Breaking point

Avery’s Pov

I froze in the hallway long after they had left the conservatory, my heart hammering so hard in my chest that I thought it would break through my ribs.

The kiss haunted me. His hands on her waist and he pulled her close like she was his oxygen.

I should go to my room, pretend like I didn’t see anything, be the good wife who swallows pain.

My legs began to move on their own, following the sound of their footsteps going towards the stairs.

I kept myself hidden in the shadows, my pulsing racing. They were laughing and whispering. His voice was lower than I ever heard it.

They went towards the master bedroom, his room. The one I had never been allowed to enter.

I stood in the hallway for a moment, trying not to imagine what would possibly happen there. I moved toward the door when I heard moans.

The door didn’t close all the way.

I crept inside, barely breathing and I looked through the gap.

Celeste pressed him against the wall, kissing him like she was starved. His hands tangled in her hair, pulled her closer and groaned into her mouth.

“Fuck, I have missed you Nate.” She whispered between the kiss, unbuttoning his shirt. “God, Nate I missed this.”

“Celeste.” He called her name like it was a prayer, helping her with the zipper of her dress desperately.

They stumbled towards the bed, her red dress pooled on the floor beside his jacket and his shirt, still on but hanging open. Her hands in his dark hair, body pressed together like they couldn’t get enough of each other.

My body went completely still. My lungs forgot how to work and my foot remove to move.

He laid her on the bed, the same bed l’d never touch and kissed her neck down while she arched to him.

“Nate.” She whispered again with a moan arching more to him and she made a sound I have never heard from him, raw and hungry.

Everything inside me went cold.

They kissed again, this time slowly and deeper, his hands moved her thigh.

I must have made a sound, gasped because his head jerked up.

Our eyes locked across the room. There were a few seconds of absolute silence in the room.

Her lipstick was smeared across his mouth, his hands were still on her body.

Then his face burned with anger.

“What the hell are you doing here?” He exploded off the bed, grabbing his shirt. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough.” My voice came out strangled.

“You’re spying on me now?” He rushed toward me, and I stumbled back, almost falling. “In my own house?”

“Your house?” Something inside me cracked. “I’m your wife, Nate!”

“Really?” He grabbed my arm, fingers digging into my skin hard.

“Nate, let her go.” Celeste said from the bed, wrapping the sheet around herself.

But he didn’t let go. He dragged me out of his room, into the hallway, his grip bruising.

“You had no right to be there.” He hissed, shoving me toward my bedroom door.

“No right?” I jerked my arm free. “You brought another woman into our home! Into our bed!”

“My bed.” He corrected, voice was like ice. “You’ve never been in that room, you’ve never touched that bed, you’ve never been my wife in any way that matters.”

The words cut into my skin. “We’re married!”

“On paper.” He spat out. “That’s all you’ve ever been. A signature, a name I had to say in front of cameras.”

“I’ve been your wife for fourteen months!” Tears burned my eyes. “I’ve done everything right! Everything you wanted!”

“You’ve done what you were paid to do and you will be paid for.” He stepped closer, towering over me. “You played a role. That’s it.

“I thought…”

“What?” He laughed, cruel and cold. “That I would fall in love with you? That if you smiled enough, cooked my favorite meals, wore the right dresses, I’d suddenly want you?”

Each word was a knife to my throat. “I tried…”

“You tried to be someone you’re not.” He cut me off. “You tried to make me forget her but you could never be compared to Celeste. You could never be what she is to me, get that!”

I looked into his eyes and saw nothing. No guilt, no regret of what he did. Just irritation that I was still standing there.

“You know what huh…” he said, and I was confused.

“I think it’s time we get divorced.” He said it casually, like he was discussing the weather.

My world tilted. “What?”

“You heard me.” He crossed his arms. “It’s long overdue. The contract we signed ended two months ago. This should have been over then.”

“You’re…you…not serious about this, are you?” I asked, my heart breaking, I felt like ice running through my veins.

“I am completely serious about it.” He glanced back toward his room, where Celeste was waiting. “I’ll call my lawyer in the morning. When the papers are ready, I’ll let you know. Until then, stay out of my way, stay clear from my sight!”

“That’s it?” My hands shook. “Fourteen months and that’s it?”

“What did you expect?” He asked, genuinely confused. “Tears? An apology? You knew what this was from the beginning.”

“I thought maybe…”

“You thought wrong.” He turned away from me. “Don’t come near my room again. Don’t speak to me unless I speak to you first. And for God’s sake, don’t make a scene. I’ll let you know when it’s time to sign.”

He walked away, back toward his bedroom, back to her.

I stood there in the hallway, my body vibrating, tears streaming down my face.

Then I heard his door close and he locked it.

And I heard her laugh. A soft laugh, a victorious laugh.

I staggered into my room, closed the door, and slid to the floor.

The sobs came hard and violent, tearing through my chest. I pressed my hand over my mouth, trying not to muffle the sounds, but they came anyway.

Months of trying, all of it for nothing.

Then, I heard Celeste’s voice, breathing heavily and moaning loudly.