The next morning, Gabriel left early.
Earlier than usual.
He didn't wake her with a soft kiss on the forehead, didn't pause at the door to tell her to eat breakfast, didn't leave a note on the counter like he sometimes did when he felt guilty for working late.
He simply… disappeared into the day.
Elena lay in bed staring at the ceiling until sunlight fully filled the room.
Her chest felt heavy, full of question marks.
At 9 a.m., she made a decision.
She picked up her coat, tied her hair, and headed to his company.
No drama.
No storming in.
Just calm clarity.
If something was wrong, she needed to know.
Not to accuse him.
Just to breathe again.
The receptionist recognized her immediately.
"Good morning, Miss Elena. Mr. Harland is in his office."
Elena smiled politely.
"I'll just speak to him quickly."
When she reached his office, the door was slightly ajar.
She hesitated—then heard voices inside.
Female voices.
Her fingers froze around the doorknob.
"…you didn't tell her, did you?" a woman said.
"No. Not yet. She has enough to worry about," Gabriel replied.
Elena's heartbeat thudded in her ears.
Tell her what?
She pushed the door gently.
Inside, Gabriel stood with a woman in a fitted white blouse—mid-30s, elegant, sharp-eyed. Someone who looked… familiar.
She turned.
And smiled politely.
Too politely.
"You must be Elena," she said smoothly. "I'm Adrianne."
The name hit Elena's stomach.
Adrianne.
Gabriel's ex-wife's coworker.
The woman people whispered about.
The woman who had been in his office multiple times.
Gabriel's expression tightened immediately.
"Elena, you shouldn't—"
But Elena's eyes had already fallen onto the desk.
More specifically, the photograph lying atop a stack of documents.
Gabriel.
His ex-wife.
Smiling together.
Not framed—just lying there, freshly touched, as if someone had looked at it.
Her chest went cold.
"I see," she whispered.
Gabriel stepped toward her.
"Elena, wait—this isn't what you think."
She backed away slightly.
"You said you'd explain last night."
"And I will," he said, voice firm, eyes pleading. "But not like this, not with people around."
Adrianne crossed her arms lightly, watching with an unreadable expression—calm, but too observant.
Elena swallowed hard.
"I just want to know one thing," she said.
"Why is that picture here? Why now?"
Gabriel inhaled slowly, as if preparing for a long truth.
"Because legal matters regarding my past marriage resurfaced," he said. "Documents, property disputes, things I should have handled earlier but didn't. Adrianne is here because she's a witness in an old case. That's all."
Elena stared at him.
The explanation made sense.
But it didn't erase the ache in her chest.
Or the image of him coming home at 3 a.m.
Or the fear of losing him to a past she couldn't compete with.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she whispered.
His voice dropped to a pained murmur.
"Because I didn't want you to feel insecure."
Elena let out a faint, emotional laugh.
"Gabriel… that's exactly what hiding things causes."
The truth sank between them like a stone.
He took another step toward her, lowering his voice so only she could hear:
"I'm not going anywhere. But if you don't trust me… everything else collapses."
Elena blinked, eyes stinging.
"That's the thing," she said softly. "I'm trying."
And for the first time, Gabriel looked like a man who didn't know how to reach her.