Mine, Or Buried With Me

Aria was walking home from work, her boyfriend Matteo texted an hour ago that he can't pick her up because he's busy at work and that he might come home late. Aria thought nothing about it so she replied with a "oh okay love, it's alright I'll just walk home since it is not that far" and sent it to him. Aria was now walking slowly at the sidewalk, it was now 9 pm and the streets are quiet and lonely. Aria keeps on glancing at her phone, looking if Matteo had sent her another message, but there is none, his last chat was the one he told her he can't pick her up. Aria looks sad, but she pushes her emotions away, understanding that maybe his boyfriend is really busy at work. But she doesn't know what was really going on. [Matteo's Workplace] Almost everyone had left the building, but Matteo was still in his office. Matteo's coworker Lily was openly flirting with him at the office—leaning close, laughing too easily at his words, brushing her hand against his arm whenever she got the chance. But this was not the first time, they have been carrying on as lovers for months now, their affair long settled into something easy and familiar. She leaned into his space, her touch lingering, her voice thick with the kind of lazy, intimate affection only two people who had been together for a long time could share. He didn't hesitate, didn't pull away, didn't even pretend to be uncomfortable. Surprisingly, he also flirted back. It was second nature to him now: that easy, knowing smile, the way his hand rested casually at her waist, his voice dropping to that low, warm purr reserved only for her, every glance and touch confirming exactly what they were to each other. While the woman who trusted him waited blindly at home. Aria had arrived at their shared house, she pulls out her keys to unlock the door. She turned the key and pushed the door open, and instantly—the familiar scent of her own house wrapped around her like an old, worn blanket after a tiring day at work. Completely unaware that everything she trusted inside was already broken beyond repair. [At the office] "Babyyy, buy me food, I'm hungry" Lily spoke in a sweet, syrupy, and intimate tone, her lower lip pushed out in a soft, deliberate pout. "Look at you, acting all cute and needy," he murmured, reaching out to brush a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "How could I ever say no to you, huh? You know you only have to ask, baby. Whatever you want, whenever you want it, it's yours." His thumb brushed lightly over her cheek, slow and possessive, a thing he never did to his own girlfriend, Aria. The two quickly took their bags and left the building. They walked towards a nearby restaurant, Lily wraps his hand around Matteo's arm. They went inside the restaurant together. Matteo hold the door open with one hand, and the moment she stepped past him, his one hand settled naturally at the small of her back. They settled at a corner table, tucked away just enough to feel private, and they started ordering foods from the menu. Meanwhile at the house, Aria decided to go out and get some dinner at a 7 eleven store just around the corner. She took out some money before locking the door and started walking down the street. Coincidentally, the restaurant was just at the front of the 7-eleven store. The lights from both buildings spilled out onto the sidewalk, mixing into a warm glow that lit up the night. And as Aria rounded the corner, heading straight for the store, she didn't see them at first, but she heard them. Laughing. Whispering. Calling each other names that only lovers used. And when she glance up, her blood turned to ice. There, in the window of the restaurant, sat the man she loved—her Matteo, leaning across the table, his hand resting on Lily's cheek, his smile soft and hungry, the same smile he'd given her a thousand times. She stopped dead in her tracks, her hand tightening around the money in her pocket. The air felt thin, like it was closing on around her, and suddenly the warm night felt cold enough to freeze her bones. Everything she'd ever believed—every promise, every kiss, every word of love—shattered into million pieces right there on the sidewalk. Unable to contain the fire blazing inside her, she stormed into the restaurant, her footsteps loud and heavy against the floorboards. Every step carried the weight of betrayal, every movement fueled by rage that threatened to consume her whole. She marched straight toward the corner table—that very place where her boyfriend and his mistress sat, wrapped up in their lies and secrets, completely unaware that their world was about to shatter. Without a second thought, she snatched a full glass of water from the nearest tray, her hand shaking with fury, and hurled it straight at the girl. The liquid splashed across her, soaking her dress from top to bottom, leaving dark, wet patches that clung to her skin like the truth she'd been hiding. Lily gasped, jumping back in shock, her face paling as cold water dripped down her neck and arms. Matteo froze, stunned rigid at the sudden, violent arrival of his girlfriend. His eyes went wide, his mouth falling open, and all the warm, loving expressions he'd worn just moments before vanished in an instant, replaced by pure, unmasked shock. He sat there frozen, like a deer caught in headlights, completely unprepared for the storm that had just broken right in front of him. "B-babe... What are you doing here?..." His voice came out shaky, soft, and full of panic, the sound of a man who'd been caught red-handed, with nowhere left to run and no way to hide the truth anymore. Aria raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face, the sound ringing sharp and loud through the quiet of the restaurant. Aria's palm stung, matching the burning pain that was tearing through her chest. "What am I doing here?!" She screamed, her voice cracking with rage and disbelief. "What are you doing here?! You told me you were busy working! You said you were stuck at the office, buried under paperwork and meetings! What kind of work is this?! Working with another girl?!" It was loud enough that every head in the restaurant turned to look at them—curious eyes widening, whispers starting to float through the air, the whole room going silent as everyone stared at the scene unfolding right in front of them. She didn't care who saw or what they thought. All she could feel was the betrayal, hot and heavy, burning through every word that tore out of her throat. Matteo sat there, his face pale, his hand flying up to touch the stinging red mark on his cheek. He was completely frozen, unable to find any words to defend himself. Lily sat beside him, still dripping wet, her face pale with shock and fear, hiding behind her hands as the whole restaurant watched the whole drama. Aria didn't even let Matteo explain, she had seen enough. Every smile, every touch, every sweet word he'd ever said was suddenly revealed as nothing but lies and betrayal, and she could not stand to be there another second. In that moment, she made her choice. She would leave this city behind—leave the lies, the memories, and the man who had broken her heart. She would pack her things, take what little she had left, and go far away, to a place where no one knew her name, where no one knew what she had been through. She would never come back. This place, and everything in it, was dead to her now. With one last cold glance that held all the hatred and heartbreak she felt, she turned and walked away, her steps steady, her mind made up, leaving the man she loved and the life she thought she had built, behind her forever.