The Other Side Of love

Her Body

My heart was racing as if I were running a marathon. I stood behind that door, shaking my head a hundred times, asking myself if I wasn’t dreaming. But every time I opened my eyes, what I was seeing was real. Diana and Lana were sitting on the couch beside the bed. I wanted to call out to Lana and ask her if what I was seeing was true. Instead, I stepped back and ran like a madman. Once outside, I gasped for air, repeating to myself, “Impossible… impossible… impossible.”

I kept recalling what had happened that night, hitting my head as if searching for answers but finding none. My strength gave out, and I sat on the chair outside, filled with deep fear. Then my wife came out. She looked cold, busy on the phone. Even though our child was sick, that phone seemed to bring her joy. I noticed her smiling from time to time. I loved her deeply, sincerely, without pretense. I wanted to listen carefully to what she was saying, and my heart whispered to me that she was surely talking to Cedric, the student I used to teach.

She hung up and turned to see me sitting there. She stared at me for a while, then took steps toward me. With each step, anger welled up in me, until she finally sat down next to me. I waited to hear the first words out of her mouth after betraying me unknowingly. She looked at me straight in the eyes, unashamed, and asked, “What did you do, dear? What mistake did I make? Why did you act that way?”

I stared into her eyes. If she had the ability, she would have heard the voice of my heart screaming at her: “Why did you do it? Since when? What have I not done for you, for you to hurt me this much?” As that inner voice grew louder, my eyes welled with tears, and rage filled me.

Pauline, surprised at how I looked, asked me, “What happened?” I answered in a calm voice, telling her the opposite of what was in my heart. I lied, pretending that my sorrow and anger were because of the pain our child was going through. She then stretched out her hand, held my trembling hands, and in a calm voice said, “Let’s trust what the doctors said, Frederick will be fine.” She tried to comfort me, then added, “Did you know that Frederick has a girlfriend?”

I held back and replied, “How would I know that?” Frederick had not been living at home for almost a year. Pauline said, “He’s grown up.” I replied, “Yeah, he’s grown up.” Deep inside, I wanted to scold her, to ask why she allowed him to sleep with boys his age, how many he had already slept with. But it was not the right time for those questions. I held my breath and told her the news I had wanted to share: “I received the license to open my university.”

She was overjoyed, because that was the document we had been waiting for. She hugged me tightly, but my arms remained heavy at my sides. To me, everything in the world had lost meaning; all I wanted were answers to the questions tearing my heart apart. She cupped my face in her hands and said, “I’m so happy for you.” Then she sighed and added, “Now I understand why you didn’t come home last night.” She kissed my cheek, held my hand, and whispered, “I love you… I love you so much, Felix.”

I wanted to reply, but words failed me. I simply nodded and forced a faint smile.

I stayed outside, hiding, not wanting to meet Lana’s eyes. Time passed, and eventually she and her friend left. I felt some relief, then went to check on Frederick. I wanted to ask him many things how he met Lana, what had happened. I also wanted to confront Lana. My world, revolving around that boy, was now filled with endless questions.

I said goodbye to my wife and Diana, then went to the university. I sat at my desk, picked up my phone, and thought of calling Lana only to realize I had forgotten to get her number. I set the phone down on the desk. A knock came at the office door. I said, “Come in,” and saw Cedric enter, carrying his research papers. I was the one supervising his dissertation. He greeted me with the usual respect.

Anger rose in me. I stood up and struck him across the face with a punch. He staggered back, shocked, and before he could react, I hit him again, then shoved him into a chair. I wondered what I could do to him so he would never dare think of my wife again. I was about to hit him a third time when he grabbed my hand and pleaded, “What did I do?”

Breathing heavily with rage, I remembered the pleasure he had shared with my wife, and I couldn’t contain myself. I grabbed a book from the desk and hit him on the head. He realized things were getting serious and tried to fight back, attempting to escape.

I rushed to the cabinet, pulled out a gun, and pointed it at him. He froze in terror. “What did I do?” he asked again, his voice trembling. Calmly, I ordered him to raise his hands and not resist. His heartbeat was loud I could almost hear it. I tied his hands behind his back, then searched him and found his car keys.

“Make one mistake and I’ll kill you,” I warned him. Yet I still hadn’t told him the crime I accused him of.

Tears filled his eyes as he begged, “Please forgive me, I’m sorry, whatever I did, I’m sorry.” I didn’t reply. Instead, I forced him to walk with me to his car. We left the office together, pretending to be friends until we reached the car.

I drove him far out of the city, to a lonely cliff where there was no chance of escape. I pulled him out of the car, aimed the gun at him, and said, “Confess.” His lips trembled, his breathing was ragged. I began to count to five, ready to shoot. Suddenly, he blurted out, “Please forgive me, I admit it… I will raise the child.”

I froze. “What child?” I demanded.

He replied, “Your daughter is pregnant.”

I fired a shot past him, demanding he repeat what he had just said.

Cedric dropped to his knees. I pressed the gun to his temple. He stammered, “Diana and I are in love. I didn’t mean to get her pregnant. I even begged her to abort, but she refused and told me she would raise the child alone.”

I rubbed my ears, wondering if I had heard correctly. My strength failed me, and I sat down on the ground.

Cedric continued, “I beg you, don’t kill me. I still want to live. If you want, we can marry. I truly love Diana.”

I walked up to him, choking with emotion, and asked, “What did I ever do to you?”

“Forgive me,” he pleaded.

I lashed out, punching him repeatedly, calling him a monster, until his blood soaked my fists. “Does my wife know you’re dating my daughter?” I demanded.

He shook his head. “Diana wanted us to keep it a secret.”

I lifted the gun again, my voice breaking, though I couldn’t even bring myself to tell him that I had seen him in bed with my wife. Two women I loved most my wife and my daughter had both been deceived by this same boy.

“I will never allow you to be my son in law,” I said coldly. “Not even for a moment.” I swore that Diana must get rid of the pregnancy. How could such a child even be born? What would people say if the father of my grandchild was also the lover of my wife?

I looked at Cedric and remembered how brilliant he was, how much he knew about economics. I recalled the day I first welcomed him into my home, introducing him to my family. I remembered telling my wife that I had found a gifted student, and how Cedric and I had even agreed that if I got my university license, he would teach there. None of that mattered anymore.

I raised the gun and emptied the bullets into him, my tears of grief mingling with the blood on my hands.