Silent Distance
The silence had a shape now.
It clung to the walls of the penthouse like mold, spreading through every room, every corridor, every breath Ariana took. The chandelier above her flickered as the night wind whispered through the barely open balcony doors. Damien had been gone for three days.
She hadn't called.
He hadn't written.
Ariana sat on the edge of the bed, the same document folder lying closed beside her. Her fingers brushed over the edges of it now and then, but she never opened it again. Once was enough. Once had broken something too deep to name.
He married you for vengeance.
It was never love.
You were only a pawn in someone else's war.
The words had no signature. Only pain.
And she had believed them. Not because she was naive, but because somewhere, deep down, she had always feared it. That she loved him more than he ever could love her.
Now, the silence echoed it.
Outside, the city pulsed with its usual indifference. Cars passed. Horns cried in the distance. But nothing could pierce the stillness within her chest.
The elevator chimed at midnight.
Damien stepped in, drenched from the rain, exhaustion carved into his face. He carried a single bag and the weight of something he couldn't quite name.
He expected her to be asleep. Or angry. Or distant.
He didn't expect… emptiness.
The lights were dimmed. The dining table untouched. The fireplace dead.
And then he saw her.
At the end of the hallway. Standing. Still. Watching.
"Ariana," he said softly.
Her expression didn't change.
"I'm back."
She gave a nod. Not cold. Not warm. Just… distant.
"I thought you'd call," he tried again.
Still no words.
"I had to meet someone. It took longer than"
"I know," she finally said, her voice flat. "You're always meeting someone. Doing something important."
Damien frowned. "Is something wrong?"
She looked away.
"No," she lied. "Nothing at all."
They slept in the same bed that night.
But it felt like miles apart.
Her back to him. His eyes open in the dark.
The space between them
Once filled with desire, laughter, confessions
Now only held a single, burning question neither dared to ask aloud:
"Do you still love me?"
But neither one of them answered.
Because silence was safer.
❤️ If you liked this story, don't forget to add it to your favorites and leave a comment! ❤️