Broken Strings

C H A P T E R E L E V E N

She wanted it to stop. And she just wanted to sleep. And not feel any more pain. Ever again.

"I forgot. I swear. The container was on my nightstand and Andrew was getting mad that I was taking too long. And I forgot. I'm sorry. I..." The pain was growing sharper and unbearable. It was only a matter of time before her body gave up and collapsed.

And she wasn't sure if she would even wake up this time if she did faint. Because the pain had never been this unbearable before. It was going to get even worse. And she just didn't know if she could tolerate anymore.

But she didn't care anymore anyway.

And she didn't want Sebastian to care either.

But for some reason, he did. He always did.

"Let's go. I'll take you home. I'll tell Mira to go find Ryan." And he gently scooped Anisha in his arms, her face resting against his chest and her legs dangling as she held onto Sebastian for every bit of support, for every bit of living hope.

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Andrew stared at Sebastian's retreating figure. The flicker of hope in his heart was fading fast. What if Anisha was planning to leave him? He would never get a second chance.

Last time, he had managed to convince her that they should stay together for their son. Ryan had only been three years old when she had first filed for a divorce. And they had talked about it. And after much thought, she had agreed to stay.

But this time around, the kids were old enough. And he wasn't sure that there was anything he could say or do to convince her to stay anymore.

And it wasn't like she would even want to stay together for the kids anymore.

Because Andrew had fucked up, once again.

He knew how distant and harsh Ryan was towards his mother. But maybe it was just the simple fact that he was growing up.

Or maybe it was the fact he had heard his parents fighting late at night. And he had found it easier to agree with his father.

But in all truth, he never meant for it to get this bad, to hurt her this much. Because he was hurting just as much.

He tensed slightly a pair of arms wrapped around him, hugging him from the back. It was the last person he wanted comfort from right now.

He pulled away and turned around to face the woman he had openly pursued and used to try and ease his pain. And the anger grew. He hated himself for ruining everything, for messing up things to the point where his wife refused to show him affection and his parents couldn't even approach him.

Without another thought, Andrew grabbed Amanda by the arm and pulled her far away from the hall and into the isolated parking lot.

He would start tonight. One mistake at a time. He would try. He would try, for her.

"What the fuck did you tell Anisha?" His voice was low and filled with anger. He knew he couldn't control himself for much longer.

Because he was fucking sick of everything. And he wanted all of it to stop.

"Nothing. It was just a friendly conversation about your birthday." Amanda's winced slightly as Andrew's grip against her arm tightened.

"Then why does my wife think we're getting married and trying for a baby. Especially since I told you even before we started all this that all I wanted a good fuck here and there."