I pushed open the door.

Lilith was clinging to him, her lips brushing his.

Caleb’s face went pale. “Sabrina—wait—it’s not what it looks like. She’s drunk. I didn’t want to hurt her by shoving her off.”

I let out a cold laugh. “You’re a grown man, Caleb. You couldn’t manage to push her off?”

He flinched like I’d slapped him.

Just as he finally shoved Lilith away, clearly trying to explain, she let out a scream.

“Ow! My ankle… I think it’s twisted…”

Caleb hesitated, his brows pinching together in guilt. “Damn. I—I didn’t mean to push that hard. I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

There it was again. With Lilith around, my emotions were always forced to come second.

I said nothing more. Just turned and walked away.

He moved like he wanted to follow, but Lilith tugged on his sleeve—and he stayed.

That night, Caleb never came home. I didn’t even bother wondering where he was.

The next morning, I went straight to the training center and handed in my resignation.

This place—this building where I’d spent countless sleepless nights by Caleb’s side—where I watched him bleed and blister, where he clawed his way back to the top—now felt like a tomb.

“You’re really leaving?” one of my teammates asked, eyebrows knit with disbelief.

“Yeah,” I said quietly. “Seven years is long enough. Time for me to stop.”

“Does Caleb know?”

“I’ll tell him.” I offered a small, empty smile.

After I submitted the paperwork to administration, I stepped outside and exhaled, like I’d finally put down a weight I’d carried for years.

But just as I reached the exit, Lilith blocked my path.

“Leaving already?” she asked sweetly. “Here to watch Caleb train?”

“Move.” I wasn’t in the mood.

“Aww, don’t go just yet.” She lifted a training air gun and twirled it in her hand like a toy. “Want me to teach you how to use this? It’s actually fun. You’ve been with Caleb for years, right? Funny how you still don’t know how to use the thing he loves most.”

“I’m not interested,” I said flatly, trying to step around her.

But she slid right back in front of me, grinning like a child with a secret.

“Come on, don’t be boring. How are you two supposed to have anything in common if you don’t even get his world?” She leaned in, voice laced with venom. “Face it—you and Caleb were never a match. I’m the one who truly gets him. I’m the one who loves him.”

I stared at her, my voice dry. “Men always seem better when you steal them, huh?”

That hit a nerve. Her smile faltered, but only for a second.

“Well,” she huffed, “I didn’t say that. But Caleb did. Every time we’re together, he says you don’t understand him. That you’re old-fashioned. Boring.”

“You know Lilith, I think it’s better just shut up because then you’ll sound less dumb.”

She only smiled wider. “Angry now, are you? Then just take the gun. See how our worlds feel like.” She shoved it toward me.

I instinctively stepped back. But…

Bang!

The gun went off with a sharp crack, the sound slicing through the air like a whip. The echo made my heart stop.

Lilith shrieked. The gun fell from her hands. A red welt was rising on her skin.

Luckily, it had been unloaded. Just a misfire. If it had been a live round… her hand might’ve been ruined.

I stood frozen, ears ringing.

Across the training center, Caleb came running like the building was on fire.

“Lilith! What happened?!”

He skidded to a stop beside her. The second he saw the red mark on her skin, his face drained of all color.

“Caleb…” Lilith whimpered, grabbing his arm, tears spilling like she’d rehearsed them. “I just wanted to show Sabrina how to use the gun… But she to grab it and I—I lost my grip…”

“You shoved it at me!” I snapped. “You fired that thing!”

“Sabrina!” Caleb barked, turning to me, rage flashing in his eyes like lightning. “How long are you going to keep this up?!”

I laughed bitterly, pointing straight at Lilith. “She came at me with that gun. I never even touched her!”

Lilith burst into sobs, cradling her hand. “Sabrina, I know you don’t like me, but why would you do this? I was just trying to be nice.”

Caleb’s expression darkened. He bent, picked up the gun and turned it toward me—pointed it at me.

I froze. The air thinned.

His eyes were cold. Unfamiliar.

His eyes were cold. Unfamiliar. Like I was looking at a stranger wearing my husband’s skin.

“Is this a joke to you?!”

“You think I’d believe an athlete—an Olympian-in-training—would accidentally pull the trigger?” His voice was low, dangerous. “Do you have any idea what it means if her hand is injured? What it could cost her career?”

My throat burned. “I told you—I never touched the gun!” I met his eyes, fury hot in my chest. “You believe her? Just like that?”

Caleb let out a bitter laugh, the kind that sounded like it hurt on the way out.

“You think Lilith would lie about this? She’s a national-level competitor. If her hand’s ruined, can you pay that price?!”

“So now what?” My voice cracked. “You’re gonna point a gun at me? Caleb—I’m your wife. Five years!”

He didn’t answer. His finger twitched.

Bang!

A plastic training round tore past my face. Heat exploded along the side of my head. A sharp, blinding pain bloomed in my ear.

I stumbled back, hand flying up.

Blood. My fingers came away red.

Caleb’s hand trembled slightly, as if even he hadn’t expected the shot to land.

He straightened, masking it behind a chilling calm. “Don’t mess around with things you don’t understand. That was just a warning.”

I laughed. It came out broken and tears blurred my vision.

“You’re right,” I whispered. “I don’t understand guns… and I sure as hell don’t understand you!”

Caleb flinched. For a brief second, something flickered in his eyes. Regret, maybe. Too late.

***

ER Waiting Room

The antiseptic air stung worse than the wound. I sat on a stiff plastic bench, ears ringing like a swarm of bees had taken up residence in my skull.

“Miss? Can you hear me?” The doctor leaned in, raising his voice.

I blinked, then nodded slowly.

“You’ve got a surface burn near the ear. You’re lucky—it didn’t rupture anything, but you’ll have ringing for a few days. Might scar, though.”

My fingers hovered near the wound. It was warm. Wet. Pain bloomed at the slightest touch.

“Do you have anyone we can call?”

My mind blanked, until all I could see was the image of Caleb walking away, Lilith clinging to him.

I felt something tear open in my chest.

I gave a soft laugh, bitter as ash. “They’re all dead.”

The doctor froze. Clearly, he didn’t know how to respond.

I smiled faintly, waved him off. “Just wrap me up. I’ll manage.”

When I stepped out of the room, I passed by another door left half-open.

Lilith’s voice drifted out—fragile, pleading.

“What if… what if I can’t shoot again, Caleb? What if my hand’s ruined? What will I do?”

His voice followed, low and steady. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay. It’s a minor injury. You’ll recover.”

“But I’m scared…” Her voice cracked. “If I lose this… will you think I’m worthless? I won’t even deserve to stand beside you anymore.”

He sighed, voice softening. “Of course not. I’d never think that.”

He never asked if I was okay. Never looked for me. But here he was—soothing her like she was porcelain.

I turned to leave. But then—Lilith’s voice again, hesitant.

“Caleb… would you ever consider… letting me take over as your manager? I don’t need to be your wife. But can’t I stay by your side… even just as that?”

There was a pause.

Caleb murmured something I couldn’t make out.

And then—Lilith’s soft, triumphant laughter.

“I just want to stay near you, Caleb. You know I’d do anything for you…”

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

A text from my lawyer: Divorce finalized. Papers filed.

I exhaled slowly, then pulled the envelope from my bag and placed it at the threshold of their room.

When I walked out of that hospital, I didn’t look back. I went home, grabbed my bags and booked a one-way ticket out of the city.

“Caleb, let’s pretend I never walked into that shooting range seven years ago.”

“Let’s pretend we never met.”

The faint scent of antiseptic lingered in the hospital air.

Lilith sat at the edge of the cot, voice trembling but urgent. “Caleb, I’m not asking to be your wife. But… can’t I be your manager? I just want to stay with you…”

Caleb’s jaw tightened. His eyes met hers—deep, conflicted.

Then, slowly, he shook his head.

“No, Lilith. She’s the only one I want as my manager.”

Lilith froze. Tears welled, clinging to her lashes.

“You mean… Sabrina?”

“She’s the one I chose,” he said firmly. “I promised her. That role doesn’t belong to anyone else.”

Lilith looked like she’d been slapped. She couldn’t understand. Even after everything, after he’d hurt me himself—he still wouldn’t let go of me.

Caleb dropped his gaze, rubbing at the rough calluses on his palm.

He thought back to the first time we met.

He’d been nobody. A no-name kid with a secondhand rifle and no one who believed in him—not his coach, not his family. They all thought it was a waste of time.

It was a blazing hot summer. He’d just bombed a national qualifier, missed three rings in a row. Defeated, he wandered off the range and sat on the back steps alone, ready to quit.

That’s when I found him.

“You giving up already?” I had asked, standing there in a white shirt, calm but steady.

He looked up, stunned.

“Your hand’s steady,” I’d said. “You just need someone to show you how to use it.”

Then I held out my hand. “Let me be your manager. Let’s build a champion together.”

And just like that, he believed.

From that day forward, there was only me.

Back in the present, his eyes sharpened. “Lilith, you don’t understand. Sabrina stood by me through hell. She’s the reason I made it this far.”

Lilith’s lips trembled. “But… during the Olympics, those nights—you and me—didn’t that mean anything?”

“That was a mistake!” Caleb’s voice cracked like thunder. “I was drunk. I thought you were her. Lilith, I’ve never seen you as anything but a little sister. Stop pushing this.”

Her body trembled.

Tears spilled. “A sister? Do you let your sister hold you like this? Whisper to them like this?”

He hesitated, clearly wanting to leave.

But then Lilith threw herself at him, arms wrapping tight around his waist.

“Please! I know I’m not her. I’m not asking for love or titles. Just let me stay by your side. Don’t push me away…”

Caleb froze—arms suspended in midair.

But he didn’t push her off.