Chapter 2 Breaking Apart

NEXT MORNING

As Grayson walked into the kitchen, the scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air. Lena sat by the counter, gripping her mug tightly. She was dressed in a brown sweater and a white skirt with some flower prints on it, and her hair was tied in a tight bun.

"Good morning." Grayson greeted softly, sitting down on a chair beside where she stood. He stared up at her face, studying her carefully, his eyes clouded with concern.

"Morning." Lena replied slowly without bothering to glance at him, her voice cold.

Grayson leaned forward, as he drummed his fingers against the table.

"We didn't exactly finish our conversation last night." Grayson stated.

Lena took a sip of her coffee with an unreasonable expression on her face. "There is nothing to talk about." She replied.

"There is everything to talk about." He countered, his voice steady and firm.

"You're shutting me out these days, Lena. I can feel it, I just don't know why. What did I do wrong?" He asked calmly, his eyes fixed on her.

Lena let out a heavy sigh as she placed the mug down a little louder and harder than she intended.

"Grayson, not now. Please."

"Not now?" He frowned, frustration creeping into his tone. "That's all you've been saying for weeks. I'm your husband, Lena. I deserve to know what's going on."

Her hand curled into a fist at her side, but she forced herself to remain calm. "Can't you just let it go? For once?"

Grayson's lips pressed into a thin line, and he looked away, clearly hurt by her words and actions.

EVENING

Lena sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the floor, as she gave second thoughts to the choice she was about to make.

The door opened and Grayson stepped inside, a warm hopeful smile plastered across his face. He carried a very small neatly wrapped box in his hands which Lena failed to notice.

"Hey," he said gently, approaching her.

Lena glanced up, her expression guarded. "What is it?"

Grayson sat beside her, holding out the box. "I wanted to show you something. It's for our anniversary in two weeks."

Lena stiffened. "Anniversary?" She asked.

"Yeah," he said, his voice laced with a quietly.

"Three years. I thought we could do something special. Maybe go back to the place where we had our first date? Or..." He trailed off, watching her closely.

"Grayson," Lena interrupted, her tone cold and detached.

He blinked, surprised by the sharpness in her voice. "What?"

"I'm not interested," she said bluntly, standing and turning away from him.

His heart sank. "Not interested? Lena, it's our anniversary. We've always celebrated it." He stated.

She crossed her arms, refusing to meet his gaze. "Not this year. I have too much going on."

Grayson's shoulders sagged, the small box in his hand feeling heavier than before. "Lena, is this about us? About something I did?"

"It's not about you," she said flatly, walking toward the closet. "I just don't want to celebrate, okay?"

His grip tightened around the box. "You don't even care anymore, do you?"

She froze for a moment but didn't respond. Instead, she turned back to face him, her expression hard. "We have a business dinner tonight with a client. Be ready by seven."

Grayson stood, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "That's it? A business dinner? No explanation, no conversation, just another cold dismissal?" He asked.

Lena looked at him, her eyes unreadable. "You said you wanted to talk? Fine. Let's talk later. But tonight, we focus on the client."

"Right," he said bitterly, slipping the box into his pocket. "Because that's what we do best, isn't it? Focus on business and ignore everything else."

She didn't reply, instead walking past him toward the bathroom. Grayson stared after her, his heart heavy with questions he wasn't sure he wanted the answers to anymore.

NIGHT: BLUE VIEW RESTAURANT

"Thank you, it's a pleasure working with you Mr. James." Lena said as she shook hands with the middle aged man.

"You too." He nodded.

"Bye Lena, bye Grayson." Mrs James said as she stood up from her chair to leave with her husband.

"That went well." Lena said as soon as they left, a genuine smile plastered across her face.

Grayson glanced at her without saying a word. He wasn't surprised that her business made her so happy, after all that was one of the main reasons she got married to him; to be able to claim her family's business.

"I'm going to the rest room." Lena said, getting up from where she sat beside Grayson.

"Alright. I'll be waiting here." Grayson muttered as he watched her leave.

When Lena was done in the rest room, she washed her hands then proceeded to leave, just as she pushed the door open, she came face to face with a man and she immediately froze on her spot as she dared not to look him in the eye.

Grayson glanced at the time on his wrist watch, Lena was staying longer than she normally did in the restroom. Just as he stood up to go look for her, he saw her approaching him with a hard look, but she quickly smiled as soon as she saw him, and Grayson did not fail to notice that.

"I was just about to come find you." He said as she stood before him.

Lena replied with a small nod, but her next actions shocked Grayson as he wasn't expecting it.

She kissed him quickly on his lips before engulfing him in a hug. Grayson froze for a moment, but relaxed and hugged her back.

Grayson held her tightly, as though sensing her desire to leave, Lena bit her lip to suppress a sob. This was the last time she'd let herself feel this close to him. Tonight, it would all be over.