't supposed to break someone down just to keep them close.

And that's exactly what I did to Sara.

She had every right to walk away. And if I truly loved her, I had to let her go.

Loving her didn't mean keeping her tethered to me, holding on so tightly that she couldn't breathe. It didn't mean convincing her I was the only one who could love her the way she deserved. Because the truth was, I hadn't. I had failed her in ways I could never take back, hurt her in ways that left scars I couldn't erase.

Real love wasn't about possession. It wasn't about winning or proving myself to her. It was about giving her the freedom to find what truly made her happy, even if that happiness didn't include me.

And that was the hardest lesson of all. Because every fiber of my being still ached for her, still wanted to be the one she turned to. But if I truly loved her, I had to put her happiness before my own. And to keep supporting her, to be there for her whenever she needed me. Even if it meant watching her walk away. Even if it meant learning how to exist in a world where she no longer belonged to me.

That wasn't easy to accept. To admit. And a part of me still refused to give up—hence the roses, waiting on her desk every morning.

It shattered me into fucking pieces. Especially now, like this, sitting next to her, so close, yet impossibly far away.

But for her, I vowed to be a better man. I just had to learn to live with the ache, to keep moving forward even when it hurt.

Just like her.

She carried her pain with quiet strength, never letting it break her.

Strong like her.

I wanted—needed—to be like her.

"I really do," I said softly, smiling. "I want you to be happy."

She studied me, her gaze searching my face as if trying to find a trace of something—doubt, regret, a lie. But whatever she was looking for, she didn't find it.

She turned away, falling quiet for a moment before finally speaking.

"You've changed," she murmured. "I've noticed. You're different now."

"How so?" I asked.

"I don't know..." She hesitated, as if struggling to put it into words. "It's like you've softened. Resigned."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" I asked.

"I don't know yet," she admitted. "But whatever it is, I hope it's a good thing for you ."

I held in a sigh, realizing that, to her, whatever was happening with me no longer had anything to do with her.

"You're still wearing your wedding ring," she said, her eyes dropping to my fingers.

Meanwhile, my gaze fell to hers—bare, absent of the ring that once symbolized us.

"Yeah," I said quietly. "I never took it off." Not even when I betrayed her. Not even then.

But I knew that it didn't mean a thing. I still betrayed her.

"Are you happy now, Sara?" I asked carefully, cautiously.

She was quiet for a moment before finally answering.

"I'm halfway there."

I was about to ask her what she needed from me—because I would do anything, anything for her—when someone suddenly stepped in front of us.

Sara and I both looked up to find a tall woman with dark hair and brown eyes smiling at us.

"Hi," she said. "Sorry to interrupt. I was actually on my way to see you, but when I walked by and recognized your face, I thought I'd approach you here."

She held out her hand to Sara.

"I'm Nicole De Luca. I need to talk to you, if you have a moment."

I tensed.

Sara did too. And at that moment, I knew she recognized the name.

Nicole.

She was the only woman Archie had ever been in an actual relationship with, the mysterious one he never introduced to any of us. Archie was so secretive about her, I only learned her name from Julian. I hadn't realized Sara knew about her too.

"Yes, okay." Sara shook her hand before turning to me. "Cole, if you don't mind?"

"Oh, sure." I stood, my gaze lingering on the woman. What did she want with Sara? As far as I know, Archie had broken up with her years ago. So why was she here now?

I gave Nicole a curt nod before stepping away, though I had no intention of going far. I planned to monitor her from a distance.

But then my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw a message from Leo.

"Elsa took Elena and fled. She was supposed to be in court today."

My chest tightened as I reread the words. Once. Twice.

I needed to decide whether to leave now or stay and see what Nicole was going to do.

My phone was in my hand as I stared at it, thinking. Then, I began typing a message to Leo.

"Can you try to find her?"

His reply came almost instantly.

"Of course. I'll find her."

There was a pause. The typing bubbles appeared, dancing on the screen.

Then another message came through.

"And this time, she's going to regret messing with me."