Page 81 of The Hotel Room

Gently, carefully, she let her fingers trace his—just barely, just enough to find the band on his ring finger.

The ring was there now.

Solid. Real.

A symbol she once trusted without question.

James shifted slightly behind her, his breath catching as her fingers brushed over his.

But he didn’t speak.

He didn’t press.

He just stayed there, holding her.

And Kate couldn’t tell if the tears slipping silently onto the pillow were for the love they still shared—

Or for the love she wasn’t sure she could trust anymore.

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The suitcase sat by the front door, zipped and ready to go. Kate hated it. Hated the way it sat there like a symbol of everything wrong between them.

James stood in the kitchen, rinsing out his coffee mug, his movements too calm, too measured. He turned to her, drying his hands on a dish towel, his face carefully neutral.

“I don’t have a choice, Kate,” he said, his voice quiet but firm. “It’s work. It’s one night. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

She crossed her arms tightly over her chest, leaning against the counter. The hard edge of the granite pressed into her back, grounding her even as the anger roiled in her chest.

“For work,” she repeated bitterly. “Like the time I walked into that hotel room and—”

Her voice broke, and she stopped herself, biting the inside of her cheek. She wouldn’t cry in front of him. Not again.

James’s shoulders slumped, and he rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at the floor. “I know how it looks. I do. But I swear, Kate, I’m not that man anymore.”

“You swear?” she snapped, her voice sharp. “Forgive me if that doesn’t mean much right now.”

He flinched, and for a moment, she felt a flicker of guilt. But it was buried under layers of hurt and mistrust.

“I hate this too,” James said softly, stepping closer. “I hate leaving you. Leaving the kids. But I can’t just stop. This job—”

“This job is more important than us?” she interrupted, her voice shaking.

“No,” he said quickly, his hands lifting in a helpless gesture. “No, of course not. But we have a baby on the way, Kate. We have bills, a mortgage, college for Noah coming up sooner than we think—”

She shook her head, her eyes narrowing. “Don’t you dare use that as an excuse. Don’t act like this is for me. You’re the one who wanted this career, James. You’re the one who chose this.”

His jaw tightened, and he looked away, exhaling sharply.

“I’m doing this for all of us,” he said finally, his voice quiet but resolute. “For you. For the kids. To make sure you’re taken care of.”

Kate laughed bitterly, shaking her head. “You think that’s what I want? I wanted a husband I could trust. A husband who wouldn’t walk out the door and leave me wondering if he’d come back the same man.”

Her words hung heavy in the air, and she saw the way they hit him, his face tightening with guilt.

“I’m not him anymore,” he said again, stepping closer. “I swear to you, Kate. I’ll call you as soon as I land. I’ll FaceTime before I go to bed. Whatever you need, just tell me, and I’ll do it.”

She looked away, her chest aching with the weight of everything unsaid.

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