Chapter 134: Breaking the barrier

"Clancy, wait," Selen said, her voice quiet but steady in the night air. Clancy stopped, turning around slowly to face her. Clancy’s gaze remained detached, stripped of any expectation.

"The children had a wonderful day, Selen. Everything went smoothly. There is nothing left to coordinate for the weekend." he said.

"I did not call you to talk about the party arrangements," Selen said, taking a slow step closer to him. The proximity sent a sudden wave of physical tension through the space between them, a familiar heat that she had not allowed herself to acknowledge in weeks.

She looked up at him, her lips parting slightly. "I need to talk to you about us. About what happened in the foyer." she said.

She reached out, her fingers gently touching the sleeve of his shirt.

It was an invitation, a clear sign that the defensive boundaries she had kept up for years were completely down. She wanted to bridge the space between them, to answer the question he had asked her days ago when he offered to drop everything just to be in her arms.

Clancy looked down at her hand on his sleeve, his jaw tightening. For a fraction of a second, his controlled exterior visibly cracked. But instead of pulling her into his arms, he took a firm step backward, letting her hand fall away into the empty air. He refused her touch completely.

"You should go inside, Selen," Clancy said, his voice dangerously quiet and flat. "You had a few glasses of wine with JK during the celebration. You are tipsy right now, and you are not in full control of your thoughts." he said to her.

"I am completely in control of my thoughts, Clancy," Selen countered quickly, her frustration rising. "I know exactly what I am saying. I am trying to tell you-"

"No, you do not know what you are saying," Clancy cut her off, his eyes turning cold as he looked at her flushed face.

"The last time we stood in this exact spot, you could not utter a single word to me. You stood there completely speechless when I laid my entire heart on the line for you.

Now, after a long evening and some drinks, you want to have a moment with me? I am not going to let you use a temporary lapse in judgment to rewrite the fact that you chose someone else. I have totally given up on chasing a ghost, Selen." he said.

"Newton is gone, Clancy!" Selen shouted softly, the words bursting out of her before she could stop them.

Clancy froze, his body locking up completely as her confession hung in the air.

"Newton left this house days ago," Selen explained, her voice dropping as she faced his rigid stance. She walked closer to him, refusing to let him retreat into his corporate armor.

"He saw me run after you down that corridor. He heard every single word of our conversation because the home office door was wide open. He heard you offer to drop your career, and he heard my absolute silence when you asked me if our kiss carried the same heat as his." she said.

Clancy listened in absolute silence, his breathing deep and measured as he processed the sudden situation.

"Newton is a calm, loving guy, but he is also realistic," Selen continued, her tone filled with an authentic, raw regret.

"He told me that my silence was the answer. He realized that I was only using him as a shield to protect myself from my past, and that it was not a real partnership. He packed his bags that exact afternoon, said his goodbyes to the triplets, and left my home. We are completely finished." she said.

Clancy stayed motionless for a long moment, staring at her in the dim terrace light. The revelation that she had broken up with Newton hit him with immense force, but the look of deep sadness and heartbreak on his face did not vanish.

He did not step forward to claim her, and he didn’t offer a warm smile of relief. "So he left because he saw what I saw," Clancy said, his voice flat and empty of hope.

"He realized the same thing I did, Selen. Your heart is completely divided, and you do not know what you want. You ran after me on instinct, but you could not give me a single word of reassurance when it mattered most." he said.

"I was terrified, Clancy," Selen whispered, her eyes locking onto him with absolute sincerity. "I had spent eight long years insulating my babies and building walls to keep us safe.

When you stood there and offered to walk away from the world for me, the weight of it completely paralyzed me. But I am telling you the truth now. Newton is gone, my contract with the foreign office is terminated, and I am staying in England permanently with Vanguard International Art Group." she said.

Clancy looked at her, his expression a complicated mix of exhaustion and guarded detachment. He adjusted his coat, turning back toward his vehicle.

"I am glad your career is secure, Selen. I really can. And I am also glad you found clarity with Newton. But I am still not having this conversation with you tonight. You are emotional from your break-up, you are tired, and I am not going to let a wine-fueled moment replace the honest, sober choice we both need to make" he said.

Selen went silent. She had no words to say anymore. They stayed in silence for a while before Clancy spoke up again, "I will be back on Tuesday to see the children after they return from school." he said.

He turned on his heel and walked down the steps toward his car, leaving her standing entirely alone on the dark veranda.

Selen watched his car disappear past the main security gates, her chest aching with the realization that breaking her speechlessness was not going to be enough to melt the fierce wall that he had built to protect his broken heart.