Healing Ethan #THESHINEAWARDSROMANCE

One

Aidan's POV.

A tough strong hand yanks me by the wrist, as I am walking peacefully down the Yorkshire train station, at the same time that a dull male voice goes up "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

My shoulders tense at the sudden pull. But my anger boils before I even turn around when I recognize the monotonous voice with the lingering odor of liquor.

"Let go of my arm!" My mouth spills, words mixed with venom. I can feel the pair of cold black eyes glaring at me and this is exactly why I ignore them. I can't be intimidated by him again, not after this previous long year. "It's none of your damn business." I try to slip my hand by his grip tightens.

"Where were you last night?" He says through gritted teeth, shaking me slightly by the arm. "Your parents are so worried." His voice and facial expression soften a bit when a couple of passing people watch us suspiciously.

"You don't say? And you care because?" I cannot help the sarcastic tone that I'm speaking with, and I don't give a damn if people are now staring at us. When he gasps at my words, I roughly pull my wrist out of his grip and fold my hands in front of me, giving him my best 'what are you gonna do now' look.

"Come on Aidan, I'm your husband,..." He lets his arms fall to his sides dramatically.

"Was my husband." I make sure much emphasis is put on the first word. His unshaven face drops a little before he mutters "Doesn't mean I don't care..."

"Seriously though? Who are you kidding Mike?" I feel vomit in my throat as I utter his name. "You never cared or made the slightest effort when it comes to me. How come you do now? Are you just feeding me your bullshit because you're afraid of losing me for good?" I think the question throws him off guard because he opens his mouth to speak but doesn't.

Noticing we have quite the audience, he takes a step back, tucks his hands in his pockets and lowers his face feigning hurt. I fight the urge to roll my eyes because deep down, I know he's just making a scene and trying to win my sympathy. But if there is one thing that I learned over the past year, it is to never believe a word he says ever again. After lying about drugs, I have found my way out of it. Yet, the hole in my body is still fresh, a girl in her early twenties, already divorced. How fortunate!

"Guess what, you already have!" I reach for the divorce documents in my handbag and shove them toward his face.

He tears his gaze from the ground and looks up when the papers touch his face, his brows are knitted together and his lips are pressed in a thin line in acknowledgment.

In disgust, my eyes rake down his body one last time before turning on my heels, adjusting the strap of my handbag and walking as far as I can from the man I never loved, making sure I let the "complaint" slip to the where he is standing. I've dreamt of this moment since the very day we got married. I have always dreamt of finding the perfect lover that I would spend the rest of my life with. My parents went beyond their limits and arranged this marriage behind my back because they couldn't keep up with my shit. Apparently, neither could Mike. He was a drunk man to start with, something which my parents turned a cold shoulder on. Then, with a little help from my reckless behavior, he slowly became a drunk addict. Coming home late and stumbling his way over everything, he slowly became aggressive and buried himself in drugs to relax. So technically I didn't do anything wrong, he simply became unbearable, not that he wasn't from the beginning.
And now, walking away from him feels like the way out of hell.

"Have a fucking long miserable life." I yell victoriously, without turning around.

•••••••

I sit at one of the wooden benches and cross my legs, my mind still processing what I just accomplished. I can't believe I've finally divorced that monster. A horrendous chapter of my life ended. It is true that I handled the situation well, I'm so proud of myself because I stood my ground for the first time against him and walked completely out of it.

The void inside of me that was craving affection, love and care is now emptier than ever ,but it's better empty than full of frustration and shit. It is better to be waiting for a perfect fill in. I feel like I'm freshly bathed and ready to start life with a new flesh. It's time to move forward and start somewhere else, all I need is good company and a new job. And a place to live in of course.

To be honest, I didn't stand Yorkshire all these years nor its people after all the bad luck that surrounded me. First of all, a forced marriage that fell upon my head with no prior notice. And then, my parents who seem to have found the perfect "match" to get rid of me. I have always been the feisty one among my siblings but does that give my parents the right to force me into marriage?

I feel lucky that I have Myra, my best friend, living in Leeds. I have this strong idea that she would be my last shot at life since I have no family except in York. Myra has always been a great listener, she would listen to my drama for hours and never complain herself. It's like she has a magic wand that she flips over my head to ease my tension immediately. Her wisdom is what brought us close together. And now I can't think of a better person to temporarily live with.

She told me that she is fine with me living there with her forever, but I don't want to be a burden, especially that she lives with her boyfriend Brad. I don't want to walk into awkward situations...

Brad is such a sweet guy, him and Myra have been together for almost two years. He hasn't shown her anything but his gentlemanly and caring side and I awe each time I see them together.

I can't help but be reminded of Mike, and I get a little paranoid for a fraction of second, thinking he's still looking at me from somewhere. When I look around, no one suspicious is around.

It's such a hot day today compared to the summer season. I begin to lose it because I still have thirty long minutes till the train to Leeds take its departure.

The place is not really crowded, only a few passengers here and there are lurking impatiently. I put on my sunglasses and start walking aimlessly. My mind travels back to the time where I was encaged in the huge house with HIM, watching as many t.v shows my brain could take, just to avoid talking to him or seeing him. I don't know how a whole year went by like that and I didn't act from the beginning.

I was mad at my parents for what they did, I still am really. I spent three months after my 'marriage' enclosed in a room, only opening the door either to the servants who brought me meals or to go to the bathroom. Mike tried knocking on the door for days, but when he found no response, he left me be. We never shared a room nor a bed...

The whole year basically went like that, except that after a few months, I started to go out to the huge dining room and have my meals there with him. In complete silence. And then hurry back and lock the room behind me.

Clouding my head with the past is only making me grumpy. Impatient, I take a look at my watch as I am about to make my way to the underground stairs when my body gets slammed hard with another and the freaking papers that I forgot are still in my hand fly in the air and scatter to the floor.

"I'm sorry..." Readjusting my posture, the guy who just bumped into me mutters before bending to his knees and starts gathering the mess. The first thing that my eyes capture is the brown wavy mess on his head, some of it falling to his eyes that I couldn't get a proper look at their color.

"Watch where you're going asshole!" My mouth says before my brain can catch up with it. Jesus, I really am pissed. I can't even channel my anger toward strangers. To prove my point, my hands moves to sit on my hips without my consent and I wonder who the hell is this person I have turned into.

Before he lifts his head, and before I even give him a chance to explain or apologize or say whatever the heck he was going to say, I snatch the pile from his hand and walk away to the furthest place from him as possible, somewhere where there are no people, where I can have some peace of mind.

What is it with York and its people? Is this shit happening on purpose? Did I hurt anyone and this is my payback?

With these thoughts in head, I hear the train whistling and it stops in front of me. I push my way inside with the crowd, away from this cursed city. The only hope I get is that I will never see Yorkshire people again, including that guy whom I have insulted with no reason.