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For the next ten days, he moved in with Annette. Every day, I received photos of them together–Annette seemed to love rubbing it in. The day we were supposed to file for divorce, I didn’t go. Kyle had made a tight schedule for all the proceedings of our marriage and sent me home right then. As the plane I was on soared into the sky, I fell asleep, slipping into a deep dream.
Actually, things weren’t always this bad between Nicolas and me. When we first got together, our marriage wasn’t as strained. Though it had been arranged by our families, we spent the first three years living in quiet, respectful harmony.
But if I’m being truthful, I think it was because I loved him. We had known each
other since childhood. We were close–the kind of close that deepened over time, from innocent teenage affection to something more profound. That’s why I
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never objected to the idea of an arranged marriage.
Nicolas, on the other hand, resisted fiercely at first. He would pull me aside and insist we should reject the arrangement and go our separate ways. Out of selfishness, I refused. I couldn’t bring myself to let him go. So, I let the marriage happen.
Then, out of nowhere, Nicolas gave in.
In the beginning, after we were married, we lived more like roommates–under the same roof but emotionally distant. But as time went on, I noticed something changing in him. Maybe he had started to like me, even just a little.
Every day when he came home, he brought me something–a surprise to brighten my day. Sometimes it was flowers; other times, delicious food. And at night, he would pull me close, holding me as we slept.
The worst part came when people started leaving comments on the weather.
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station’s website where I worked, asking to meet me. Nicolas flipped. He was furious. He pinned me to the bed for an entire week, acting like a possessive puppy, never wanting to leave my side and demanding I not even glance at other men. For an entire week, I couldn‘ t even go to the bathroom without him holding me. That was our fourth year of marriage.
Then the news came–Nicolas‘ first love, the one he had never truly gotten over, had married and started a family. I overheard it from the elders during our annual family gathering. And then Annette showed up. She had that same innocent, pure charm, the kind that mirrored his first love‘ s allure.
And it was around that time when Nicolas discovered it- my phone‘ s memo. In it, I had written down everything–every hidden feeling I had for him, from my teenage years all the way to our marriage. And that was when he snapped.
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He believed I had conspired with his family
to drive away his first love, but the truth was, I didn’t even know about her. I didn’t know he had been seeing anyone. I had no idea about his past relationship at all.
But Nicolas wouldn’t listen. From then on, he started to act out, constantly
opposing me.
Annette‘ s first
year on the scene stirred up a scandal, one that shook our marriage to its core. With photos, videos and all kinds of evidence, Nicolas pressured me to step up and clear the air. I was labeled by the media as weak, “love–sick,” and
“pathetic.” The viewership of the weather broadcasts I hosted dropped through the floor.
In the second year, things got worse. I found out I was pregnant. Annette, of
course, played the drama queen and cried, creating a scene that pulled at Nicolas‘
heartstrings.
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He remembered the pain of losing his first love and in a moment of weakness, he made a cruel decision. He gave me medicine to “help” with the pregnancy. It was meant to promote blood circulation and reduce swelling, but for me, it was poison.
At the time, I was already in a fragile state. I was supposed to be protecting the pregnancy, but after taking those pills, I started bleeding uncontrollably.
As I my skirt soaked with blood. He just watched, cold and detached as he stunted.
- me.
Blood seeped through my skirt, pooling beneath me, yet he just stood there, watching with a cold, detached expression. His words lashed out, sharp and
venomous.
“Does it hurt? When I ended things with her, it felt like this. No, it was a million times worse!”
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“So this is why you didn’t mind the marriage, isn’t it? All because of you. Pretending so well, hiding your feelings for me, pushing my parents to forget about her and acting like you were the victim.”
“Now suffer! This pain is exactly what you deserve for everything you’ve done. You’re nothing but a pathetic faker!”
I couldn’t care less. The pain was too much and I passed out. With the little mercy he had left, he reluctantly carried me and rushed me to the hospital. The doctors said that if I had arrived any later, I would have died. And now, three years.
after Annette showed up, I was forced to quit my job.
***
I didn’t realize the missed calls from Nicolas until I landed in Eldermere later that evening. I opened the voice message he had sent me. His voice, dripping with sarcasm, filled my ears.
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