The Wife He Tried To Erase (by Gavin) novel Chapter 5

e catch my breath.

Back home, I played a quick game with Lona online before dragging myself to the shower, my mind still spinning.

As I hung my clothes to dry, I glanced out the window and froze. The black SUV that had dropped me off was still parked in the same spot.

My heart thudded. After wrestling with myself for what felt like forever, I threw on a jacket and headed downstairs.

Seeing the car hadn’t stalled, I tapped on the window.

“Tristan?”

The glass slid down, revealing his chiseled face, steady and unreadable.

“Is something wrong with the car?” I asked.

“Nope.”

“Then why are you still here? Didn’t you say you had somewhere to be?”

He leaned back, his gaze locking onto mine. “I don’t have anywhere to be. I just wanted an excuse to drive you home alone.”

The air thickened, and I pressed my lips together, a spark of something igniting in my chest.

His words struck a nerve, unearthing a long–buried frustration. “You’re really good at coming up with excuses, aren’t you?” I snapped.

His brow furrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean.”

I turned to leave, but he caught my wrist, his grip firm but not rough.

“Hold on. Spell it out for me.”

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I glared at him, the words spilling out before I could stop them. “What, you forgot about ‘urgent mission“?”

your

My words seemed to finally click in his mind. He paused, his brows furrowing as if recalling something distant.

“I didn’t lie to you,” he said, his voice softened, rough around the edges. “That time, I really did get an emergency call. I’d just gone home on leave when they suddenly sent me out for a rescue mission. I was out there for months.”

“And the phone number?” I shot back. “No one ever picked up.”

“During missions, we have to turn in our phones.”

He paused, his expression shifting as the weight of my words sank in. “Wait… you tried to reach me?”

I looked away, unwilling to admit it.

“You did try to reach me,” he said, more to himself than to me, a flash of regret crossing his face.

“I didn’t realize the mission would drag on that long. I should’ve asked for your number instead.”

The past was the past, and dredging it up now felt pointless.

“If there’s nothing else, I’m heading back up.”

“Wait.”

His hand tightened around mine, his large palm engulfing my fingers entirely.

“Lona said you’re still hung up on him.”

“Who?”

“That deadbeat. Lucy’s dad.”

It took me a second to process that he was talking about himself.

My expression faltered, and I fumbled for words. “It’s not what you think. He… he wasn’t that bad.”

His brows knit together, his jaw tightening.

“Really? You’re still defending him after everything he did?”

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“I’m not!” I protested, my voice sharper than I meant

“Forget him,” he said, his tone softening but firm. “Someday, someone will treat you the way you

deserve.”

I wanted to respond, but before I could, he squeezed my hand tightly

As he let go of my hand, he said. “I’m not trying to push you. Seeing you again… it doesn’t feel real. I just needed a minute to take it in

“It’s late. You should go rest.

I stood there, words stuck in my throat.

That night, I dreamed of him.

In the haze of sleep. Tristan held me close, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin behind my ear.

My body responded like it was made for him, swaying with every touch. I felt like a small boat caught in the tide of his desire, each wave pulling me deeper into ecstasy.

The next day, my phone’s vibration jolted me awake.

Blinking groggily at the screen, I realized it was already late morning.

A flood of messages from Lona waited for me.

“Big news! Trist didn’t come home last night!”

“My mom’s practically praying he spent the night at some woman’s place.”

“You think he’s finally met someone? Wonder if she knows about his… situation.”

My head was still foggy from sleep, and I could barely keep up with her texts.

Before I could respond, another message popped up.

“I think I know who he was with.”

My stomach tightened

“Who?” I asked.

“Kate.”

Relief washed over me that she hadn’t guessed it was me, but a flicker of curiosity–and

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something sharper–followed.

Lona elaborated: “I mean Katrina Mendez, his old sparring partner from fight class. She’s a badass and goes toe–to–toe with him in the ring.”

“Trist acts all tough, but he’s got this weird moral streak. Never seen him get close to any woman except Kate.”

“Now that he’s back, she’s the only one he’s reached out to. So yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s her.”

The thought of Tristan spending the night with someone else, after telling me he had no plans, left a sour taste in my mouth.

And now, hearing about this Katrina–a woman who shared his world, who matched his fire- twisted my emotions into a knot.

It felt like someone had grabbed my heart and squeezed, but at the same time, a small part of me was relieved.

Keeping my daughter’s parentage a secret might’ve spared me from getting tangled up in whatever complicated web this man was weaving.

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