My Cold-Hearted Husband Wants Me Back
Chapter 174: Fractured Hearts

Chapter 174: Fractured Hearts

She hadn’t moved in hours.

Lunara lay still under the blanket, her breathing soft and even. The light outside had changed, it was no longer morning. A warm, late-afternoon glow slipped through the curtains, touching her face gently. She looked peaceful now, but the signs of exhaustion were still there. Faint lines under her eyes. Dry tears on her cheeks. Like someone who had carried too much for too long.

Eryx sat beside the bed, quiet.

He hadn’t left her side since she broke down. She had cried until her body shook, until the words stopped coming. Then finally, her eyes had closed, and sleep took her.

A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts. The doctor stepped in, his voice low and careful.

"She’s just resting," he said after checking her pulse. "But you need to keep an eye on her, Sir. Emotionally, she’s not in a stable place."

Eryx’s brows pulled together. "What do you mean?"

The doctor hesitated, then said carefully, "After a loss like that... especially when everything piles up emotionally, it can lead to something deeper. Postpartum depression doesn’t always show right away. It’s subtle, and if ignored, it worsens. She needs rest, yes... but also time, understanding, and someone who really sees her."

Eryx didn’t respond at first. His gaze stayed fixed on Lunara, asleep and quiet, her features softer now, almost childlike. He’d never seen her this still, not in the past few weeks, not even before.

And only now, in this silence, did it hit him, how deeply she had been unraveling while he was trying to patch up his own guilt.

He nodded once, slowly. "I understand."

But it was a late understanding.

Because in truth, he hadn’t been trying to help her heal. He had been trying to fix himself, escaping his own guilt and pain, shutting her out in the process.

His fists clenched tightly as he admitted it silently.

’I ran away from her... from us... because I was drowning too.’

Now, watching her vulnerable like this, exhausted from holding everything inside, he felt the sharp sting of regret.

This wasn’t just her battle to fight.

For the past week, he had run, not from her, but from the guilt that tangled deep inside him. The argument with Lucas had left a wound he couldn’t face. So he chose to retreat, to silence the storm within his own heart, ignoring the one who needed him most.

He had been selfish.

He had focused on calming his own chaos, forgetting that she was drowning in hers.

Last night, after Lunara unexpectedly showed up at the suite, something shifted inside him. As he looked at her, he realized that no matter how heavy the burden, he could face it all as long as she was by his side.

That’s why, that morning, he had prepared the ring and planned to propose, hoping to fix things with a promise. But now, seeing her reaction, the pain and confusion in her eyes, he knew it had been a bad decision. The proposal wasn’t what she needed right now. It only added to the weight she was already carrying.

He had meant well, but his timing was off.

Eryx stood up slowly, his eyes drifting to the window. Outside, the world moved on, bright, indifferent, untouched by the storm inside him. He stared blankly at the scenery, the weight of everything pressing down harder than he expected.

At first, the tears came quietly, just a few trembling drops. He covered his mouth, desperate to keep the sound from escaping, afraid to show weakness. But the dam inside him was breaking. The pain, the guilt, the helplessness and all flooding out in silent sobs.

Unable to hold back any longer, he turned sharply and rushed to the bathroom. The cold tile floor met his knees as he leaned over the sink, hands gripping the edges. He opened the tap, letting the steady flow of water drown out his quiet breakdown.

For the first time in days, Eryx let himself fall apart.

====

Lunara’s eyelids fluttered open slowly, the dim light of early evening filtering softly through the curtains. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the quiet stillness of the room.

Her gaze immediately found Eryx, sitting beside her bed. He was slumped forward, exhaustion pulling him down into a rare, deep sleep.

She watched him quietly for a moment and began to sit up, but unexpectedly pulled her hand that was held by Eryx.

His eyes snapped open the moment he felt her hand move. "Oh, did you just wake up?" His voice held a sharp edge of anxiety as he quickly stood from his chair, worry etched deeply across his face. He glanced around for a moment, as if trying to shake off his exhaustion, then looked back at her with gentle concern. "Are you hungry? Do you want me to get you something to eat or maybe a glass of water? Anything at all, just say the word."

Lunara didn’t answer. Instead, she looked at him, her brow furrowing slightly. She noticed his eyes, red and swollen, the marks of many tears.

The exhaustion etched on his face mirrored her own sleepless nights. It was as if the weight of everything they’d been through had settled deep inside both of them, quietly breaking them apart from within.

Slowly, she stood up on the bed and reached out, pulling Eryx gently into an embrace. Her hands trembled slightly as they rested on his back, searching for a way to soothe the storm she knew he was fighting inside. Her voice came out soft, raw, and full of regret.

"I’m sorry for pouring out my emotions without seeing how much you’ve been carrying too."

For a long moment, Eryx stayed still in her arms, then finally his walls broke. Quiet sobs shook his body as he whispered, "I’m sorry... I’m so sorry."

They both had suffered in silence, retreating into their own private battles. Eryx had run away from the chaos inside himself, thinking he could fix things alone. Lunara had been drowning in fear and loneliness. And now, in this quiet moment, all those walls came crashing down.

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