His Unwanted Bride

Five years. Five years of her life. Years of endless promises and sweet nothings. Years of dreaming up an empire they would build together. It was all gone in a flash. As quick as the snap of her finger. Summer gripped the steering, clamping her lips so tight, it would have glued together. The night sky was a beautiful picture. Shades of black blended together in an artistic contour and the moon stood out at the centre. Like the main character in a stage play. Her eyes were set on the big ball of light. Looking but not seeing. And even if she’d wanted to, her vision blurred with leaked tears that clouded her eyes. How could James do this to her? She marvelled at his audacity. The scene played like a broken record in her mind. James’s house was her go-to place, Friday nights. It was a normal couple’s hangout to rewind after the long week. So, as usual, she ordered Chinese food. It was his favourite. She loved buying his favourite things. Blueberry smoothies, very large hoodies, she’d even thought of buying a Rottweiler before. But he’d said once that he wouldn’t have time to take care of a dog. She’d knocked on his door, a foolish grin plastered on her lips and she rocked back and forth on her heel with so much excitement, she’d explode. It was unlocked, to her surprise. Slipping in effortlessly caused a pang of worry in her heart. Why would he leave the door unlocked? It wasn’t safe. He was wise enough to know that. This man… “James.” She whispered. The living room was gloomy, with only one lightbulb on. She frowned; David didn’t like darkness. “James…” Her steps were light on the floor as she inched towards his bedroom. Until she saw it. A black kitten-heeled shoe, studded with diamonds glittering under the light. Summer was very sure she’d never owned that shoe before. This was her first time seeing it. She froze. Every cell in her body buzzed with what? Uncertainty? Fear? Worry? She cleared her throat and cracked her stiff neck. What was wrong with her? There would obviously be an obvious explanation for this. What kind of partner was she if she couldn’t even trust her other half? She shook her head and knocked on the bedroom door. There was no response. Unlocked as well. Why was he being so careless? Reaching out to grab she handle. Her ears opened to a series of grunts and moans from inside the room. That sound… No way, probably a movie or something. But James preferred playing on his PS most of the time. Her palms curled over the smoothness of the handle. She didn’t know how long she stood there. Waiting. Thinking. As if controlled by a remote, she swung the door open. Her arms hung limp by her side and her eyes widened, it almost bulged out of its socket. Those lips that had kissed her skin sweetly, muttering wonderful things into her ear were now kissing someone else. Those hands that caressed every inch of her body with so much love was now holding on to someone else’s with so much passion. The bodies that they’d shared, taking her to the extreme ends of sweet passion was with another person. Like a force barrelled into her chest, pain shot through her chest and a dry heave left her throat. That finally drew their attention. What hurt most was not the fact that he was in bed with another woman n***d, it was the sheer emotionlessness in his eyes. They looked at her like she was a total stranger. A pest. An unwanted specimen disturbing what he was doing. “James…” She whispered, lips wobbling in unbelief He sighed and turned to the woman beside him. “Give me a minute babe, okay?” She nodded and he kissed her. Summer’s eyes widened more, unshed tears clouding her eyes. The woman, rolled off the bed with the blankets and shot Summer a look. Maybe out of pity. She wasn’t sure. The pain in her chest ached badly. Her mind buzzed every now and them and her knees wobbled, it would give out any moment. “James…” She whispered again. What else could she say? What else was there to see. The man she loved…the man she thought loved her, was cheating on her and his eyes were filled with zero remorse. In fact, he looked bored. He sighed and ran a hand over his head. “Look Summer, let’s break up.” A scoff left her lips. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You b****y bastard!” She flung the bag of food at him. “How dare you? How dare you, James?” The bag had spilled some food on him. He lazily dusted them off from his body and looked at her with the most uninterested eyes. “How can you sit there and look at me like you never loved me? What am I to you? After everything we’ve been through together? So, everything you told me, was a lie- “ “Everything I told you was in the past. I’m not in love with you anymore. I stopped being in love with you a long time ago. I was only still in the relationship to pass time, but I’ve decided to move on.” Summer took a step back, refusing to believe what she’d just heard. “What?” She muttered. “It’s over, Summer. You are too serious. Always yapping about work 24/7. You’re either doing this project or that. Looking to increase your position and s**t. I got tired of it. No man wants a woman who’s too uptight and ambitious. I mean, are you trying to compete with me?” She didn’t wait to hear the last of it. She rushed out in a frenzy of pain, tears and anger. Especially anger. Hot anger that bubbled under her skin even as she sat in her car, staring at her torn expression in the windshield. “f**k you, James!