After the Last Tear: Rising from the Ashes of a Broken Marriage novel Chapter 74

"Huh?"

The girl's gaze flickered toward Pax, her brows knitting together in momentary confusion.

"Wait… isn't this Your husband?"

Pax's lips quirked up slightly, amusement flickering in his dark eyes.

The title—husband—seemed to entertain him, as if he had already claimed his place beside me, as if none of the past days had unraveled us at all.

But then, realization dawned, and his attention shifted to me. His expression turned questioning, waiting for an explanation.

"Who are they?"

The girl, oblivious to the tension that had suddenly thickened the air, smiled brightly.

"Oh! Your girlfriend is renting the apartment to us!" she said cheerfully, her voice carrying an innocence that twisted something inside my chest. "I figured she was cleaning up all on her own, so we thought we'd drop by and help."

She lifted the bags in her hands—cleaning supplies, neatly packed, a gesture of goodwill.

A small kindness.A harmless act.

"Renting it out?"

The lightness in Pax's features vanished in an instant. His brows drew together, his body tensing beside me.

"Cecilia… you're moving?"

His voice was sharper now, laced with something unreadable.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Where are you going?"

His questions came rapid-fire, one after another, pressing, demanding, like he could pull the answers from me before I had the chance to evade them.

The girl's smile faltered. Realizing she had said too much, she shot me an uncertain glance, her fingers tightening around the handles of the bags she carried.

"Oh, I— I didn't mean to—"

I smiled, quiet and steady.

"It's fine."

Then, I turned to Pax, my voice light, even. "I just hadn't gotten around to telling you yet."

His expression didn't soften. If anything, a flicker of unease crossed his features, his dark eyes searching mine for something—an explanation, reassurance, control.

I lowered my lashes.

Two more days.

I didn't want to argue.

Didn't want to get caught in another cycle of conversations that wouldn't change a thing.

So, I exhaled slowly and said, simply,

"Oh, thank God. I thought I said something wrong for a second!"

She nudged her boyfriend playfully before turning back to me, her eyes bright with sincerity.

"You and your boyfriend look so good together, by the way."

"I mean, your pictures were cute, but in real life, you're even better matched!"

Her tone was lighthearted, oblivious.

Beside me, Pax didn't respond.

But I could feel it—the weight of his gaze, lingering, shifting, as if something was beginning to click into place.

"Right?" The girl elbowed her boyfriend, grinning. "Don't you think so?"

Caught off guard, the boy nodded hastily. "Y-Yeah, yeah, totally."

And then—

The final misstep.

"Oh! Since you two made up—"

The girl looked up at me, curiosity shining in her eyes.

"Are you going abroad together, then?"