Page 115 of Unfaithful

My voice trembled as I clung to the last thread of hope. "We're still going to see each other... aren't we?"

I needed him to say yes.

I needed him to give me something—anything—to hold on to.

"If I continue to stay, it won't change anything. You're right. We need this separation, Sara. We both do."

He released a slow breath as though trying to regain his composure. "And if we were meant to be... we'll find our way back to each other. With a clean break. A fresh start."

I clung to his arm, sobbing, unable to understand why my heart ached so fiercely when I was the one who asked him to leave. "Where will you go?"

"Back to work. Travels." His voice was quieter now, more to himself than to me. "Dad has a lot of jobs lined up... and I think I'll take them."

He leaned in just enough for our foreheads to almost touch, his breath warm against my skin.

The moment felt suspended in time, delicate and fragile. Like the slightest movement could shatter it.

And then, in a voice so soft it barely reached me, he whispered, "I love you, Peaches. Take care of yourself for me."

He lingered for just a moment before finally rising to his feet, hesitating for a breath, then slowly turning away.

I could see the struggle in his posture as he forced himself to move. It was hard for him—I knew that. But it was hard for me too. Harder than I ever thought it would be.

Then he walked away.

My hand twitched, reaching out instinctively, though I didn't move. Fear suddenly gripped me. My mind screamed.Stop, Archie. Don't go. I was wrong. No, please.

But he didn't hear the words I couldn't say.

He opened the front door, stepped out, and was gone.

And I hadn't seen or heard from him since.

Even when I knew he had come back for a few days, he never reached out.

I contemplated calling him, texting him, but then changed my mind, remembering our last conversation.

Not yet, I decided.

Still, I found myself asking Julian how he was doing. I still wanted to know. I even went to Janet's house, seeking answers to our conversations. But most of the time, they didn't know either. When he was on deployment, it was hard to contact him sometimes. So, they only saw him in passing—brief moments over lunch or a quick cup of coffee when he was in town.

Like a ghost passing through, never staying long enough to leave a trace.

The only person who truly knew everything about him outside of work was Henry—Archie and Julian's assistant. But he refused to tell me anything.

My mind just couldn't stop thinking about him.

I realized now that his absence didn't diminish my feelings for him. If anything, they only grew stronger. With distance,my doubts about myself faded, allowing me to see things clearly until I could finally recognize and accept what I truly felt for him.

And now, I heard he was back. Emma told me.

He had gone for four months on his last assignment, vanishing into the most dangerous part of the world. And for two of those weeks, he disappeared without a trace. No calls, no messages.

It drove Janet and Herston absolutely insane. Janet couldn't stop crying. She was hysterical. Herston pulled every connection he had, exhausting every resource to find his son.

It drove me mad, too. Sleep eluded me, my thoughts consumed by him. Where was he? Was he safe?

But I knew—somehow, I just knew—that he was alive. Because something deep inside me remained tethered to him, binding us together in mind, body, and soul. If he was gone, I would feel it. In my heart, in my bones, in the very core of my being. I would know.

---