Shattered Silence

The heavy oak door swung inward. Gideon stepped into the cavernous foyer and stopped. Darkness swallowed the massive house. Not a single lamp was on. For the past three years, the living room had always held a soft, flickering glow from the television, no matter how late he returned. Gemma would wait up for him. She would hear the lock turn, run across the hardwood floor barefoot, and throw her arms around his neck. Tonight, there was only the hum of the central air conditioning. She had not left a single light on.

He loosened his silk tie and dragged his tired feet down the hall. He pushed open the master bedroom door. The room remained enveloped in shadows. Faint moonlight spilled through the glass doors, illuminating the lump under the silk sheets. Gideon reached over and clicked the bedside switch. The sudden glare illuminated Gemma’s frame. She flinched. She shoved her face deeper into the down pillow and pulled the blanket over her shoulder.

Gideon sat on the edge of the mattress. He reached out to brush the stray hair from her forehead to see if she was truly asleep. She went rigid. She refused to turn around or make a sound.

He dropped his hand. He stood up, stripped off his suit jacket, and walked into the adjoining bathroom.

The moment the shower water hit the tiles, Gemma slowly opened her eyes. Her damp eyelashes fluttered against her skin. She drew a jagged, shaky breath and buried her face back into the cotton pillowcase.

Ten minutes later, the bathroom door opened. Gideon stepped out wearing a dark bathrobe, drying his wet hair with a towel. He bent down over the bed. Gemma remained perfectly still. Gideon clicked the lamp off. He walked out of the bedroom and headed down the hall to his study.

Inside the study, the lights remained off. Gideon stood by the window. He pulled a silver lighter from his desk, ignited a cigarette, and took a long drag. He reached into his robe pocket and held up the diamond bracelet. The platinum felt cold against his palm. He stared at the engraved metal catching the faint streetlights.

He exhaled a plume of smoke against the glass. She could not have found out about Brooke. Gemma wore her heart on her sleeve. She possessed a fiery, unpredictable temper when crossed. If she had actually discovered the affair, she would have torn the house apart. She would have made a massive scene. Finding her custom bracelet on the thirteenth floor of the hospital was just an unfortunate coincidence.

Morning sunlight flooded the foyer hours later. Gemma stood by the front door, slipping on her trench coat. She had washed her face and packed a thermos of breakfast soup for her parents. Footsteps echoed on the stairs. Gideon descended, dressed in a sharp charcoal suit. Gemma ignored him. She picked up her phone and reached for the brass handle of the front door.

Gideon crossed the marble floor in three fast strides. He blocked the exit. He closed his hand firmly around her empty wrist, pulling her arm up between them.

"Where is the bracelet? Why aren't you wearing it?" Gideon stared down at her, his voice low and demanding.

Gemma stared at his chest. Her voice came out hoarse and barely audible. "I am not sure. Maybe I lost it somewhere."

She twisted her arm, trying to break his grip. Gideon tightened his fingers around her delicate bones. He fixed her with a penetrating stare.

"I ran into Finn last night. He mentioned he saw you heading to the thirteenth floor." Gideon spoke with a deliberate, searching tone, watching her face for any shift in emotion.

A bitter chill swept through Gemma’s veins. He was testing her. She took a deep breath and looked straight into his dark eyes.

"After we parted ways last night, I went back to the hospital to check on my mom. Finn told me he saw you heading up to the thirteenth floor. I went up there to look for you. When I could not find you, I decided to come home."

Gideon reached into his suit pocket. He pulled out the diamond bracelet and held it out to her.

"You dropped this at the hospital. I found it and brought it back for you." Gideon spoke with a smooth, practiced calm. He avoided the real issue entirely. He offered zero explanation for what had brought him to that floor in the first place.

He grabbed her hand and pressed the cold platinum against her skin, attempting to fasten the clasp around her wrist.

Gemma shoved his hand away. She drew her arm back firmly, putting a yard of space between them. "I do not want it."

Gideon let out a slow breath. He stepped forward, adopting a tone of forced patience. "Just wear this for now. Once I wrap things up at work, I will take you to pick out a new one. You can get anything you want."

Something snapped inside Gemma’s chest. The dam holding back days of resentment, lies, and helplessness shattered. Her composure broke.

"I said I do not want it! I do not want gifts that are not exclusive! And I do not want a husband who is not fully mine!" Gemma screamed at him.

Gideon watched her chest heave. A twisted sense of private relief washed over him. He had her figured out. She had been spoiled since she was a little girl. She always got emotional when things did not go her way. That was all this was. She was screaming because the bracelet was not exclusive, not because she knew his secrets.

He closed the distance between them. He wrapped his large hands around her slender waist, yanked her flush against his body, and lowered his head. He crushed his mouth against hers, forcing a kiss to shut her up.

Gemma gagged. Panic and disgust surged through her blood. She shoved his shoulders, twisted her face away, and hit him with clenched fists.

"I do not want this! Stop touching me!" Gemma clawed at his suit jacket. She fought him like a madwoman, striking out in raw anguish.

Gideon grabbed both of her wrists in one hand. He pinned her arms, his patience wearing thin.

"Gemma, that is enough." His voice turned sharp. He could tolerate her occasional willfulness, but he refused to deal with this level of hysteria. Trying to talk to her now was pointless.

Gemma shook her head, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Tears spilled down her cheeks. "I have been like this since I was a child. What, did it just now occur to you?"

Gideon stared at her tear-streaked face. His expression remained cool and detached. "Is this really all about a bracelet? You are acting like it is the end of the world over a piece of jewelry."

Gemma let out a broken scream. She wrenched her hands free, grabbed a heavy book off the console table, and hurled it across the room.

"You know exactly what you have done, Gideon! Were you not the one who refused to come home? Then go! Get out!" She shoved his chest, driving him back toward the door.

Gideon pulled her firmly against his chest, restraining her flailing arms in an iron grip. "Enough. You are going to hurt yourself."

A harsh vibration buzzed from Gideon’s jacket pocket. His phone was ringing.

Gideon shifted his weight. He made a hasty move to reach into his pocket and hang up the call. The sudden, secretive movement provoked Gemma further. She had reached her breaking point.

She lunged forward, grabbing for his pocket. "Answer it. You are always so busy with work. Answer it then!"

Gideon turned his body, keeping the phone out of her reach. Gemma clamped her teeth down hard on his hand.

Pain flared up Gideon’s arm. Instinct took over. He shoved her backward with a massive thrust. Gemma stumbled. Her heel caught on the edge of the thick rug. She lost her balance and crashed backward. Her body hit the solid marble floor with a heavy, sickening thud.

Silence crashed over the foyer.

Gideon stood panting. He looked down. Gemma lay motionless on the cold stone, her hair disheveled around her face. Her eyes were closed.

He did not move to help her. He turned away, feeling too tired to go on. When Gemma was a child, she was playful and charmed everyone. When she was a teenager, she was kind and bright. When she became an adult, she was clingy and affectionate. After marriage, she became a gentle, thoughtful wife. No matter which version of her it was, she had always carried herself with dignity. She had never acted like a shrew or screamed at him like a feral animal.

But she had faked passing out before. Whenever she made him angry in the past, she would pretend to faint or play the victim to force him to yield. Every time he saw that pitiful look, he gave in. Not today. She had gone too far. She needed to cool down on her own.

"We will talk when you have calmed down," Gideon said. His voice echoed flat and distant in the heavy silence.

Without another word or a single glance back, he walked out the front door.

Paige was just walking up the stone steps to visit Gemma. Gideon glanced toward the second floor window and looked back at Paige.

"She is in a bad mood. I will order some food for her. Later, you make sure she eats something and take her out for a walk to lift her spirits."

Before Paige could reply, Gideon was already gone.

Paige hurried inside and entered the foyer. Her heart dropped into her stomach when she saw Gemma lying motionless on the floor. She dropped her bag and rushed over to help Gemma up. She grabbed Gemma’s shoulders, only to realize Gemma had truly passed out. Panic seized Paige's chest. She yanked out her phone and called Gideon, but the line buzzed with a busy signal. Left with no other choice, Paige dialed 911.

The sharp, rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor dragged Gemma out of the dark.

Her eyelids felt heavy. She forced them open. The harsh fluorescent lights of a hospital room stung her retinas. She turned her head on the stiff pillow. Her sister-in-law Paige and mother-in-law Diana Whitmore were both standing by her bed.

Diana leaned forward the second she saw movement. "Gemma, are you feeling better now?"

Gemma nodded weakly. She stared blankly at the ceiling tiles. "Diana, why am I in the hospital?"

She pushed her elbows against the mattress, attempting to sit up. Her eyes darted around the room, weary and confused.

Paige rushed forward. She grabbed an extra pillow and slid it behind Gemma’s back, easing her against the headboard. "Gemma, you fainted at home earlier."

The memories crashed back into Gemma’s brain. The foyer. The fight. The taste of blood in her mouth when she bit him. The violent shove. The terrifying sensation of falling backward.

She looked past Paige. She looked past Diana. She stared at the closed door of the ward. The space beside her bed was empty. The cold, terrifying reality settled deep into her bones.

Gemma looked back at Paige, her voice hollow. "Did Gideon bring me here and then just leave?"