*****
The restaurant gasped in unison.
Emery’s heart stopped.
Her glass slipped, shattering against the floor.
And in that moment ,under soft chandeliers and wide eyes her carefully built world began to crack again.
.
.
The restaurant was dead silent. The sound of the glass hitting the floor seemed to echo endlessly, slicing through the air.
Emery couldn’t breathe.
Her mind couldn’t process the words that had just rolled from his tongue — bold, cold, and utterly destructive.
My wife.
Every eye was on her. Some filled with curiosity, some with judgment. Gabriel’s confusion turned into a dark, unreadable stare.
“Your....” he began, but Emery stood abruptly, her chair scraping sharply against the marble floor.
“Excuse me,” she said, voice trembling but controlled.
She grabbed h
