The sun was hanging low as Gerald drove in silence, his hands gripping the steering wheel a little tighter than usual. His mind was restless, filled with all that went down a few days ago—his heated conversation with Ellen, the way she almost got hit by that car, and the way he, surprisingly, had pulled her out of harm’s way without even thinking. It was an instinct, one he didn’t know he had when it came to Ellen.
He let out a big sigh, shaking his head slightly. Ellen’s words from earlier kept playing in his mind, that moment when she had snapped at him, asking how he would feel if someone tried to break his parents apart the way he and Aubrey were doing to her. He hadn’t answered her then. In the heat of the moment, he hadn’t even given it much thought. But now, driving alone, the quiet gave him space to think.
What if someone tried to stir things up with my parents? Gerald mused, his brow furrowing. His parents’ relationship had always been strong, built on trust and understanding. If someone had tried to create tension between them, would he have put up with it? The thought made his stomach flip.
He hadn’t looked at it from that angle before. To him, and to Aubrey, this had always been about fixing what they thought was broken. They believed that Ellen’s marriage to Mason was a mistake that should be set right. But what if they were wrong? What if Ellen was right, and they were just making things worse?
Gerald sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair as he turned his car onto another street. His mind drifted back to the moment he’d saved Ellen, the look of shock on her face, the way her thank you had been hollow, almost reluctant.
I didn’t have to save her, he thought. But I did.
Before he could dwell too much on that, his phone buzzed on the passenger seat beside him, pulling his attention away from his thoughts. He glanced down at the screen, seeing a message from Aubrey’s manager.
The reminder hit him like a splash of cold water.
Aubrey.
She hadn’t shown up to her shoot, and her manager couldn’t reach her. Gerald had tried calling her too, but his calls had gone straight to voicemail. Aubrey had been acting distant for a few days now, but this was different. The manager had even gone to her apartment, but Aubrey had refused to open the door, saying she didn’t want to talk to anyone.
No one but me, Gerald thought, his lips pressing into a thin line. Aubrey’s manager had asked Gerald to try and get through to her, and that was where he was headed now.
Gerald made a sharp turn, his car now on the road to Aubrey’s apartment. His heart was heavy with concern, and a creeping feeling in his gut told him something wasn’t right. He knew Aubrey better than almost anyone, and he could sense when something was off. This was one of those times.
It didn’t take long for him to arrive at her building. Gerald parked his car and quickly made his way inside. He knew her apartment well, and as he rode the elevator up to her floor, he found himself rehearsing what he would say. He didn’t want to push her too hard, but he couldn’t just leave things like this.
When he reached her door, Gerald pressed the doorbell, his fingers tapping on the cold metal. He waited a moment, listening for any sign of movement inside, but there was nothing. The apartment was silent.
"Aubrey?" he called out, his voice loud enough to carry through the door. "It’s me, Gerald. Open up."
Still no response.
Gerald frowned, leaning closer to the door as if he could somehow hear her through it. He hit the doorbell a few more times, his patience running out. "Aubrey, come on. I’m not leaving until you open this door."
Nothing.
He was about to shout her name again when a thought crossed his mind. He knew Aubrey’s apartment passcode. She had shared it with him once, in case of emergencies. He hadn’t planned to use it, but this situation was beginning to feel like one.
Gerald hesitated for a moment, his hand hovering over the keypad. He didn’t want to invade her privacy, but something about her silence had him worried. He needed to make sure she was okay.
Just as he was about to punch in the code, the door creaked open. Aubrey stood there, her head lowered, her hair falling in messy waves over her face. She looked a bit messy, like she hadn’t slept in days, and her clothes hung loosely on her frame. Her hands trembled slightly as she gripped the doorframe, refusing to meet his eyes.
"Aubrey..." Gerald breathed, stepping closer. He wanted to reach out to her, to ask her what was wrong, but before he could say anything more, she closed the distance between them and threw her arms around him, burying her face into his chest.
Gerald froze for a second, his arms hovering in the air as he registered what had just happened. Then, without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as she began to sob quietly against him. Her whole body trembled, and Gerald could feel the stress coming off her.
"Aubrey," he called her softly, his hand resting gently on the back of her head. "Hey, what’s going on? Talk to me."
She didn’t respond, only tightening her grip on him as if she was afraid he might disappear if she let go. Gerald felt her tears soak through his shirt, her soft cries filling the quiet space.
His heart ached seeing her like this. Aubrey was always so strong, always so composed in front of others. But this was different. She wasn’t just upset—she was broken. And it killed him to see her like this, knowing that something had pushed her to this point.
"He chose her, Gerald," she whispered, her voice trembling. "He chose her over me."