The Billionaire in Disguise

Splinters

დ Elara დ

The grocery list was stupidly long, and somehow I still forgot the one thing we actually needed: bottling seals. I tossed the empty basket into the back of the truck and cursed under my breath. The sun was already low, and the dust was curling in lazy spirals around the tires as I stepped into the general store. The air-conditioning slapped me in the face, too cold and too sharp. I barely made it three steps past the front display when I heard it.

“Elara?” I stopped and slowly turned to see him. Matthew. Same dark blonde hair. Same pressed shirt and clean jeans. But somehow smaller than I remembered. Or maybe it was just me who had grown. He gave me that half-smile I used to fall for every time. The one that meant trouble. “Hey,” he said. I didn’t say anything. I just stared at him. “It’s good to see you…I wasn’t sure if you would come into town,” I glanced toward the counter.

“I just needed something. I’m leaving,”

“Wait…can we talk? Just for a minute,” he pleaded, and I almost said no. I almost walked straight out of the store and let him chase my taillights back to whatever perfect little lie he was living now. But the woman behind the counter had already seen us. And this town loved a story. So, I nodded. One word. One minute. Matthew led us to the coffee aisle like it was sacred ground. “I just…” he started as he rubbed the back of his neck, like the words itched. “I wanted to apologize. Properly. I should have done it sooner,” I crossed my arms.

“Do you think cheating deserves an apology?”

“No,” Matthew whispered as he looked at me. He didn’t look defensive or anything like that. He just looked wrecked. Guilty. “I think it deserves a hell of a lot more. But I don’t know where to start,” I didn’t say a word. What was I supposed to say anyway? The truth was that the hurt of what he had done was still too raw. I may not have feelings for him anymore, but the hurt was still there. And truth be told, I wasn’t exactly going to make this easy for him. “I messed up. Big time,” he continued. “There is no excuse for what I did. I know that,”

“Then why did you?” I questioned, and his gaze dropped to the tiled floor.

“Because I was stupid. And selfish. And...I think I already knew we weren’t working, but I didn’t want to admit it,”

“Then you should have just broken up with me, Matt,” I snapped. “You don’t burn the house down just because you don’t like the furniture anymore,”

“I know,” his voice cracked. “I should have, I should have just walked away,” I hated how quiet I got. I hated how fast the tears pressed behind my eyes. Even now. Matthew saw it, and he sighed softly. “I know I don’t have the right to say this, but...there were nights I wondered if you were already gone too,”

“What the hell does that mean?” I asked.

“Rowan,” he said. The name hit harder than I expected. “The winery. Early mornings. Late nights. And the calls and the texts and…you were never home, Elara, and even when you were, you weren’t. To me, you were always with him,” I stared at him in surprise.

“Are you seriously blaming Rowan for what you did?”

“No. No…I’m not saying I was right. I’m saying...there was a big part of me that thought I had already lost you. I didn’t handle things right, Elara, I know that…” I blinked. Hard. Because the truth in what he said hurt in a way I didn’t have a name for. And because maybe, just maybe, he was right. We had grown apart. We had been distant. I had poured more of myself into the winery because I hadn’t wanted to deal with how awkward things had gotten between us. Still, it wasn’t an excuse for what he did.

“You don’t get to rewrite the story,” I said softly.

“I’m not trying to, Elara,” he sighed. “I miss you…not just who we were, but…who I was when I was with you. You made me better, and I know I ruined it,”

“You don’t get to say things like that,” I snapped.

“It’s the truth,”

“I don’t care,” I said. I wasn’t sure if that was the truth or not. But the silence wrapped around us so tight and sharp that it felt like I couldn’t breathe. I hated that I could still hear the echo of the old version of him, the one who kissed my forehead in the morning and made me coffee even when he was late for work. The version that used to love me. But I didn’t trust it anymore. “Please,” I said. “Just let me go,” Matthew nodded slowly.

“I already did,” he said, and I left before he could say anything more. I walked out into the warm dusk and slammed the truck door harder than I meant to. My hands gripped the steering wheel like it was the only thing that could keep me together. I turned the key and the engine roared to life. But I didn’t move. Instead, I let the tears fall. It was hot, messy, and ugly. I cried for what we had. I cried for what he broke. And I cried for the pieces of me that still cared. That still wanted to understand why. And maybe for the part of me that had been blindsided. When I felt somewhat calm, I took a deep breath. The sun had dipped behind the hills, and I finally pulled onto the road. I didn’t look back. Not this time. Because the past already had enough of me.

“Asshole,” I muttered aloud. I felt a bit better after crying, but it was still raw. Matthew had cheated on me. He had betrayed my trust, and now he wanted to throw Rowan in my face. I knew the truth; I wasn’t a fool. But I didn’t feel the same way. I never have and I never will. Matthew knew that. He knew better. I didn’t care about his excuses or his explanations. He had messed up. Period. And nothing he could say or do would make things right between us. We would never be friends. Never. And I was happy with that.

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