After the Last Tear: Rising from the Ashes of a Broken Marriage novel Chapter 73

A silence stretched between us, long and heavy, thick with things unsaid.

Pax finally broke it, his voice quieter now, subdued in a way that made me wonder if he already knew how this conversation would end.

"I didn't know she texted you."

I didn't react.

The screen in front of me was empty now—the messages erased, wiped clean, as if they had never existed.

But the password?

That was a different story.

Once, it had been my birthday.

Now, it was hers.

I watched as Pax exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple like this entire situation was nothing more than an inconvenience, an annoyance he needed to handle before moving on.

Without hesitation, he changed it back to my birthday.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered, more to himself than to me. "I'll talk to her. This won't happen again."

His tone was steady, assured, as if this was something that could be resolved with a simple conversation.

Then, he looked at me—really looked at me. His gaze was searching, careful, trying to gauge where I stood, trying to read the emotions I was no longer willing to show him.

"Cecilia, can you trust me one more time?"

"I'll handle everything. I promise."

I stayed quiet.

His fingers twitched slightly, like he was resisting the urge to reach for me.

After a moment, he sighed, his voice softening. "I booked a flight to Norway. Two days left."

A pause.

"Can we?"I smiled, cutting him off before he could finish.

"Sure."

His brows lifted slightly, almost imperceptibly. Like he hadn't expected me to agree so easily.

Then, I saw it—the way his shoulders loosened, the quiet breath of relief that escaped him.

Because in his mind, this was progress.

This was me forgiving him.

This was things going back to the way they were.

"Alright."

Two more days.

And then, none of this would matter anymore.

I stepped onto the landing, turning the corner.

And then,a bright, cheerful voice rang out behind us.

"Hey, sis! We came to help with the cleaning!"

I froze.

Pax turned too, his brows knitting together as he glanced toward the newcomers.

It was them

The young couple who had signed the lease.

The ones who were moving into this apartment.

His gaze snapped back to me.

And just like that, whatever illusion he had been clinging to shattered at his feet.