Chapter Three
876 Words
Love and Bruises
The tension in the room was thick enough to choke on.
Adrian stood by the door, his cold eyes fixed on Mira.
Mira stared right back at him without fear.
Neither of them had ever liked each other.
Not from the beginning.
Not from the day Adrian married Elena.
And certainly not now.
"Leave," Adrian said flatly.
Mira folded her arms.
"I'll leave when Elena asks me to."
His eyes narrowed.
Elena immediately stepped between them.
"Please stop."
She looked at Mira first.
"Mira, it's okay."
Then she turned to Adrian.
"And you too."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Finally, Mira grabbed her purse.
But before leaving, she looked directly at Adrian.
"If anything happens to her, I'll be back."
Then she walked out.
The door slammed behind her.
Silence followed.
Adrian loosened his tie.
"You spend too much time with her."
Elena stared at him.
"She's my friend."
His expression hardened.
"You don't need friends."
The words stunned her.
Not because they were new.
Because they weren't.
Adrian had always disliked anyone getting close to her.
But hearing it again made something ache deep inside her.
He walked past her and headed toward the bathroom.
Minutes later, the sound of running water echoed through the room.
Elena sat quietly on the bed.
Her thoughts drifted back to Mira's words.
You love everyone except yourself.
The sentence wouldn't leave her mind.
She wished it would.
Because every time she thought about it, she felt guilty.
As though loving herself somehow meant loving Adrian less.
An hour later, Adrian left again.
Without explanation.
Without saying goodbye.
Without even looking at her.
And Elena already knew where he was going.
Vanessa.
The answer was always Vanessa.
By midnight, Elena was still awake.
The mansion was dark and silent.
She sat alone in the living room holding a cup of tea that had long gone cold.
The television played quietly in the background.
But she wasn't watching it.
She was waiting.
Waiting for the sound of his car.
Waiting for him to come home.
Waiting for a version of Adrian that probably didn't exist.
The clock struck one in the morning.
Then two.
Finally, at nearly three o'clock, headlights flashed through the windows.
Her stomach tightened.
The front door opened.
Adrian stumbled inside.
The smell of alcohol filled the room instantly.
Elena stood.
"Adrian?"
He barely looked at her.
His eyes were red.
His movements unsteady.
He was drunk.
Again.
Elena walked toward him carefully.
"You should rest."
He laughed bitterly.
"You sound like a wife."
The words hurt more than they should have.
Because despite being his wife...
he had never truly treated her like one.
She reached for his arm.
"Come upstairs."
For a moment, he allowed her to guide him.
But halfway up the stairs, his mood changed.
It happened often when he drank.
One second calm.
The next furious.
He jerked his arm away.
"Why are you following me?"
Elena froze.
"I was helping you."
"I didn't ask for help."
His voice echoed through the hallway.
The servants quickly disappeared from sight.
Everyone in the mansion knew better than to get involved when Adrian was angry.
Elena lowered her eyes.
"I'm sorry."
The apology came automatically.
A habit she had developed years ago.
Even when she wasn't wrong.
Even when she was the one hurting.
"I'm sorry."
Adrian stared at her for a long moment.
Then he turned and walked upstairs.
Leaving her behind.
Again.
Later that night, Elena lay awake in bed.
Adrian slept beside her.
The smell of alcohol still lingered.
Moonlight filtered through the curtains.
She couldn't sleep.
Not because she wasn't tired.
Because her heart felt too heavy.
She stared at the ceiling.
Remembering.
There had been a time when she believed marriage would save her loneliness.
A time when she imagined a husband who would hold her hand.
A family.
Children.
Laughter.
A home filled with warmth.
Instead, she had ended up here.
Sharing a bed with a man who treated her like a stranger.
A tear slid down her cheek.
She quickly wiped it away.
But another followed.
Then another.
Before she knew it, she was crying silently.
The way she always did.
Quietly.
Carefully.
So no one would hear.
Because in this house, even her tears felt unwelcome.
Suddenly, Adrian shifted beside her.
For a brief second, hope fluttered inside her.
Maybe he would wake up.
Maybe he would notice.
Maybe he would ask what was wrong.
Instead, he simply turned his back to her and continued sleeping.
The tiny spark of hope disappeared.
And for the first time in years, a dangerous thought entered Elena's mind.
What if Mira is right?
She squeezed her eyes shut.
Immediately she pushed the thought away.
No.
She loved him.
She had to.
Otherwise, what had all these years been for?
What had all the sacrifices meant?
What had all the pain been worth?
But deep inside, a quiet voice whispered something she didn't want to hear.
Love isn't supposed to hurt this much.
Outside, the wind rattled the windows.
Inside, Elena cried herself to sleep.
Unaware that her life was already beginning to change.
Because some storms arrive to destroy.
And others arrive to set people free.
- Writer
