The anniversary dinner had changed that.
Not when Zayn admitted Maya was pregnant.
Not even when he proposed that Audrey help raise the child.
The final break came when he blamed her infertility.
He had taken the most private grief they shared and turned it into evidence for his defense.
That was the moment Audrey understood there was nothing left to negotiate.
The following days became a strange battle of silence and messages.
Zayn apologized.
Then explained.
Then apologized for explaining.
He sent flowers to Starlight Jewelry, but Audrey had instructed the staff not to forward personal deliveries.
He sent another message.
Can we please meet once?
She ignored it.
Then:
I don’t want to lose five years over one mistake.
That message finally made Audrey respond.
She typed only one sentence.
Seven months is not one mistake.
Zayn read it repeatedly.
He wanted to argue that the affair itself had happened once, exactly as he had told her.
But Audrey was not talking about one night.
She meant every morning after it.
Every lie.
Every hidden appointment.
Every late arrival.
Every time he looked at his wife while knowing something existed that could destroy her trust.
Seven months was not one mistake.
It was a sequence of decisions.
A week later, they finally met.
Audrey chose a quiet public place near Starlight Jewelry.
She arrived before Zayn and sat with her hands folded on the table.
There was no wedding ring on her finger.
Zayn noticed immediately.
He looked thinner.
Tired.
His expensive suit seemed strangely useless without the confidence he usually wore with it.
He sat across from her.
“Thank you for coming.”
Audrey said nothing.
“I’ve been thinking about everything.”
“I hope so.”
He flinched.
“Audrey, I was cruel.”
“Yes.”
“I was scared.”
“So was I.
For five years.”
He looked down.
“I know.”
“No,” Audrey said quietly.
“You knew I was hurting.
That isn’t the same as understanding it.”
Zayn pressed his palms together.
“I can’t undo what I did.”
“No.”
