Chapter 28: The Weight of Silence.

Selene

There’s a knock at the door.

I flinch, my nerves still raw from the messages, the voicemail, the video. My heart skitters, some foolish part of me hoping—terrified—it might be Adrian.

But it’s John.

He’s early. Or maybe I’ve just lost track of time entirely. He’s holding two coffees and a pastry bag, still dressed in sharp grey slacks and a navy shirt, sleeves rolled just enough to make him look effortlessly and dangerously handsome.

“I figured you’d be up for another coffee,” he says casually, stepping inside with practiced ease. “My meeting wrapped up early, so I decided to come spend some time with you ." He smiles that sexy seductive smile.

He sets everything down on the counter and glances at me—not too long, not too hard, just enough to make me feel… seen. And somehow stripped naked and breathless all at the same time.

“I got you your usual,” he adds. “Didn’t know if you’d had the breakfast I had sent up to you?."

“I haven’t had much,” I say, voice slightly hollow. I try to smile, but it doesn’t reach anything inside me. "Thank you for the lovely gift John, it is absolutely stunning."

He nods, and leans in and kisses my cheek.

"Not as stunning as you". Then hands me the coffee without comment. For a moment, the silence between us hangs heavy. Not awkward. Just full of unspoken things.

“You look… tired,” he says finally, in a tone that pretends to be casual but isn’t. “Rough night?”

I nod once, then shrug. “Just a lot on my mind.”

He doesn’t press. Doesn’t ask questions. But I can feel it—the weight of his curiosity, his concern. He’s always been like that: quiet observation over direct confrontation.

I should tell him something. Anything. But I don’t. Not about Adrian. Not about the video. Not about the whisper of doubt threading its way through the cracks in my armor.

Because if I say it out loud, I might shatter.

John walks over to the windows, pulling the sheer drape aside to look out at the city. “Have you ever thought about starting over?” he asks after a beat.

The question catches me off guard. “What do you mean?”

He turns back to me, his expression unreadable. “I mean… forgetting whatever or should I say whoever knocked the wind out of your sails and just… turning the page. Making a clean break. And starting afresh somewhere else .”

My heart jumps in my chest, but I keep my face still. “That sounds ideal. But in my experience it's not always realistic.”

“It is,” he says softly. “If you want it badly enough.” His eyes have darkened with desire, his eyes running over me.

I look at him then. Really look. There’s something behind his eyes—restraint, maybe. Or the calculated patience of a man who’s made a decision but hasn’t acted on it yet.

What I don’t know is that he already has.

He’s already decided not to tell me that Adrian called. Twice.

Begging.

Saying he was set up.

Asking John to just pass on a message. Tell her I didn’t do it. Tell her to hear me out. Please, John.

But John had simply listened and hung up on the first call . And deleted the voicemail of the second call .

Because he wasn’t just watching out for me. He was making a play. His thought process being if Adrian had fucked up, that was the perfect opening he needed to make a play for Selene. Something about this Goddess had him so intrigued that he wanted her like he had never wanted anyone before.

And I—too bruised, too lost—had no idea.

“Selene,” he says, stepping closer. “Whatever’s going on… whatever this thing is weighing you down… you don’t have to carry it alone, let me be here for you, let me show you how I can fulfill all your needs . ”

I open my mouth. Then close it again.

Because I want to believe him. I do.

But I also know better than to trust anyone too quickly, I foolishly did that with Adrian and it's got me nothing but heartache. I've always played the field and been in control, it's always been on my terms . Not anyone else's. Yet here I am feeling like Johns worked his way into a space I've kept closed off from everyone until Adrian.

So I nod. Offer a faint smile. Take a sip of coffee and breaking eye contact when I notice his eyes drop to my lips and pretend that nothing inside me is cracking.

Even as the silence between us hums with tension, he knows that I'm attracted to him despite the issues I'm going through. There is this undeniable sexual charge and tension between us. I look at him and know I can't deny that I have the hots for him. I mean who would ?

He is tall, built like a line backer , but polished and sophisticated, powerful and those eyes of his , they melt even the coldest of hearts.

So even as I feel the weight of Adrian’s absence pulling me in one direction, I definitely feel the warmth of John’s presence pulling me in another. I'm struggling to make a decision as to how to move forward.

And I don’t know which gravity will win. Why does life have to be so complicated?