Chapter 10
My heart pounded like it was going to explode.
My husband hadn’t come home last night.
An alarm blared in my head, warning me of danger. My vision narrowed; my breath came short.
What should I do…?
My mind went blank—I had no idea how to react.
Exhausted from a sleepless night, I slowly pushed myself upright.
Then I heard the sound of footsteps climbing the stairs.
One, two, three, four… there were twenty-two steps in total.
Before he could reach the top, I jumped to my feet and threw a robe over my nightgown.
I flung open the door and stepped out—just as Hayden reached the landing.
“……”
“……”
A brief silence passed between us. I stood still, wondering what kind of expression he would make, what he would say.
For a moment, his face twisted as if he’d been caught off guard. His olive-colored eyes trembled faintly—but then, as always, he pulled up a soft smile. That same familiar smile spread across his face.
“…You’re back?” I asked.
Hayden nodded casually, like a man returning from work.
“Yeah. You’re up early, Winter.”
“Yes. …Where’s Chloe?”
“I dropped her off at her apartment.”
I gave him a look, waiting for an explanation. He stepped closer, wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and pressed a kiss to my forehead.
“Sorry I’m late, Winter. Chloe was really having a hard time.”
He spoke with the confidence of someone with nothing to hide.
And that—more than anything—left me speechless.
What was I hoping to find out, exactly? My breath caught in my throat.
“Is Chloe all right?”
Were you with her all night?
I swallowed the question that would never pass my lips and instead asked about Chloe’s condition, forcing a small smile that I hoped wouldn’t crack.
“She finally calmed down enough to fall asleep before I left. She had episodes through the night… must’ve been a real shock.”
“I see. Did you call a doctor?”
“No. Chloe didn’t want one.”
Why not? If it was that serious, why didn’t you? Why did it have to be just the two of you?
“I see,” I said quietly.
I swallowed my words. Nodding emptily, I lowered my gaze. For some reason, I couldn’t look him in the eye. I didn’t want to see those olive eyes that had spent all night reflecting another woman.
A vague unease crept up my chest as I took a slow, shaky breath.
That same feeling that had tormented me all night returned again—heavy and suffocating.
Then I realized something.
I was hurt.
I was disappointed in my husband who had left me behind.
Blinking rapidly, I tried to hide my emotions—but it was a pointless effort.
Hayden, weary and worn out, wouldn’t notice anyway.
He loosened his neatly tied necktie and sighed.
“You—how did you get home yesterday? I’m sorry I couldn’t take you.”
“It’s fine… Eugene gave me a ride.”
“Oh, your childhood friend, right?”
Hayden smiled faintly and nodded.
“I should thank him properly sometime. Maybe take him out to dinner.”
“I’ll ask him.”
“Tell him I insist.”
He handed me the tie—then, as if remembering something, turned to me again.
“Oh. What about that thing? You didn’t throw it away, did you?”
“That thing?”
“The item Chloe received.”
At that, my shoulders stiffened.
“Eugene took care of it. He said he’d deliver it to the police.”
“Good. I’m glad. You’ve really gotten a lot of help from him.”
I nodded slowly, forcing a smile to keep up the act.
“You think it’s the stalker who’s been after Chloe, right?”
Trying to change the subject to shake off the gloom, I asked lightly.
But Hayden raised a brow at me instead.
Our eyes met—too easily.
Those olive eyes I loved so much narrowed slightly as they locked onto mine.
“You knew?”
“…Knew what?”
“That someone suspicious’s been following Chloe?”
His brows furrowed deeply.
His sudden sharp tone hit me like a slap. I froze, staring at him blankly.
“When I tried to drop her off, she got scared. Said she was afraid that man might be waiting outside her place. Said it’s been going on for a while.”
His voice rose, a tone higher than usual.
He sounded angry.
In all the time I’d known him—since before our marriage—Hayden had never raised his voice at me.
Was this really the same man I knew?
“You knew, and didn’t tell me?”
“…What? You mean about Chloe possibly being stalked?”
I repeated his words slowly, trying to make sense of why he was angry.
“Yeah. You should’ve told me earlier.”
I was speechless.
What difference would it have made?
Even if he’d known, unless he was with Chloe 24/7, there was nothing he could have done.
“And what would’ve changed if you’d known sooner?” I asked, frowning. My voice came out sharper than I intended.
“If I’d known, Chloe could have—”
“If you’d known, you wouldn’t have spent the night with another woman, maybe?”
“Another woman? Winter—are you saying you think something’s going on between me and Chloe?”
Hayden’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“You know the state she’s in—how can you even say that?”
“I just didn’t expect my husband not to come home.”
“She’s our friend, Winter. When a friend’s in trouble, helping them is the natural thing to do.”
He shook his head, clearly unable to understand my reaction.
Our friend.
Those words always left me powerless.
Just as Chloe and I were close, so were Hayden and Chloe.
He cared for her the same way I did—because she was our old friend.
So of course, when she was in trouble, he stayed by her side.
I’d always accepted that.
So why did I suddenly hate it now?
Maybe… because I was a petty, selfish person.
But knowing that didn’t stop the anger from rising.
“So that’s why you took care of Chloe instead of me?”
My voice cracked as all my pent-up emotions burst out. I could feel the heat around my eyes.
“What…?”
“That thing you were worried I might’ve thrown away—you saw it happen, didn’t you?”
Hayden’s eyes widened.
That look of surprise—that ignorance—it made something inside me break.
I glared at him, my vision blurring.
“When you left with Chloe from the banquet… did you ever once think about how I felt being left alone there?”
“Winter, I—”
“I was terrified, Hayden. The feeling of it still makes me shake. Did it ever cross your mind what I had to endure alone last night?”
Only then did realization dawn on his face.
“I know exactly what Chloe’s going through. But that doesn’t mean my husband should care more about her than about me.”
“I didn’t think of it that way… I’m sorry. Chloe was just so frightened. I thought you’d understand. She has that… condition.”
Right. That condition.
The one that always forced me to step aside, to be the understanding one.
I knew about her fragile mental state.
But that didn’t make it any easier to accept that even my husband had to put her first.
There were times I needed someone to look after me too.
“I was scared too, Hayden. Didn’t you hear me? When that little rat’s head fell onto me, I was terrified.”
If only he’d at least pretended to care when he came home, maybe I wouldn’t have felt this angry.
He fell silent as I spoke through clenched teeth.
“How could you notice Chloe’s state but not mine?”
The words tumbled out before I could stop them.
I knew they wouldn’t help either of us—but I said them anyway.
“Do you know what Eugene said? He couldn’t understand how a man could look after another woman when his own wife was in such a state. You thanked him for bringing me home, but that’s because you don’t know the humiliation I endured on the way here.”
A hot tear slid down my cheek. Hayden’s face froze, stricken with confusion.
“Chloe may be our friend, but to everyone else… it looks wrong. A husband who puts a friend before his wife—isn’t that strange to you?”
“Winter…”
“Are you really my husband?”
He opened his mouth, then shut it tight.
The man standing before me—was he really the gentle husband I thought I knew?
Chloe.
Me, waiting for him all night.
This whole argument… suddenly felt meaningless.
I wiped the tears from my cheek with the back of my hand.
“……”
“……”
Tension filled the air between us at the top of the stairs—fragile, ready to shatter at the slightest breath.
(To be continued)
