Chapter 89 Chapter 89: Broken Pieces

Chapter 89 Chapter 89: Broken Pieces

MARTHA’S POV

I drove through the darkened streets with tears blurring my vision. My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles ached. Every few seconds the image flashed back. Garrison naked on our bed. Violet beside him, her skin pressed against his. The empty wine glasses, and the scattered clothes. I could not breathe properly. My chest tightened until sharp gasps escaped me. I wiped my eyes furiously and kept driving toward Rachel’s apartment on the other side of town.

The city lights streaked past like accusations. How could he do this? After everything we survived together. After Violet’s public attack that same day. I pulled into Rachel’s parking lot, killed the engine, and sat there shaking. My phone had buzzed several times during the drive. Garrison’s name lit up the screen again and again. I silenced it and stumbled toward the building.

Rachel opened her door after my frantic knocking. One look at my face and she pulled me inside without a word. She wrapped her arms around me as fresh sobs tore from my throat. I collapsed against her shoulder, my whole body trembling.

“Martha, what happened?” she asked softly. She guided me to the couch and handed me a box of tissues.

I could barely speak at first. The words came out choked. “I found him in bed with her. Violet. They were both naked. In our bed, Rachel. I walked in and there they were.”

Rachel’s eyes widened, but she stayed calm. She rubbed my back in slow circles while I cried harder. The pain felt physical, like someone had reached into my chest and squeezed my heart. I told her everything.

She listened without interrupting until I ran out of breath. Then she handed me a glass of water and sat closer. “Take a breath, okay? I know this looks terrible. But the Garrison I know fought like hell for you. He stood against Violet and every other threat that came your way. He chose you every single time. Does it make sense that he would throw all that away by sleeping with her of all people?”

I shook my head violently. “I saw them with my own eyes. Their bodies. The way she smiled. I cannot unsee it.”

“You should have given him a chance to explain,” Rachel said gently. “You ran out so fast. People set traps, Martha. Especially someone as vindictive as Violet. Remember how many times she tried to destroy you before? This could be another one.”

“No.” I stood up and paced the small living room. “I will not make excuses for him. I trusted him completely. I carried his child and built a life with him. And he betrayed me in the worst way possible.”

Rachel tried again, her voice steady and full of concern. “I am not defending him. I am saying think clearly. You were already hurt from the confrontation today. You walked into that scene raw. Maybe slow down before you make permanent decisions.”

I refused to hear it. The hurt ran too deep. We talked in circles for another hour. Rachel made me tea and offered me her guest room. I cried until my eyes burned and my throat felt raw. Eventually exhaustion pulled me under. I curled up on her couch under a blanket and let the tears carry me to sleep, my hand protectively over my stomach.

My phone rang several times throughout the night. I silenced every call from Garrison. I could not face his voice. Not yet.

Morning light filtered through the curtains and woke me with a heavy ache behind my eyes. I sat up slowly. Rachel had already left for an early errand, but she left a note on the table telling me to stay as long as I needed. I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. Puffy eyes, pale skin, more like a stranger looking back at me.

I could not stay here. I could not stay in this city where every corner reminded me of him. I needed distance. I grabbed my phone and booked the first available flight out of town. Then I drove back to our house, heart pounding the entire way. I hoped Garrison had left for work. I needed to pack quickly and disappear.

I slipped inside and moved upstairs with purpose. I pulled a suitcase from the closet and started throwing clothes into it. Dresses. Shoes. A few toiletries. My hands moved fast, but tears kept falling onto the fabric. I paused at the drawer that held the ultrasound pictures. My fingers trembled as I touched them. This baby deserved better than a broken home.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs. I froze.

“Martha.” Garrison’s voice carried up to me, urgent and rough.

I zipped the suitcase and tried to lift it. He appeared in the doorway before I reached the hall. His eyes looked red-rimmed. A dark bruise marked the back of his head. He blocked the exit with his body.

“Please move,” I said coldly. “I am leaving.”

He stepped forward but kept his hands visible. “You do not have to believe me, but nothing happened between Violet and me last night. I swear on our child’s life. I came home to see you when someone hit me from behind and I blacked out. When I woke up, you were standing there screaming and she was laying next to me. I never touched her. She set this whole thing up to drive you away from me.”

I wanted to cover my ears. His words pulled at something deep inside, but the image from yesterday remained burned in my mind. “Why should I believe you? I saw you two together.”

“Because I have never given you a reason to doubt me before,” he continued, voice steady but full of emotion. He took another careful step closer. “I chose you when everyone else wanted us apart. I protected you from her schemes. I held you through every loss and every fear. Why would I risk all of that for her? She wants you gone so she can try to worm her way back in. This was calculated. The wine glasses, the timing, the messages I received. All of it. I did not sleep with her. I did not even know she was in the house until I woke up.”

I searched his face. The desperation in his eyes, the bruise on his head, the way his hands shook slightly at his sides. Part of me still fought him, but his words chipped away at my resolve. Rachel’s advice from last night echoed too. He had fought for us before. Truly fought.

He seemed to sense the shift. His tone softened further. “I love you, Martha. Only you. I want to raise this baby with you. Please do not let her win by tearing us apart.”

I set the suitcase down. My shoulders slumped as fresh tears welled up. The fight drained out of me slowly. I believed him. The truth settled in my bones despite the lingering hurt. “I was so scared. It looked so real.”

He closed the distance and pulled me into his arms. I let him. His heartbeat thumped strong against my cheek. We stood like that for a long moment, breathing together.

Then he pulled back slightly and looked me in the eyes. His expression changed. “We can work through this. But I am the one who should be mad here. You are the one having an affair with someone else.”

I stared at him, stunned. My mouth opened but no words came out. The room seemed to tilt around me as his accusation hung in the air.

“What the hell are you talking about?”