1 Prompt, How Many Writers

Quiet Mornings Lead to Devastating Days

        The buttery sunlight reached through the window and cast its golden rays into the small room. Everything was tranquil and even the wind seemed to bask in the peacefulness as it could be heard sighing through the branches of nearby trees and into the room, softly blowing the white curtains covering the open window. The world was quiet and all was well, as the sleeping form of a young woman basked in the warmth and light shining onto her bed. Now this particular woman led a life perfectly represented by this morning, quiet, calm, and restful. She lay quiet and content until the sun rose and shone directly into her room, waking her and dragging her out of the comfort of her sheets to close the nearby window.

        She made her way through her small home and into the kitchen where she made herself breakfast, though as she sat down to eat, she recalled that she had awoken alone. This may be normal for many, but to her waking without the feeling of arms encompassing her was a rare oddity. She thought that her partner must simply be in the bathroom, getting ready for the day ahead, and so she walked back up to the shared quarters and knocked on the door leading to their washroom. But when she received no answer she began to worry.

        She searched through the whole home, looking everywhere from their living room, with its messy table and unorganized TV stand, to the office and its neat shelves packed full of books and various bobbles. They were nowhere to be found. 

        Panic began to flood her and she took her phone and called her love, only for their to be no answer. She called again, and again there was no answer. She quickly pulled on  some clothes and ran to grab her car keys, hoping that maybe they had gone to their favorite breakfast spot, to get something while she was still asleep. But when she got there and asked for their whereabouts the workers claimed to have not seen them that day. She began to feel despair. Where would they have gone so early in the morning? She called a few nearby friends, but they hadn't seen them either. 

        She returned home only to find her spouse sitting in their dinning room a cup of coffee in their hands. She immediately began to interrogate them. Where have you been?  Why were you out so early? Why didn't you answer my calls?  She was quickly shut down when she was told that they had simply been out. 

        Out where, why so early? She was, again, met  with a simple answer. I was just out, that's all.

       Now she was definitely not stupid and knew that they were simply avoiding answering her questions, but she would get to the bottom of this. She had a habit of doing just that, whether or not she likes what she finds.

        So she spent the rest of this calm and peaceful day making calls and and marking off places of where they could have gone. Whether or not you find this unfair and creepy is up to you, but this woman knew what she wanted, and she wouldn't stop until she got it. But she soon found that she didn't want what she got. 

        After a few calls to a few friends she heard from multiple sources, that her spouse, the love of her life, the one she wanted to be with forever, has been with another woman. And from the looks of it, they have been together for quite a while. This news, understandably, broke her. This is where love gets you, she thought. You give your all to it and all it gives back is pain. 

        She didn't know how long she sat there or when the tears started, but when she heard the soft knock on the open door of the office, followed by the voice she loved so much, she truly broke down. She looked up at them, and though she wanted to scream and shout, all she could get out was a broken, Why? 

        They moved to her side and hugged her to them. Why are you crying? 

        She pushed off of them and now the words did come. Why? How could you do this to me? I've loved you so much. Am I just not good enough? The words came out in a rush, the last question barley more than a whisper. Her tears flowed freely and stained her cheeks. He nose ran and her breathing hitched. She didn't understand the pain. She wasn't physically hurt, but she felt like she had been stabbed. 

        Her partners eyes widened when they realized what she was referring to. They took a step back and let her breath before talking. It isn't that you're not good enough or that I thought you didn't love me, it's that I didn't truly love you. I didn't want to hurt you and I know what I did was wrong but I couldn't trap myself in a loveless marriage all alone.

        Then why did you marry me at all?

        Because, you loved me, and at the time, I thought I loved you too. 

        She turned away and mumbled one word to end this all. Leave.

        And so they turned to leave, walking to the door that would get them out of this whole mess. They felt horrible, do not mistake them for someone with no remorse, they knew they had ended a relationship that could have at least ended in friendship with their bad decisions. They knew that they had took an innocent woman's heart and ripped it apart. And it broke them to think of what they had become, how they got to this point.

        As they reached to door and moved to open it, they heard her voice, Ollie?

        Yes Rhose?

        I never stood a chance. Did I?

                                                                                                                               ~ Summ 

Hi, I'm Summ and I'm a relatively new writer. I took this prompt as a chance to try and write a bit differently than I normally would, and it was really fun.

Word Count: 1,032 Words

"I never stood a chance, did I?"