Taking the happiness in your life for granted is like assuming a dream of yours to be true. One day, you wake up and find out that it was all unreal. And when the beautiful dream shatters into pieces, you find yourself drowning in emptiness, even the grief that comes with that emptiness also becomes numb at some point. And your beautiful past becomes just a bunch of some distant, blur memories.
"Alex trust me." Horrified, Kate looked at Alex's eyes. She searched for a pinch of trust for her in them but there was none.
"You are asking me to trust you after all this!" Alex pointed at the photos on the floor which succeeded in poisoning his heart, erasing with ease all the promises he had ever made to her and ripping out the love they thought was stronger than any other force in this world.
Kate felt like she would die from the grief she felt inside. It was unbelievable, the arrival of this day when he would accuse her of such a thing. Tears of hurt and disbelief at what was taking place trailed down her face, not even in her worst nightmares she had thought that he would question her loyalty to him, that he would shame her like this.
But she loved him, with all her heart and she needed to make him see the truth, for it was clear that it was someone's evil ploy with the purpose to ruin their marriage. "Alex—" she began but the raw hatred she witnessed in his blue eyes, the eyes she had fallen in love with, made her intake a sharp, painful breath.
He let out a low grunt. "Don't you dare take my name with that filthy mouth of yours." His eyes burned with rage. Breathing heavily, he demanded, "I hate you, Kate, you disgust me. Tell me, for how long this has been going on? Neil was in my house even last week, right? Did you fu*k in our bed as well? TELL ME. Damn it!"
"How can you even think all these! How can you say...," she trailed off as bile rose up her throat. Her voice trembled, and her hands shook. "I never cheated on you, Alex. Trust me!" She pleaded.
But Alex was not ready to listen to anything.
"So, it's all a lie, right?" His tone was mocking.
"Of course, it is. Can't you see that someone is framing me—that someone is trying to break us up!"
But who knew there was more to this trap? Her brows furrowed, seeing Alex shoving the screen of his right in front of her face. His hands were trembling a little. "And this?" he demanded. "Is this a lie, too, then? Say you didn't meet this basta**?"
Kate gaped. Someone had gone further ahead and sent photos of her meeting Isaac Groff—Alex's cousin who was not on good terms with the family. Isaac was also Alex's number-one business rival. The guy had tried to play nasty, trying to convince Kate—by tempting her in various ways to help him destroy Alex.
"Did you meet him or not?" Alex demanded.
She wiped her face, a dull throb beginning in her head. She had no reason to lie as she had refused all the temptations of Isaac, and so she said, "He approached me—"
"To have you steal the secret shareholder's file of my company, right?" he cut in. He noticed the surprise on her face and chuckled darkly, sadly.
"I never betrayed you," she said with conviction this time.
Yet that conviction was of no use, "Yet, that file's been missing for a week now," he revealed. "And someone's been advancing Quartz's shareholders now with incredible deals to buy them out. Isn't that interesting?" His voice broke at the end as he looked away from her, as if the very sight of her hurt him, "I thought you would be different. I really thought that. With all the people around me betraying one another and me, I thought you would prove to be my only light. But I was wrong."
Her lips quivered.
Was there anything she could say or do that could prove her innocence in the face of all these accusations he was throwing her way?
It is impossible to convince someone of anything when they've already made up their mind.
He was far above the stage of hearing Kate's desperate pleas, seeing the truth in her eyes, and trusting the love they shared, nothing could anymore reach his heart. Kate could see it. Anger and frustration of betrayal blocked that stupid organ of his body, the love he ever felt for Kate was replaced with never-ending hatred only.
Kate looked down at the medical reports in her hand. She felt way too helpless— way too shocked to react in any way. Alex's blazing gaze followed Kate's eyes, and it was then he saw the file in her hand. He snatched it away before she could even react.
Kate watched as he went through the file, his jaw tightening in fury. She still had a bit of hope in her heart, but her mind was now screaming that the things broken would never be mended. It was a kind of storm that would not calm until everything was ruined. Alex's face contorted in unimaginable rage, and he thundered at the already broken soul that stood like a statue before him.
"So, who's the father?" his words were biting. "Neil or Isaac?"
Her stomach lurched. And it was an instinctive move. Her hand moved up to connect with his cheek in a resounding slap.
But then, she gasped as he moved fast. In a flash of a moment, he held her by her arms, his grip bruising, making her wince in pain until it became so unbearable that a moan escaped her lips. "I want nothing more than to have you out of my life right now. Take the basta** inside you away from me—" He hissed down at her, "It hurts to look at your face anymore. It hurts to be near you anymore. You disgust me, Kate—you, and every memory I've of you."
And as he released his grip on her, pushing himself away from her body, she staggered back. She felt the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed. Feeling no more energy left on her legs, she sat back on the mattress. Throwing one last enraged look her way, he stormed out the door.
Slumping down on the bed, she curled her body into a ball and felt liquid anguish rolling down her eyes. Her shaky fists gripped the sheets as if she was desperately trying to hold onto her sanity. The trauma of having her whole world crumbling down in just a moment was just too much. Her head throbbed in pain, but her heart was the worst. She never knew that a broken heart could cause so much ache that it felt like someone had literally shoved a dagger into her chest. It was unbearable. No human being should experience it, but—here she was now feeling it, experiencing it all.
Both her hands went around her stomach, and she hugged herself protectively. Right when she thought she had no more tears left, she remembered what Alex had said about their child. Was his love that weak that just some photographs were enough to obliterate it? How could he call his own child a basta**? Was this the same Alex she fell in love with? Was this the same Alex she married?
Swiping away the tears vigorously, Kate sat up on the bed. Her sobs reduced to the point where she was hiccupping now.
No—no more in this house, she thought.
His wish would be fulfilled. Her eyes hardened in determination. Her trembling palm rested on her belly where her child lay.
It's not his child anymore. It's only hers.
Without delay, Kate packed her belongings. Bloodshot eyes wandered upon all the things in their room, the bed, their pictures that hung on the wall, that loveseat next to the balcony doors—every single thing held memories of her and him. The love inside her heart for him demanded her to stay, to make him believe in her, but it was not just she herself who got insulted today. He insulted her child as well—in the worst way possible.
The heaven was as if cracked open by the loud, booming thunders when Kate came out of the house with a suitcase in her hand. It was drizzling persistently, looking like the sky was also crying along with her.
She recalled just last week—that one night when it was raining just like this. She had always enjoyed the rain. She loved to see how those little droplets of liquid blessings poured down to earth from above, she loved getting drenched in rain, and so she did just that that night. But Alex was so worried that she would fall sick that he had carried her inside and fussed over her to the point that she nearly cried. But everything had changed now. Her beloved lover, her husband, had transformed into a vindictive creature blinded by mistrust.
Indeed, those photographs were the makings of someone's wicked intentions and conspiracy. But weak was proven his love and faith upon her in this test of fate.
The gate of the house that was hers no more stood as one last milestone to her eternal misery, and Kate pushed it open to step foot into that eternity without Alex. The rain hid her tears, but the pain in her eyes shone as thunders cackled in the skies.
Kyle rushed forward, "Let me drop you?" he requested.
The sad look on his face said he was aware of the atmosphere. Alex didn't hold back the volume of his voice; she had a suitcase in her hand, and her face was red and swollen from all the sobbing. Of course, anyone could catch the signs of fresh destruction.
"No need, Kyle," she said slowly, looking away. "I don't think he would like that."
After all, Kyle was Alex's employee.
Kyle backed away sadly.
Hailing a taxi, she slipped into the backseat holding her purse tight in her hands, inside which sat the venom that determined her destruction, those photos. There was one last thing to do.
~
A/N:
That's it for now. What are your thoughts about the first chapter? Let me know, huh. :)
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Lots of love, take care till the next upload,
- Lara.