Not to Disturb Him
Copyright© 2026 by Heel
Chapter 4
Antony came home earlier than usual.
Rita heard his keys at the door and felt a familiar tightening in her chest. She had already rehearsed the moment in her head, every word chosen in advance. She was sitting on the couch, her injured leg stretched stiffly in front of her, the brace clearly visible, the crutches leaning against the wall within reach.
Antony froze when he saw her.
“What happened?” he asked immediately, his voice sharp with fear. His eyes moved from the brace to the crutches, then back to her face. “Rita—what did you do?”
She smiled before he could reach her. It wasn’t a natural smile; it was careful, placed there like a barrier.
“It’s stupid,” she said lightly. “I slipped.”
He knelt in front of her without thinking, hands hovering near her leg, not touching. “Slipped where?”
“In the kitchen,” she replied without hesitation. “I turned too fast. My knee twisted. I knew right away it was bad.”
The lie came easily, too easily. It was close enough to the truth to feel real, distant enough to protect him.
Antony’s face darkened—not with suspicion, but with guilt anyway, heavy and immediate. “I should’ve been here,” he said. “Why didn’t you call me?”
Rita shook her head quickly. “You were already at work. I didn’t want to disturb you. It’s not serious—just immobilized for a while.”
She downplayed everything: the pain, the fear, the night spent awake. She spoke calmly, steadily, watching him believe her word by word. He asked questions, practical ones—how long, what the doctors said, whether she needed surgery. She answered all of them, prepared, controlled.
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.