Weston suddenly extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray, his attention snapping back to her. “Do you really have to speak to me like that?”
“It has to end today,” Stella replied firmly, her voice steady.
“End?” The words seemed to spin in his mouth before he released them softly. A wry smile twisted his lips. “I rushed all the way here from Anh City, barely getting a wink of sleep. The moment I landed, I came straight to see you, only to hear you telling me you’re marrying someone else?”
For a brief second, Stella thought she saw a flicker of sorrow cross his face, but it was gone in an instant. Perhaps she had imagined it. There was no way someone like him could feel sadness, right?
“I never wanted you to come back,” she said, shaking her head with determination.
The room fell into a heavy silence, the only sound coming from the soft exhale of Weston’s cigarette smoke. He didn’t say a word, his silence thick and unnerving. Stella, sensing the time slipping away, spoke again, her voice quieter. “Let me go.”
Still, he didn’t respond.
Weston wasn’t the type to show his weaknesses, yet the fact that he had done so much just to see her felt like a cruel joke. He had already gone through several cigarettes, something he never used to do. He had only picked up the habit after witnessing her fall from the building.
Stella frowned slightly and let out a soft cough. Though it wasn’t loud, he heard it. His eyes flicked toward her, but he remained silent, the cigarette dangling between his fingers as he stopped smoking.
Time stretched on, and finally, he muttered softly, “Impossible.”
The word crushed all her remaining hope.
“When will you let me go?” she asked, her voice breaking as tears welled up. “You’ve asked this a million times.”
Weston stood up, taking his jacket from her, not caring that it was now wrinkled. Instead, he smoothed her clothes out gently, his fingers lingering on the fabric, as if it were something precious to him.
But Stella remained unmoved. The gesture didn’t touch her.
“Will you only let me go if I die?” she whispered, the weight of her question heavy in the air.
“Don’t use that word,” he murmured, pulling her hands in his and kissing the corner of her lips. His gaze softened, filled with a tenderness that could have drowned her. If only he had looked at her this way when they were still married, she might have done anything for him. But now, he felt like a parasite—clingy and suffocating, leaving her with no place to run.
Just then, footsteps echoed down the hallway. Stella’s body tensed instantly, her nerves on edge. Weston noticed her unease and laughed softly. “Are you afraid someone might see us… cheating?”
He whispered the last word deliberately, a sultry edge to his voice that made her pull away from the heat of his breath against her ear.
After a few moments, the footsteps outside faded away, leaving the room in tense silence.
Skip to content