Hello Stranger!
1159 Words
For a moment, the room seemed to stop breathing.
My words hung in the air between us, heavy, violent, irreversible.
Dominic froze, I saw it in the way his shoulders stiffened, in the way his mouth parted slightly and then closed again, like his body had reacted before his mind could catch up.
His face went blank for a split second, emptied of expression, as though whatever I’d said didn’t fit into the world he understood.
He just stared at me, no anger, no denial, just silence.
Then his gaze moved, slowly, deliberately, dragging over me from head to toe. I stood there in a hospital gown that barely reached my knees, the fabric hanging loosely from my frame.
My arms were thin, my skin pale, my body still shaking faintly from exhaustion and pain. I didn’t need a mirror to know how I looked.
The way people had been staring since I walked in had already told me enough.
Dominic’s eyes lingered for a second longer on my stomach, bandaged, swollen, and bruised.
Something flickered across his face, confusion, perhaps, but it vanished too quickly to mean anything. He didn’t ask a question, and he didn’t step closer, he just looked at me.
And in that moment, I understood something so clearly it made my chest ache.
Whatever I had gone through, whatever I had survived, he hadn’t even considered it important.
Before he could speak, Viviana’s fingers tightened around his arm.
She shifted closer, slipping partly behind him, pressing herself into his back. Her hands clutched his sleeve as though she needed him to stay upright.
“Don’t go, Dominic,” she said softly. “She might try to hurt me again. I’m scared.”
The words cut deeper than any slap ever could.
I stood there, stunned, my body still aching, my insides still stitched together, and watched as she hid behind my husband like I was the danger.
Dominic lifted his arm without hesitation, placing it in front of her, between us. His body angled toward me, blocking her from view.
“She won’t dare lay a finger on you,” he said.
His eyes stayed on me when he said it, sharp, guarded, cautious, like he was warning an animal not to lunge.
I almost laughed. The sound crawled up my throat, bitter and broken, but I swallowed it down. My hands clenched at my sides, nails biting into my palms.
Four days ago, I had nearly died, and my body had torn itself apart trying to carry life, and yet here I was, standing in front of him, being treated like a threat.
Behind Dominic’s shoulder, Viviana looked at me. Her lips curved into a small smile. It was quick, careful, just enough for me to see.
I felt the heat rush to my face, my fingers twitching with the urge to wipe that smile away.
God! That damn smile.
But I stayed where I was, rooted to the floor, my body heavy and weak, my anger the only thing holding me upright.
The room had gone silent, and I became aware of it slowly, because of the absence of music, the way conversations had died mid-sentence. People were staring openly now, their eyes moving between us like they were watching something unfold on a stage.
Dominic finally broke eye contact with me, as he stepped away from the group he’d been standing with and walked toward me, slowly, measured.
Each step careful, as if he didn’t know what I might do next, then he stopped a few feet away. Up close, I could see the disbelief written plainly on his face.
Divorce?
Before he could speak, a sharp voice sliced through the air.
“What do you think you’re doing, Eliana?”
Celeste stepped between us, planting herself firmly in front of her son. Laura followed, her emerald gown brushing the floor, fur draped elegantly over her shoulders. She looked untouched, untired, perfect.
“Quit making a scene,” Celeste snapped. “Go back to the hospital or go home.”
I laughed, the sound tore out of me, raw, cracked, ugly. It didn’t sound like laughter at all.
“I know you just want attention,” Laura said, folding her arms as her eyes swept over me. “You look disgusting. Aren’t you ashamed, showing up like this?”
Ashamed!
The word settled into my chest and stayed there. Yes I was ashamed.
Ashamed that I had loved these people. Ashamed that I had endured five years of cruelty and called it marriage. Ashamed that I had nearly died carrying life for a man who wouldn’t even answer his phone.
I lifted my eyes to Laura. “You should be careful how you speak to me from now on,” I said quietly. My voice surprised even me. It was empty, and hollow. “If you still want to see tomorrow.”
Laura flinched, just a little, but it was enough.
Celeste scoffed. “We were told you were hospitalized. You look fine to me. So what exactly is all this drama about?”
Then she reached out, deliberately, and took Dominic’s hand, and Viviana’s. She clasped them together between her palms like a statement. More like a verdict.
I watched Viviana glance at me from Dominic’s side, her eyes glittering beneath the lights.
“I’ve had enough,” I said, my chest rising painfully. “I’m done.”
Celeste’s lips curled. “Go back to the hospital or disappear somewhere else, you lowlife gold digger. You’re embarrassing the family.”
The words barely settled in my heart, I've heard that a thousand times from them.
I turned around to walk away. I hadn’t even taken a full step when a deafening crash shattered the air, then someone screamed.
I felt it before I saw it, the rush of wind, the shadow falling over me. I looked up just in time to see a massive decorative pole tipping toward me.
My body froze, and my legs wouldn’t move. Terror flooded me as I stood there helpless, my body betraying me again.
Then arms wrapped around my waist, strong. , sudden, unyielding.
I was yanked sideways with force, my feet barely touching the ground before I collided into someone solid, warm, real.
The pole crashed down where I had been standing. I stared up at the man holding me, he was a stranger. Shaved hair, gray eyes, sharp jaw, and he had a steady grip on me. He held me like I mattered.
My body shook uncontrollably, my knees threatening to give out. I turned my head, my heart hammering painfully, and that was when I saw it, Dominic.
His arms were wrapped tightly around Viviana, his body curved protectively over hers.
He hadn’t reached for me, he hadn’t even looked. Our eyes met across the chaos, and in that moment, standing there
in a stranger’s arms, something inside me finally died.
- Writer
