Chapter 10
Over time, I began to notice how the memories of Gabriel seemed to intensify in my mind, growing sharper with each passing day. It was as if every little detail, no matter how insignificant it had once seemed, was being etched into my heart, deepening its presence in ways I hadn’t anticipated.
I could hear the rapid thumping of my own heartbeat, each pulse echoing in my ears. I was aware that I had lost–lost to
something that had always been there, just waiting to be recognized. I had lost to my own heart, to the love I had never fully allowed myself to see.
It wasn’t until I had finally stopped running from my feelings that I understood the truth. The unwavering devotion I had always longed for–the kind of love that was constant, pure and unshakeable–had been there all along, quietly waiting for me
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to open my eyes. It had been Gabriel, from the start.
If not for Ray’s desperate pleas, his constant tugging on my heartstrings back then, I might have recognized the love I had for Gabriel much sooner. We might have never been separated by the years of misdirection and confusion. Overcome with guilt and a rush of emotions, I leaned forward and kissed Gabriel.
The kiss was soft, tentative at first, but it deepened, becoming more intense, more desperate. Just as I thought I might lose myself entirely in the moment, Gabriel pulled away. He was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling and his hands. trembled at his sides.
“Susan,” he asked, his voice low and laced with emotion, “may I?”
His question was not just about consent; it was a promise. A promise that he would. never cross a line without my full
agreement.
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I knew exactly what he meant. My heart, which had once been so guarded, now beat with a newfound understanding. I didn’t want to miss this chance. Not again. I
couldn’t.
I nodded, my eyes searching his, as I whispered, “Yes. Yes, you may.”
That night, our joy was pure, untainted by the past and we both felt a sense of belonging that was impossible to ignore.
***
The last time I saw Ray, Paris was veiled in a light rain. The soft drizzle mirrored the emotions I’d suppressed for years. It was the same weather as when Ray had first arrived in Paris, desperate and broken.
He had spent an entire night outside my apartment, kneeling in the rain, hoping for something he would never have again. When I heard he had passed out, too. stubborn to leave despite the cold, I felt a fleeting twinge of pity. A passerby had
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taken him to the hospital and only then did I relent and agree to see him one last time.
Gabriel, ever thoughtful, insisted on accompanying me to the hospital entrance, fussing over me with a protective concern. is He insisted I wear his coat, afraid I’d catch a chill in the damp air. After making sure I was bundled up, he disappeared into a clothing store to buy me a few outfits, leaving me to face the inevitable.
C
Ray was lying in a sterile hospital room when I entered. The smell of antiseptic filled the air and I could see how utterly disheveled he had become. His normally sharp, well–groomed face was now covered in rough stubble, his eyes hollow with regret.
“If I hadn’t been so stupid back then,” he murmured, his voice barely audible, “would we have had a happy family by to now? Maybe even a child old enough to run errands? Susan, I was wrong. I truly regret
it.”
sit.”
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I remained silent, my expression unreadable. I walked toward his bedside, my footsteps heavy with finality. “There’s no medicine for regret, Ray,” I said, my voice calm but firm. “The moment you slept with Christine, you lost me completely.”
His eyes filled with tears–tears of regret, of pain. But I could not be moved by them. I had cried enough for both of us in the past.
“From now on,” I continued, “we’re strangers. Actually, that’s not right–I don’t ever want to see you again. Not even once.”
At that, Ray broke down completely, tears streaming down his face. But as I turned to leave, my heart did not waver. I walked straight into the arms of the man who had always been there for me, the man who had never once abandoned me. Gabriel.
***
Years later, Gabriel and I found ourselves back in Arlington with our child in tow.
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hapter 10
expine streets we once walked as teenagers towarow felt different, more distant, though till familiar. As we strolled through the old et Raaces, memories flooded back. We The mughed at the spots that held sentimental you loslue and shared quiet moments, lost in
he comfort of our present life.
ears+tavas during this visit that we be manexpectedly ran into some old
both aquaintances who filled us in on Ray’s
ate. After failing to win me back in France, tinued
had returned home and directed all his
s not
ger toward Christine. But their
multuous relationship had long since
wn com caveled. They were both bitter, resentful face. Bl no longer the people they once were.
Lot water
s of the b
he end, their toxic love story came to a gic end. A car crash took their lives and r me, the me
police investigation revealed that they doned pr
tampered with each other’s brake
- es. A deadly act of revenge, an example karma catching up.
and I found
th our dipriel and I exchanged quiet sighs, the
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Chapter 10
news settling in the air between us. We didn’t need to speak; we had long since come to terms with the past.
97+
“Eat it before it melts, Susan,” Gabriel said with a soft smile, handing me an ice cream cone. His eyes were filled with a
tenderness I hadn’t known could exist in the world.
Our son, small and curious, looked up at me with wide eyes. “Mommy, why does Daddy always give you the big one while I only get a small one?”
I ruffled his hair affectionately, smiling as pure joy flooded through me. “That’s because Daddy loves me. Are you jealous?”
Our son giggled, his laughter infectious. And in that moment, surrounded by Gabriel and our child, I realized just how
much I had found–a love that was
steadfast, gentle and free from the scars of the past.
That evening, as we walked along the
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riverbank, the sky painted with the hues of
the setting sun, I held onto Gabriel’s hand and I knew without a doubt: this was where
I was meant to be.
We were home.
(The End)
