Page 61 of The Hotel Room

The window wasn’t finished yet—he’d already ordered double-glazed glass to be installed next week. He’d made the opening larger than he’d originally intended, nearly floor-to-ceiling.

She deserved light—endlesslight—while she painted, enough to illuminate every brushstroke, every piece of herself she poured onto the canvas.

Becausethatwas what she deserved. A space where she could create. Where she couldbreathe.

Not a prison. Not the cage he’d turned their marriage into.

He hated himself. He hated the way he’d let restlessness fester into something so ugly, so destructive.

Kate had been hiseverythingsince they were kids.

And instead of cherishing that—of cherishingher—he’d thrown it away for sex he could barely remember with a woman whose face he couldn’t recall.

But he remembered Kate’s face, pale and broken.

Now, all he could do was work. Make this space hers.

Even if he never earned her trust back, even if she never forgave him, at least he could give her this.

Because James knew one thing with absolute clarity—Kate deserved a better husband. But she was still the love of his life.

And he would spend the rest of his life proving it.

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The bar was quieter tonight. No pulsing music, no crowd pressing in too close. Just the low hum of conversation and the occasional clink of glasses.

James sat across from Nick in a booth, his hands wrapped around a glass of whiskey he hadn’t touched. The amber liquid caught the dim light, reflecting patterns on the polished wood table.

He hadn’t invited Nick here to drink. Not really.

He needed to talk.

“I was wrong.”

Nick nodded in agreement. “Yes.”

James stared into his glass for a long beat, the words sticking in his throat. But this time, he forced them out.

“Wrong about...everything. The cheating. The way I treated Kate. The way I justified it like it was some inevitable...thing.” His jaw tightened. “Like I was entitled to it. Like she should justget over itbecause it didn’t mean anything.”

Nick stayed quiet, watching him carefully.

James exhaled shakily, gripping the glass tighter. “I—Ihatemyself for what I did to her. For what I stole from her.”

Nick’s brow furrowed, his voice softer now. “James—”

“No.” James shook his head, voice rough. “I need to say this.” He forced himself to meet Nick’s eyes, no longer looking for a way out of the truth.

“I cheated because I was an idiot. I felt restless and lost and instead of dealing with that, I panicked. I hurt the one person who’s—who’s given me everything good in my life. Ideservethis pain.”

Nick’s face shifted, a flicker of discomfort showing beneath his usual easy confidence.

James continued, voice cracking.

“Kate...she’s incredible, Nick. She’s the best person I know. She gave me everything—her love, her loyalty, her trust. She was there when we had nothing, when we were just stupid kids trying to figure out how to raise Noah. She stayed when things were hard. She stayed when I was working late nights and missing dinners. And she never once asked for anything back. Never oncecomplained. She sacrificed parts of herself for us, for our family.”

He swallowed hard, the guilt so thick it burned.

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