It was a mistake.

Gabriel knew that deep down, the weight of it would follow him, a shadow he couldn’t quite escape. But here, in the dim light of your apartment, wrapped up in your arms, the reality of his choices seemed a world away. The rhythmic ticking of a clock on the nightstand was the only sound breaking the silence, a steady reminder of the time passing, the moments slipping away.

The room is quiet, save for the distant hum of traffic outside and the soft rustling of fabric as you adjust yourself in his arms. Gabriel knows he shouldn’t be here. The warmth and comfort of this place are a temporary escape from the reality he’s created. The life he has with Martina and their son is the one he cherishes, the one he would never willingly jeopardize. He never meant to hurt Martina or their son, but the reality is that what they don’t know won’t hurt them, or so he tells himself. He loves his wife, his son, and the life they’ve built together, despite the recent strains and mistakes, despite the arguments.

He turned his attention back to you, his expression unreadable. While you might be a comfort in the present, you were not part of his future. His loyalty lay elsewhere, and while he couldn’t deny the brief moments of escape you provided, they were just that—brief. Don't ask for commitment; that's something he could never give you. He would always choose his family over you. You were nothing to him but a fleeting arrangement.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice a low murmur that barely cut through the quiet of the room. It was a question that seemed more rhetorical than genuine, a polite inquiry that masked the distance he felt. In these moments, it was easier to pretend and delude yourself into thinking he genuinely cared, that he might somehow leave his wife and child behind. But deep down, you knew the truth: Gabriel’s heart was already spoken for, and no matter how much he might seem to linger, his commitment was unwaveringly to the life he’d built with Martina and their son.