Chapter 24 - For as long as it takes

    Alex

    "You''re not paying attention to me."

    Leah''s voice cuts through the silence.

    I don''t respond. Just swirl the amber

    liquid in my ss, watching the way the light catches it.

    "You''re distracted," she presses. "Is everything okay?"

    I take a slow breath. Exhale.

    "Fine."

    One word. That''s all she gets.

    She sighs and picks up a second

    ss, pouring a drink before handing it to me. I don''t move to take it.

    Because she touched it.

    The thought sends an ufortable itch crawling up my spine. My fingers twitch, resisting the urge to shove it away.

    She notices my hesitation, her lips parting slightly before she sets the ss down on the

    table instead. I don''t miss the flicker of pain concealed in her eyes.

    I reach for the bottle and pour myself a new drink.

    One untouched.

    One clean.

    Leah crosses her arms. "Still the same, huh?"

    I don''t answer.

    She sighs, her shoulders slumping as she sits next to me and

    tries to hook her arm into mine but thinks twice about it.

    Smart choice.

    "I''m d I got to start over, Alex. It used to hurt when they called me the daughter of a homewrecker. Now I''m a good doctor and

    that has seemed to erase some of the hatred from people''s hearts."

    Her voice wobbles, eyes filling with tears as she looks at me. "But

    I can see you struggling, is it because of my family that you don''t want to marry me?."

    Three

    years ago, I had my first heart attack and Leah, who was just graduating from med school

    helped me.

    We clicked

    after that and spent more time together. Honestly, her family''s reputation wasn''t that great but I didn''t give a shit about that. I liked her and I wasn''t going to shame her for her mother''s mistake.

    When I introduced her to my family, they weren''t very thrilled, but

    that didn''t stop me. I was going to marry her.

    She was beautiful, on her way to be a talented doctor who knew my

    biggest weakness and didn''t use it against me.

    It was perfect.

    Until the day I announced my intention to my family. I told them I

    was going to marry her when Nana had a heart attack. I

    had to break up with Leah temporarily so she could be nursed back to health. But while I was at it, Leah''s family business went bankrupt

    and they had to leave the country.

    We promised each other to reunite in three years.

    But Granny wouldn''t stop with the blind dates so, I made

    a deal with their favourite girl.

    Athena Dawson.

    I''d

    pay her ten million for divorcing her in three years. We kept this a secret and yed the role of husband and wife so well.

    It was supposed to be a simple n. But now it looks like it

    has gotten veryplicated.

    I nce at her. "My grandmother is still sick, Leah. You know that''s why

    I haven''t divorced her. You''re the one who left three

    years ago, and I had to make a deal with Athena so I could keep your

    position as my wife, so as not to break my promise. Is that

    still not enough?"

    "You''re right. I''m sorry. I just felt

    frustrated. I''ll wait for the right time. I love you so much, Alex."

    I''ve heard her use that word so many times but I can''t seem to soak in it. I can''t give her what she wants-not now,

    she dreams of it. And maybe I never will.

    I stay quiet, sipping my drink, the bitterness of it lingering long after it''s gone.

    not the

    way

    She takes a shaky breath, and I look at her-really look at her-and for the first time

    in a while, I''m aware of how much she''s

    changed, how much we''ve both changed.

    But I can''t help but wonder if it''s toote for us. If she even sees it the way I do. If I''m too far gone to give her the life she dreams of. "How''s your heart? You haven''t had it checked in a while." She breaks the silence and I sigh, cing my drink on the table.

    "I''m fine Leah. My condition is not as bad as you make it sound."

    "Alex, just two weeks ago-"

    "That''s enough." I cut her off.

    Leah flinches, her lips pressing together as she looks down at her hands. I can feel the tension building between us, thick

    and

    suffocating. I don''t want to argue with her. Not now. Not when everything is

    already soplicated.

    But the guilt gnaws at me, and I can''t help but feel like I''m drowning in it. Every

    time she looks at me with those hopeful eyes, I

    know I''m breaking something inside her.

    "I''m just

    worried about you," she says quietly, her voice trembling. She reaches out again, but this time,

    I don''t pull away.

    "Don''t, I''m fine. When Nana is better, Athena and I will divorce." I mutter, not wanting

    her to see how much her touch unsettles me.

    Leah nods slowly, though the sadness in her eyes remains. It clings to her

    like a shadow, a silent plea for something I''m not sure I can give.

    The silence stretches between us again, broken only by the soft clink of my ss against the table. I feel her gaze on me, heavy

    and searching, but I don''t meet it. Instead, I focus on the wall, as if the answers to all our unspoken

    questions lie somewhere on it.

    "You always say that," she whispers.

    "That when Nana is better, you''ll divorce Athena. But... what if

    she never gets better, Alex?

    What if she''s sick for years? What then?"

    My jaw tightens. "Don''t say that."

    "But it''s the

    truth!" Her voice cracks, raw emotion spilling out. "You can''t keep using your grandmother''s health as an excuse

    forever. You''re hurting yourself. You''re hurting me.

    The weight of everything pulls

    at me in different directions. I want to say somethingforting, something that would fix this.

    But all I can feel is the cold distance I''ve built between us.

    "You were so sure about us once," she continues, her voice barely

    above a whisper. "So sure you wanted to marry me."

    "I''m not the same person I

    was back then," I finally admit, my voice rough. "Things change, Leah. People change."

    I nce at her, and she''s staring at me, tears welling in her eyes. "So what? You''re just going to let everything go because it''s easier? Because you don''t want to deal with it?"

    I feel my jaw tighten.

    "I don''t know what you want me

    to say," I mutter. "You know the situation. You know why I''ve had to make the decisions I have."

    Leah looks at me, and I can see the disappointment in her eyes.

    "I know," she whispers. "I know."

    "I''ll wait," she says softly, "I''ll wait for you, Alex. For as long as it takes."

    I sigh, standing to my feet,

    "I''ll call youter."