Who Cares If My Ex Cries"

Chapter 1

Gabriel Fox realized something was wrong the moment we got back together.

My obsessive need to align dinner plates? Gone. My clothes? Left in a pile on the sofa. Even after sex, I just rolled over and passed out. No more nagging him to take a shower.

Eventually, the silence got too loud for him.

"Is work stressing you out?" Gabriel asked, his brow furrowed.

My tone was flat. Clinical.

"No. My ex always cleaned me up after we finished. I just got used to it."

Crash.

The glass slipped from Gabriels hand, shattering against the hardwood.

I clicked my tongue, staring down at the mess.

"I hunted for weeks to find that vintage cup," I said, annoyed. "Whatever. Just clean it up."

"Im sorry. Ill buy you another one."

Gabriel masked his shock quickly, crouching down to pick up the ceramic shards. But I saw his knuckles. They were white.

His gaze drifted to my wrist. To the tattoo. A Rain Lily in full bloom.

After a long silence, Gabriels voice came out hoarse. "Does that tattoo have a special meaning?"

I glanced down. "Not really. I just liked the flower."

He let out a breath hed been holding.

I didn't tell him the truth. An ex-boyfriend took me to his buddys shop to get it done. It was a half-off special. A steal. That ex had asked me the same question as Gabriel, his tone casual but his eyes begging for validation. My answer had been the same then, too. I just like the flower.

But in my head? The Rain Lily isnt about the storm. Its the signal that the blooming is about to start. It became my personal symbol.

We finished breakfast in a suffocating silence.

I stood up. "The cleaning service is coming later. Let them in."

Gabriel immediately began clearing the table. "Its my day off. Ill do it."

I stopped, looking at him. "I thought you hated chores."

Back when we first lived together, I used to fantasize about domestic weekendslistening to music, cleaning the apartment together. Gabriel always shut it down. Thats what we pay people for, hed say.

I have boundaries. I hate strangers in my personal space, so I ended up doing it all myself. And now, here was Gabriel Fox, volunteering to scrub floors.

He smiled, but his eyes betrayed a desperate, gnawing anxiety.

"Its what a boyfriend should do, right?"

"Sure."

I turned and walked out the door without looking back.

Chapter 2

This was the first company retreat since I transferred to headquarters.

I put the whole bill on my personal card, which naturally made me the favorite boss. After the hot springs, we moved to a local lounge.

We played hard. I drank too much.

Caleb Foster, a young intern with puppy-dog eyes, volunteered to walk me back to my room.

My team exchanged knowing glances, winking at me like teenagers. Calebs face turned a violent shade of crimson as the teasing started. I don't do office romances. But looking? Looking is free.

I was about to nod yes when a hand clamped around my waist.

A low, familiar voice vibrated against my ear.

"Ill take her home."

My vision was blurry. I blinked, trying to focus on the sharp, aristocratic jawline hovering above me. It took my brain a few seconds to buffer.

"...Sebastian? What are you doing here?"

Sebastian Pierce looked down, his long lashes casting shadows over his dark eyes.

"Meeting friends. Didn't expect to run into a drunk."

I scoffed, my body betraying me by leaning into his chest. Sebastian caught me effortlessly, stabilizing my weight.

"I'm heading out," he told the group. "You all get back safe."

"Bye, Victoria!"

Caleb looked crushed. My team, reading the room, immediately grabbed the intern and steered him away.

"Victoria's boyfriend is insane," I heard one of them whisper. "Give it up, Caleb. Just focus on your spreadsheet."

I looked up at Sebastian, an amused smirk tugging at my lips.

"Boyfriend? You love it when people misunderstand, don't you?"

The corner of Sebastians mouth hooked up.

"Your boyfriend is slacking. Im just subbing in."

I poked his cheek. He looked way too pleased with himself.

"Don't flatter yourself," I slurred. "Get in line behind the next ten guys."

Sebastians smile vanished. His jaw tightened.

He hoisted me up, adjusting his grip. "Walk properly."

"Can't. Legs don't work."

A long silence followed. Sebastian sighed, a sound mixed with frustration and something darker.

Victoria King, you are my penance.

He swept me up into his arms, bridal style. He carried me to my car, dumped me in the passenger seat, and buckled me in.

I was asleep before he even shut the door.

The moment the door clicked closed, a fist cut through the air, aimed straight at his face.

Chapter 3

Sebastian Pierce didn't make a sound when the fist connected with his jaw.

He shoved a furious Gabriel Fox backward, creating distance. Then, he raised a long, elegant finger to his lips.

"Keep it down. She's asleep."

Gabriel felt a surge of absurdity, but he lowered his voice to a hiss. "I am her boyfriend."

"I know."

Sebastian sighed, tossing the car keys to Gabriel. He touched his cheekbone, where a bruise was already blooming.

"We're even now. Just take care of her."

Sebastian straightened his cuffs. His voice went cold. Clinical.

"She's been drinking. Her glucose levels will crash by morning, and she'll be dehydrated. Don't just give her water. She needs a warm electrolyte blendlemon, a pinch of pink Himalayan salt, and raw honey. Make sure the water is exactly 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything else will shock her system."

Gabriel stared at him, incredulous.

Sebastian frowned, his eyes narrowing in judgment. "You think that's too much work? It is a mystery why Victoria wastes her time with you."

Gabriels chest heaved. It felt like he had inhaled broken glass.

He clenched his fists, stepping forward.

"I am her first love. Who the hell are you?"

Sebastians expression shattered.

The polite, aristocratic mask dissolved. His brows slammed down, his eyes turning into shards of ice. The calm, collected heir was gone.

"You are Gabriel Fox?"

Gabriel blinked, confused by the sudden shift.

Before he could process the question, Sebastian grabbed him by the collar.

Thud.

Gabriel didn't even see it coming.

Three punches. Fast. Brutal. Calculated.

Sebastian didn't hit like a brawler; he hit to destroy. Each blow connected with sickening precision.

Gabriel stumbled back, tasting blood. Shock gave way to blinding rage. He gritted his teeth, raising his fists to fight back.

But Sebastian had already stepped away.

He took a deep, shuddering breath, forcing the monster back into its cage. He adjusted his jacket, turned his back on Gabriel, and walked away into the night.

Gabriel stood alone in the parking lot, completely bewildered.

The hostility radiating from Sebastian wasn't just jealousy. It was hatred. Pure, unadulterated loathing.

Gabriel turned his stiff neck, looking into the car where Victoria slept peacefully.

What exactly happened in the six years they were apart?

Chapter 4

Maybe it was being back in this city, but I dreamed of the past.

Six years ago, I secured a transfer to the overseas headquarters. I couldn't pack my bags fast enough. I had to escape Haicheng, the city that watched me bloom and then rot.

Gabriel and I were supposed to be endgame. High school sweethearts. We had a pact to marry right after graduation.

Then Bella Knight showed up and burned my future to the ground.

She claimed Gabriel only changed his college applications because they had a fight. She claimed she had severe anxiety and panic attacks. She claimed Gabriel was her designated "Emotional Support Person."

At first, Gabriel explained. He promised he wouldn't see her. Then, he said he only saw Bella as a sister. He wouldn't cross the line.

Finally, I came home to find them in our living room. Gabriel was holding her tight, rocking her back and forth while she sobbed into his shirt.

"Victoria, stop being so toxic!" he yelled when he saw my face. "She's having a panic attack! I'm just regulating her nervous system!"

He was fearless because I let him be. I gave him the audacity.

I used to want the perfect tripod of life: A top-tier degree, a high-growth career, and a romance that lasted from prom to the grave.

It took a thousand sleepless nights for the truth to sink in. Degrees and careers? You can earn those with hard work. Love? You can't work for love.

I finally stopped analyzing whether my perfectionism was the problem or if I just loved him too much to have self-respect.

When Gabriel threatened to break up with me for the tenth time, I didn't beg.

"Okay," I said.

I changed my number. I deleted my socials. I went ghost. No contact.

Six years passed.

I dated. A lot. I had situationships. I flirted. I played the field.

I learned the game. I realized how stupid it was to hang yourself from a single tree when there is a whole forest out there. A forest full of different, exciting, dangerous trees.

When I met Gabriel again, I was different. I had Victoria's Secret hair and a CEO's bank account.

He looked thinner. Colder. More reserved.

Gabriel told me he regretted it the moment I left. He wanted to get back together. He wanted a restart.

I agreed.

Partly because I was curious if the old magic was still there. But mostly?

My other exesmen like Sebastian Piercewere getting too obsessive. Too intense. I needed a human shield. I needed a boring, safe "boyfriend" to make the psychos back off for a while.

Since I announced my reunion with Gabriel, the other men had gone quiet.

But looking at the bruise on Gabriel's face the next morning, I had a feeling the peace wouldn't last long.

Chapter 5

I woke up feeling like my skull had been split open with an axe.

Gabriel was ready. He handed me a warm mug.

I noticed the Band-Aid wrapped around his finger.

"Thanks. Rough morning."

He didn't answer.

I took a sip and paused. The taste hit my tonguewarm water, raw honey, lemon, and that specific grit of pink Himalayan salt. My eyes widened. This wasn't Gabriel. This was Sebastians signature "morning recovery protocol."

I let out a dry laugh.

"You saw Sebastian last night?"

I looked up, finally noticing the dark purple bruise blooming around Gabriels eye and the tension locking his jaw.

"Who hit you?"

Gabriels voice was tight, like a wire about to snap.

"Probably that 'Sebastian' guy you're talking about."

"Impossible. Sebastian doesn't throw punches. He has people for that."

"You know him well?"

I downed the rest of the drink and handed him the empty mug.

"He's an ex. Sort of. Don't let him get to you. He acts like he owns the place wherever he goes. Just ignore him."

Gabriel froze. He latched onto two words, his eyes darkening.

"Sort of?"

His voice dropped an octave.

"You have more than one ex?"

I looked at him like he was an idiot.

"Obviously. It's been six years, Gabriel. Did you think I joined a nunnery?"

Smash.

Another ceramic casualty. The mug exploded against the floor.

I felt a vein pop in my temple. My patience was officially gone.

"Do you have a tremor I don't know about? Or are you just incapable of holding a cup?"

Gabriel whipped his head away, but not before I saw a single tear track down his cheek. He crouched down, ignoring the sharp shards slicing into his thumb. His fingertips were trembling.

I didn't comfort him. I stepped over him, over the mess, and walked straight into the bathroom to shower.

Chapter 6

Sebastian Pierce knew exactly when Id wake up. My phone lit up the second I brushed my teeth.

Sebastian: You up? Did he make the recovery blend correctly?

I typed back with one hand, toothbrush in the other.

Me: Did you hit him?

Sebastian: He hit me first. Im the victim here. ??

Sebastian: Is your boyfriend giving you trouble?

Sebastian: Does he misunderstand our friendship? I can come over and explain it to him.

Three texts in a row. He was desperate for attention.

Me: Stop acting. You love seeing us fight.

Sebastian: ??

I stared at the screen, memory dragging me back.

When I first moved abroad, I wasn't living the dream. I was drowning. Daytime was a blur of high-pressure corporate training. Nights were a battle against jet lag and the lingering, phantom pain of losing Gabriel. I stopped eating. I dropped ten pounds in a month. I was a skeleton in designer clothes, weighing barely 90 pounds.

Thats when Sebastian forced his way into my life.

He didn't bring me flowers. He brought a scale and a meal plan. His grandfather, Arthur Pierce, was a legend in holistic medicine, and Sebastian used that knowledge like a weapon.

He initiated "Holistic Wellness Control." He calculated every gram of protein I ingested. He monitored my sleep cycles. He physically dragged me to the gym, his hands guiding my movements, rebuilding my atrophy.

I fought him. I screamed at him to leave me alone. He took it all. He said he owed me.

Because if it weren't for him, I never would have met Gabriel.

No one knew the twisted history. Sebastian and I were desk mates for three years in high school. He was my first crush. Not Gabriel. We didn't date, but we had a pact to go to the same university.

Then Sebastian ghosted me. He went to the Ivy League abroad without a goodbye. I was the last to know. Heartbroken and angry, I cut him off. A year later, at the university we were supposed to attend together, I met Gabriel.

So when Sebastian found me abroad, broken and starving, he said he was "atoning."

I couldn't get rid of him, so I used him. I accepted his bio-hacked meals. I used his connections. Eventually, I used his body.

It became a transaction. For two years, we slept together. We entangled our lives. But we never labeled it. When I was transferred back to the domestic branch, I cut the cord. Clean break.

Back home, I treated dating like a buffet. Some guys were sweet, some were spicy. I enjoyed the variety. I explored the forest.

But some ghosts don't stay dead. Sebastian was one of them. He rejected his family's corporate roadmap to start his own empire back here. Every time I got a boyfriend, he vanished. The second I was single, he resurfaced.

He knew his boundaries, so I let him orbit. Besides, he was "The One That Got Away." I just let him be.

Chapter 7

I sat on the sofa, scanning the apartment. Gabriel kept it spotless.

Since we got back together, his energy had been... frantic. He was insecure. During sex, hed constantly ask if I loved him, his eyes wide and desperate. Id say yes, and hed go harder, trying to pound the doubt out of his system.

I didnt mind. Six years washes away a lot of love and hate. Now? I mostly appreciated the effort. Objective review: He lacked technique, but he made up for it with enthusiasm. I was training him.

But after the cold war of the last twenty-four hours, the vibe shifted. Tonight, he wasn't enthusiastic. He was rough.

He hurt me. I slapped him across the face. Hard.

He froze, sweat dripping from his nose onto my collarbone. Then came the storm. It wasn't love; it was possession. I grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked his head back. His neck, slick with sweat, glowed in the moonlight.

When it was over, I lay on my stomach, trying to catch my breath.

"I'm going on a business trip tomorrow," I said, voice flat. "Before I get back, I want to see a full panel STD screening. Recent."

We used protection, but condoms break. My last ex was a player, so I was strict about health audits. Gabriel had a historyand a "sister" he was too close with. It was a fair request. I didn't have time to detective-work his life. I trusted lab results.

Gabriel let out a short, dry laugh. He stared at the wall.

"So, does that mean I get to see your results too?"

He turned his head, a mocking sneer twisting his lips.

"I need to make sure you aren't cross-contaminating with your exes."

I rolled out of bed and flipped the light switch. Snap. The room flooded with harsh, unforgiving light.

"You're right."

Gabriel blinked, confused by my agreement.

"We're done," I said, pulling on my robe. "Break up. You have two weeks to move your shit out of my apartment."

"Victoria!"

Gabriel scrambled up, grabbing my wrist. His face went ash-white. The anger was gone, extinguished by fear.

"What do you think I am? Disposable?"

I laughed, but my eyes were dead cold.

"Gabriel, you don't seem to understand the leverage here. You begged me to restart this relationship. I didn't ask for you."

Chapter 8

The moment the plane wheels hit the tarmac, I needed a drink.

The bass in the club vibrated through the floorboards, thumping against my chest. I nursed my cocktail, rejecting three different guys before the ice in my glass even melted. They were cute. Puppies. But I wasn't in the mood to train anyone tonight.

"You've still got it, Victoria," my friend shouted over the music, laughing.

I felt the burn of the tequila slide down my throat. "I'm getting old. I need someone who knows what they're doing."

Then I walked out of the bar and ran straight into my favorite mistake.

I stopped. Damn it. My resolve crumbled.

Aiden Hunt. Fresh out of college. Wearing a gray hoodie that highlighted his broad shoulders and a smile that could power the entire grid. He was radiating enough youth and vitality to make me squint.

"Vic! What a surprise!"

He strode toward me on long, athletic legs. My friend shot me a filthy look, patted my shoulder, and abandoned me.

Aiden looked like a golden retriever. But inside? He was a fox. A calculating, manipulative fox.

His puppy-dog eyes shimmered under the streetlights.

"You broke up, didn't you?" He stepped into my personal space. "You only come to this bar when you're single."

I looked him up and down. He knew me too well. I have principles. I never cheat. But I move on fast.

"Ta-da!"

He whipped a folded piece of paper out of his hoodie pocket like a magician revealing a card.

"The second I saw you walk in, I ran to the clinic. Rush order."

I raised an eyebrow. A full panel STD screening. Dated today.

See? Thats the difference. If they want to, they will. You don't have to beg.

I scanned the header. Private clinic. Expensive. Fast results. Aiden bit his lip, the tips of his ears turning pink.

"Can you take me in tonight, Vic? I'll do anything you want."

The boy came prepared. Who was I to say no to a clean bill of health and a face like that?

I took him back to my hotel. The door barely clicked shut before he was on me. His kiss was messy, desperate, devouring.

"Vic... I missed you so much..."

Aiden Hunt was a prodigy in bed. He moved like he was born to be a high-end escort. He was young, reckless, and had stamina that lasted for days. But mostly? He was obedient. He lived to please.

When we finally finished, I needed ten minutes just to remember my own name.

I went to the bathroom to soak in the tub, letting the hot water soothe my muscles. Suddenly, a gasp came from the bedroom.

Aiden threw open the bathroom door, phone in hand.

"Vic! Someone FaceTime'd you... I accidentally hit answer..."

He looked terrified, like a puppy who peed on the rug. But I saw the glint in his eyes. That wasn't an accident. That was a territory mark.

I took the phone. The call was still connecting.

Chapter 9

Gabriels face appeared on the screen. He saw the phone was pointed at the ceiling, but the audio was crystal clear