[CASSIE]
Rhys.
It's Rhys standing on the other side of the door. Not Jude.
Rhys. My husband. Yes, he's still my husband—I have to remind myself of that. The father of my children and the one love of my life.
I hadn't expected to see him tonight. But somewhere deep down, a small, silent part of me had wished for this—hoped against hope as we sat around the dinner table, laughing, smiling, all while one seat remained glaringly vacant. And now, here he is. His presence stills that yearning part of me, even as his eyes soften upon meeting mine, the crease on his forehead easing.
His smile is a small flame in the darkness, flickering with warmth, but it doesn’t reach me the way it once did. I feel the hollow space where our connection used to be. He doesn’t know. He doesn’t see how I crumb
