The Quiet Between

Chapter Ten Sloane

Chapter Ten

Sloane

Iwatched the scene unfold in slow motion, even as the world around me continued to spin at full speed.

Cameron pushed himself away from her, then turned and walked off without a word.

What was happening?

At first, all I felt was shock and a sharp sting of betrayal—that he’d bring her here, to this hospital, knowing I’d be here.

And then I saw her turn around and rush toward the entrance. In that split second, when her face aligned with mine, I caught it.

She was crying.

Before I realized what I was doing, my feet moved.

I ran after her.

She walked quickly, her hand darting to her face, perhaps trying to hide her tears from the crowd. Without slowing down, she marched straight toward the parking lot.

“Evie Moore,” I called out.

She came to a sudden halt, frozen for a beat before she slowly turned around.

I stepped closer until I was standing right in front of her. She really was crying.

“I’m Sloane,” I said quietly. “Cameron’s wife. You’re the woman he’s been cheating on me with.”

Evie looked startled, maybe even a little afraid, like she was bracing for a confrontation.

“I just need sixty seconds,” I said. “And don’t worry. I’m not here to claw your face off.”

She swallowed hard, apparently nervous, but didn’t say anything.

“This is my place of work. I’m asking you to show basic respect and stay away. Even if he asks you to come, you say no. He may work here, but that doesn’t give you the right. Do you understand?”

She nodded, and I tilted my head, studying her, trying to understand why she was crying so hard she couldn’t stop.

“What happened to you?” I asked.

She shook her head, unable to speak. Then her eyes flicked over my shoulder. When I looked back, I saw Cameron walking slowly toward us, tense, with Caroline by his side.

The moment his eyes met mine, he stopped. Caroline glanced at him, then at me, her frown deepening. She stopped walking, too, even though from the look on her face, she would’ve preferred to march over and give Evie a good kick in the gut.

When I turned back to Evie, she whispered shakily between sobs,

“I can’t replace you. There would never be...” She choked on the words, her breath trembling as she fought back tears. “This isn’t me, you know? I’m not this person. I’m not someone who does this.”

“Yeah,” I said flatly. “But you did. You fucked a married man.”

My words only seemed to make her cry harder. Another shaky breath slipped from her lips. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Then she spun around and ran to her car, digging into her bag as I heard the beep of the door unlocking. I watched her get in and drive away.

I turned back and found Cameron watching me. Caroline had already started walking toward the hospital. I suspected she was giving us a moment.

He stood still and silent as I approached, until I was right in front of him.

He looked down at me, and I looked up at him. I waited.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “She shouldn’t have come here.”

I kept waiting for him to say more, to explain whether he and Evie were still together. Because from the way it looked, they weren’t. But he didn’t say anything else.

“Make sure she never comes here again,” I said to him.

“Okay,” he replied softly.

As I passed him, I added, “And stop making women cry, Cameron.”

I walked back to the hospital. Before going inside, I looked back. He was still there, hands in his pockets, head down.

I tried not to think about Evie Moore, but I couldn’t.

I tried to ignore the twisting knot in my chest, but it wouldn’t go away.

I couldn’t shake the thought that she was the woman Cameron held and kissed, the one he made love to. He cared enough to fight for her, believing she could make him happy.

It already hurt knowing your husband was cheating on you, but it hurt even more when you faced her and saw she was more beautiful than you.

Evie was indeed beautiful, with high cheekbones, full lips, and striking blue eyes. She was a little shorter than me, with a slender, elegant frame that moved like she belonged in front of a camera. It was easy to imagine men were drawn to her.

And she chose Cameron, a married man with a child.

But the way she cried, what she said, and the cold indifference he showed made everything feel so confusing. What had happened between them? Were they no longer together? Or was this just some kind of disagreement?

I knew Cameron hadn’t asked her to come. His apology to me said that much.

But what made her so desperate that she’d risk everything and come here?

The thought distracted me so much that I asked Robert if I could take a half-hour break. To my surprise, he said, “Okay.” Probably because he noticed how out of sorts I was.

I considered hiding again at Lina’s kiosk, but then I changed my mind. I wanted to be alone with my thoughts, so I decided to go to the glass balcony on the fifth floor.

While waiting for the elevator, someone nudged my arm. I glanced to the side and saw Gabriel standing there.

“Where are you headed?” he asked.

“To the glass balcony,” I answered flatly.

“Oh, you’re on a break?”

“Yeah,” I nodded.

“Want some company?” he offered. “My next surgery isn’t for two hours. I have time.”

I remembered his offer, just half an hour of his company, but I couldn’t be with him right now. I shook my head. “I need to be alone.”

“Oh, okay,” he said, sounding a bit let down. Maybe it was because I’d already agreed to that half hour, and now I was changing my mind.

“I’m sorry,” I added quietly.

The elevator doors opened, and I stepped inside. I gave him a small smile before they closed. He didn’t follow.

As I stood there, I wondered if I’d been too cold with him. It reminded me of how I’d treated Cameron over the years whenever my mood shifted—cold, harsh words that pushed him away. What I’d just said to Gabriel felt gentle compared to that.

Lately, I’d come to realize I’d grown so comfortable with Cameron that I stopped really considering his feelings. I always assumed he’d come back. Always thought he’d be there, smiling, whenever I was finally ready again.

Until he finally gave up.

And the fighting started.

Then he chose someone else.

The glass balcony already had a few people scattered around this time, each sitting alone, quietly staring ahead. I took my usual seat at the front, slouched down, stretched my legs out, and let my thoughts take over.

I wondered if Evie was warm to Cameron.

If she were open with him.

If she didn’t put him through endless tests like I did.

Was it easy for her to say how she felt? To make him feel wanted and seen, never forcing him to guess if she loved him?

Because with me, he always had to guess. Affection was a language I never quite learned to speak, and somehow, the words I love you were too hard to say.

I bet she never made him second-guess everything.

Unlike me.

I once heard that some souls are meant to walk alone.

Maybe I’m one of them.

I sat there, thinking about everything, until my half-hour break was up. Just as I was about to stand, a message came in. It was from Lina.

“Do you still need the number of my divorce lawyer?”

I paused, staring at the screen. I’d been thinking about this every night, over and over, but now it was real.

And it hurt.

I held my breath, and I replied: “Yes.”

I stood, turned, and startled when I saw Cameron sitting in the back, his eyes already on me.

Just like the old days.

When he wanted to be there for me but knew I didn’t want him to be.

So he kept his distance. Always close enough in case I needed him, never close enough to make me feel cornered.

I walked to the door, passed by him, and left.

I ran into Gabriel later that day. He was standing outside one of his patients’ rooms when I approached him.

“Let’s have that thirty minutes tomorrow,” I said to him. “If you’re still up for it.”

A slow smile spread across his face as he straightened up. He nodded. “Looking forward to it.”

“Okay,” I smiled back. “I’ve got to run.”

“Okay,” he echoed, still smiling as I turned to go.

I had another busy day until Caleb came to pick me up after my shift ended, taking me to his mom’s house.

He looked tired as he walked up. His hair was a mess, and the shirt under his jacket looked like it needed ironing.

Or maybe a wash.

He really needed a haircut.

And probably a woman to take care of him.

“Ready?” he asked with a yawn.

“Yes,” I replied.

We walked side by side through the stairwell, past the lobby, and out to the parking lot.

As we moved, I felt something behind me. A presence. Familiar in a way that made the air feel charged, like a faint current tugging at my chest.

I didn’t have to turn to know it was Cameron.

Caleb must have sensed it, too. He looked back.

“I’m taking Sloane to Mom’s,” he said to his brother. “She missed her.”

Cameron didn’t say a word, but I could picture him nodding.

We continued our walk in silence, Cameron trailing a few steps behind. When we reached the car, I climbed onto Betsy while he stood there, just watching me.

It was ridiculous, really, riding off with another man while my husband looked on, and all of us heading to the same place.

Cameron was still standing there even after the car drove away.

“Car told me what happened today,” Caleb said gently. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m okay,” I said, keeping it simple.

Caleb gave a quiet laugh, one that was more sad than amused. “You know, after all these years knowing you, I still don’t get how you do it. Just keep everything bottled up.”

“It’s my thing.”

“Yeah, I know. But maybe... you need to let it out sometimes. Before it builds up too much and explodes, and when it does... it might be too hard to gather the pieces.”

I didn’t say anything to that, and Caleb knew me well enough to leave it there.

When we arrived, Anita’s door swung open almost immediately. She burst out onto the porch, a broad smile lighting up her face.

“See?” Caleb chuckled beside me. “She’s been waiting for you.”

I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face, my whole body buzzing with warmth. I slid down from Betsy and walked toward her.

“Hey, Mama.” I only called her that when my heart was full of gratitude for her, just as it was now.

She opened her arms without a word, and I climbed the short steps and sank into her embrace.

And let out a long, contented sigh.

“Have you eaten yet?” she asked, still beaming. “I made chimichurri steak with mashed potatoes, your favorite. And butterscotch pudding for dessert, Harper’s favorite. I made her some spaghetti too... she’s still not too fond of steak.”

“I’d love that. Thank you,” I said, pulling gently away from her embrace.

We were just about to head inside when Cameron’s car pulled up.

“Anita,” I said softly, glancing at her as she looked toward her son’s car. “Let him in, will you? It’ll make Harper happy.”

She looked at me, then gave a slight nod before heading inside.

Caleb’s gaze flicked from Cameron, now stepping out of his car, then back to me. He offered a faint smile, then turned and went in without a word, leaving me standing alone on the porch.

I waited until Cameron reached me before I spoke. “Let’s have dinner together.”

The tension in his face eased, and he gave me a small, grateful smile. “Thank you,” he said softly.

I walked in first. He followed quietly.

Inside, Anita was leaning over the dinner table. Cameron went straight to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

“I love you, Mom,” I heard him whisper.

She only nodded and sniffled. I could see it—her heart was breaking. She missed him, too.

He let Anita go, then crossed the room to Harper. He knelt, pulling her into his arms like he’d been waiting all day for that moment. Harper immediately burst into chatter, animatedly recounting school stories, her hands moving as fast as her words.

Then she spotted me.

“Mommy!” she shrieked and ran over, wrapping her arms around my waist.

I kissed the top of her head, then her cheek, and whispered, “Who has my heart, baby?”

“I do!” she said, bouncing with excitement. “Me, Harper!”

“Yes, baby. Thank you.” I smiled, letting her go gently. “Go to your daddy, okay?”

“Okay!” she chirped and darted back to Cameron, who was watching me with a look full of gratitude.

Dinner was quiet except for Harper’s excited chatter. She bounced between conversations, sometimes talking to me, sometimes to her dad, her grandma, or Uncle Caleb, as if she could feel the tension in the air and was trying her best to make everyone smile.

I decided to stay the night, and Harper was more than happy about it, especially with how her eyelids had already started to droop.

We helped Anita clear the table and rinse the dishes, then I got Harper into her pajamas. Anita had already bathed her. She fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow.

When I stepped out of her room, the house was quiet. Anita usually turned in early, and I assumed Caleb and Cameron had already left.

But then I heard their voices coming from the back porch. Through the glass double doors, I saw them standing there, deep in conversation.

I walked closer, pulled by a sudden urge to listen. Whatever they were talking about, I had a feeling it was about today.

“So she came because she wants to get back with you?” Caleb said.

I waited for Cameron’s response, but he stayed silent.

“Then why did you break up with her?” Caleb asked.

Cameron didn’t answer right away, and I had to inch closer, afraid I might miss it if he spoke.

Then I heard him. “Because no matter how far I tried to run, I always found myself coming back to Sloane.”

There was a stretch of silence before Caleb asked, “So what are you going to do now? Try to get Sloane back?”

“I’ve hurt her enough, don’t you think?” Cameron said quietly, the fight drained from his voice. “She’s probably better off without me.”