I Found His Mistress... Wearing My Ring - Chapter 10: Chapter 10
You are reading I Found His Mistress... Wearing My Ring, Chapter 10: Chapter 10. Read more chapters of I Found His Mistress... Wearing My Ring.
The memories of Gabriel kept growing sharper in my mind, each detail—no matter how small—carving itself deeper into my heart. I hadn't expected this. Hadn't prepared for how much it would ache.
My pulse thundered in my ears, a relentless drumbeat of realization. I'd lost—not to some outside force, but to the truth I'd been running from all along. My own heart had outmaneuvered me. The love I'd refused to see was now impossible to ignore.
Only when I stopped running did I understand. The steadfast devotion I'd always craved—that pure, unshakable love—had been waiting right in front of me the whole time. Gabriel. It was always Gabriel.
If not for Ray's desperate clinging back then, his constant emotional tug-of-war, maybe I would've realized sooner. Maybe we wouldn't have wasted years drowning in misunderstandings. Overcome by guilt and a flood of emotions, I surged forward and kissed him.
The kiss started soft, uncertain—then caught fire. Just as I was about to lose myself completely, Gabriel broke away. His chest heaved, hands trembling at his sides.
"Susan," he rasped, voice thick with emotion, "may I?"
This wasn't just about permission. It was a vow—that he'd never take what wasn't freely given.
My once-guarded heart understood perfectly. I wouldn't let this slip away again. Couldn't.
I met his gaze and whispered, "Yes. Yes, you may."
That night, we discovered a joy untouched by the past—an undeniable sense of belonging.
Paris wept light rain when I last saw Ray—the same delicate drizzle that had greeted his broken arrival years before.
He'd knelt outside my apartment all night, stubborn even as the cold seeped into his bones. When a passerby found him unconscious and got him to the hospital, I felt only a flicker of pity before agreeing to see him—one final time.
Gabriel, ever protective, fretted over me at the hospital entrance. "Take my coat," he insisted, bundling me up before disappearing into a boutique to give me space.
The antiseptic hospital room reeked of sterility. Ray lay disheveled—stubble rough, eyes hollow.
"If I hadn't been so stupid," he croaked, "would we have a family by now? Maybe a kid old enough to fetch groceries?" His cracked laugh turned to a wince. "I was wrong, Susan. I regret everything."
I approached his bed, footsteps heavy with finality. "No cure for regret, Ray. The moment you chose Christine, you lost me completely."
Tears welled in his eyes—too little, too late. I'd already cried enough for both of us.
"From now on," I said calmly, "we're strangers. No—I never want to see you again."
His sobs chased me out, but my heart stayed steady. I walked straight into the arms of the man who'd never left me—Gabriel.
Years later, Gabriel and I returned to Arlington with our son in tow. The streets of our youth felt both foreign and familiar. We laughed at sentimental spots, savoring the quiet comfort of our present.
Old acquaintances updated us about Ray. After failing in Paris, he'd turned his rage on Christine. Their toxic spiral ended tragically—a car crash investigators later determined involved sabotaged brakes.
Gabriel and I exchanged wordless sighs. The past was finally at rest.
"Eat it before it melts," Gabriel teased, handing me an oversized ice cream cone. His eyes held a tenderness I once thought mythical.
Our son pouted. "Mommy gets the big one again?"
I ruffled his hair, grinning. "That's because Daddy loves me most. Jealous?"
His giggles filled the air as warmth flooded my chest. Here it was—the love I'd searched for: steadfast, gentle, unbroken.
That evening, walking along the riverbank beneath a painted sunset, I squeezed Gabriel's hand and knew without doubt:
We were home.
(The End)
My pulse thundered in my ears, a relentless drumbeat of realization. I'd lost—not to some outside force, but to the truth I'd been running from all along. My own heart had outmaneuvered me. The love I'd refused to see was now impossible to ignore.
Only when I stopped running did I understand. The steadfast devotion I'd always craved—that pure, unshakable love—had been waiting right in front of me the whole time. Gabriel. It was always Gabriel.
If not for Ray's desperate clinging back then, his constant emotional tug-of-war, maybe I would've realized sooner. Maybe we wouldn't have wasted years drowning in misunderstandings. Overcome by guilt and a flood of emotions, I surged forward and kissed him.
The kiss started soft, uncertain—then caught fire. Just as I was about to lose myself completely, Gabriel broke away. His chest heaved, hands trembling at his sides.
"Susan," he rasped, voice thick with emotion, "may I?"
This wasn't just about permission. It was a vow—that he'd never take what wasn't freely given.
My once-guarded heart understood perfectly. I wouldn't let this slip away again. Couldn't.
I met his gaze and whispered, "Yes. Yes, you may."
That night, we discovered a joy untouched by the past—an undeniable sense of belonging.
Paris wept light rain when I last saw Ray—the same delicate drizzle that had greeted his broken arrival years before.
He'd knelt outside my apartment all night, stubborn even as the cold seeped into his bones. When a passerby found him unconscious and got him to the hospital, I felt only a flicker of pity before agreeing to see him—one final time.
Gabriel, ever protective, fretted over me at the hospital entrance. "Take my coat," he insisted, bundling me up before disappearing into a boutique to give me space.
The antiseptic hospital room reeked of sterility. Ray lay disheveled—stubble rough, eyes hollow.
"If I hadn't been so stupid," he croaked, "would we have a family by now? Maybe a kid old enough to fetch groceries?" His cracked laugh turned to a wince. "I was wrong, Susan. I regret everything."
I approached his bed, footsteps heavy with finality. "No cure for regret, Ray. The moment you chose Christine, you lost me completely."
Tears welled in his eyes—too little, too late. I'd already cried enough for both of us.
"From now on," I said calmly, "we're strangers. No—I never want to see you again."
His sobs chased me out, but my heart stayed steady. I walked straight into the arms of the man who'd never left me—Gabriel.
Years later, Gabriel and I returned to Arlington with our son in tow. The streets of our youth felt both foreign and familiar. We laughed at sentimental spots, savoring the quiet comfort of our present.
Old acquaintances updated us about Ray. After failing in Paris, he'd turned his rage on Christine. Their toxic spiral ended tragically—a car crash investigators later determined involved sabotaged brakes.
Gabriel and I exchanged wordless sighs. The past was finally at rest.
"Eat it before it melts," Gabriel teased, handing me an oversized ice cream cone. His eyes held a tenderness I once thought mythical.
Our son pouted. "Mommy gets the big one again?"
I ruffled his hair, grinning. "That's because Daddy loves me most. Jealous?"
His giggles filled the air as warmth flooded my chest. Here it was—the love I'd searched for: steadfast, gentle, unbroken.
That evening, walking along the riverbank beneath a painted sunset, I squeezed Gabriel's hand and knew without doubt:
We were home.
(The End)
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