Page 8 of Shattering

That evening, Cadi was sitting down to dinner when a knock sounded at the door. She set down her fork, her heart pounding for reasons she didn't want to examine. Her mother opened the door to find Gray standing there, looking angry.

"May I speak to Cadi please?"

Cadi looks over her mom's shoulder. Her mom gives them a knowing look.

"Can we go for a walk?" he asked, his voice tense.

Cadi's mother glanced between them, then sighed. "Be back in half an hour."

Outside, the cool night air did nothing to ease the tension between them. They walked in silence until they reached the swings at the park. Gray stopped, his hands clenching into fists before he finally spoke.

"Are ya sure ya want me to go out with Sarah?" Gray asks abruptly.

Cadi swallowed hard. "Yes. It's fine."

Gray let out a sharp breath. "I turned her down."

Cadi's heart skipped. She gripped the swing's chains as she sat. "Why?"

He looked at her, something raw in his expression. "Because I want to go out with ya."

There was a pause, the air between them thick with unspoken words. Finally, Cadi whispered, "Me too. I don't want to date anyone else."

Gray let out a frustrated sound, his Irish accent slipping through. "Then why don't ya say what ya think, idiot?" he roared.

Cadi flinched but lifted her chin. "Because I was scared. I thought ya wouldn't be my friend anymore."

Their eyes met, the last of the hesitation fading between them. Gray reached out, catching a loose strand of her hair. Still sitting on the swing, he leaned in, their lips brushing in the softest, most tentative of kisses.

When they pulled apart, they were both smiling.

Chapter 6

Cadi walked through the hospital corridors, exhaustion settling deep in her bones. The past month had been relentless—between managing her clinical commitments and pushing for a role on the diversity team, she barely had time to breathe. As a consultant in the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, she was already juggling a heavy workload, and the influx of GP referrals had only made things harder. And then there was Gray. He had been distant, preoccupied, and she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Even Tomos had noticed, his little face scrunching up in confusion whenever Gray half-heartedly answered his questions at dinner.

Lately, Gray had stopped reading Tomos bedtime stories, offering excuses about having to take on more night shifts due to staff illnesses. At first, Cadi believed him. But now, with his growing distance and the weight of her own exhaustion, doubts crept in.

It wasn't just Tomos who was feeling the absence. Gray had stopped reaching for her at night. Their once effortless intimacy had faded into something distant, unfamiliar. Too tired, he would say. Too much on his plate. She had accepted it at first, but the quiet void in their bed had started gnawing at her. He no longer curled his body around hers in sleep, no longer reached for her hand absentmindedly when they lay side by side in silence. It was as if he had started sleeping on the edge of the bed, as far from her as he could get.

That morning, before leaving for work, she had leaned in to kiss him goodbye—just a small, simple kiss. But instead of meeting her lips, he turned his head at the last second, her kiss landing awkwardly on his cheek. The moment was brief, but it left a hollow ache inside her.

Had it been intentional?

She had dismissed it at the time, but now, with everything piling up, it clawed at her, nagging and relentless.

She used to love the way he held her. She could still remember when they had first married, living in their cramped flat, barely making ends meet. The night he had been offered a consultant's role at the hospital, she had been sitting on the couch, exhausted from her rotation, when he had come home grinning like a fool.

"Ya married a consultant, Cads," he had declared before swooping her up effortlessly, tossing her in the air like she weighed nothing.

She had shrieked, laughing as she clung to him. "Put me down, you lunatic!"

"Not a chance, woman," he had teased, kissing her soundly before nipping at her lower lip. "I've earned celebratory privileges."

"Oh, have you?" she had challenged, arching a brow.

His grin turned wicked. "Aye, and I plan to collect."

They never made it to dinner that night.

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