6

Luke:

I stood frozen for several long seconds, staring at Bella as her words echoed through my mind.

They hung between us like a heavy storm cloud, each syllable driving the blade of betrayal deeper into my chest.

Everything we'd built together suddenly felt meaningless.

Every promise we'd whispered in bed. Every sacrifice I'd made without hesitation. Every night I chose her over everyone else, believing that no matter how difficult life became, we'd always find our way back to each other.

Now all I could see was my wife in another man's arms.

"Fine," I finally said, my voice so cold that even I barely recognized it. Every ounce of warmth had drained away, leaving nothing but exhaustion and heartbreak.

"Stay here then. Keep letting him touch you if that's what makes you feel wanted tonight. I'm done chasing after you like some pathetic fool while you throw our marriage away in the middle of a filthy bar... on our anniversary."

I let out a bitter laugh that carried no amusement.

"Go ahead. Drink until you forget you even have a husband." Without waiting for her response, I turned and walked away.

The crowd parted as I shoved past strangers whose curious eyes followed the disaster unfolding before them. Behind me, Bella's trembling voice desperately fought through the noise.

"Luke! Wait…please!"

Her heels stumbled across the floor as she tried to follow me.

"I didn't mean it like that! Please come back! We can talk!" She said,

I never looked back. If I did, I knew I'd lose whatever little control I had left.

How could she do this to us?

How could the woman I loved with everything I had choose to hurt me this way?

The cool night air slapped against my face the moment I stepped outside, but it did nothing to calm the fire raging inside my chest.

I stepped into my car, jammed the car door closed, gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white, and drove aimlessly for several minutes before instinct guided me toward Serena's apartment.

I couldn't go home.

That mansion wasn't home anymore.

If I walked through those doors and saw Bella again, I didn't trust myself to keep my emotions under control.

By the time I arrived, my head felt like it was splitting apart.

I unlocked the front door and quietly made my way toward Serena's bedroom.

She was still awake. Her injured ankle rested on several pillows while a book lay forgotten in her lap.

The moment she looked up and saw my face, her expression crumbled with concern.

"Luke?"

She immediately pushed the blanket aside despite her injury and opened her arms.

"Oh my God..." Her voice softened. "What happened? You look absolutely devastated."

She reached for my hand. "Come here."

For the first time that night, I didn't have the strength to pretend I was okay.

I sat beside her, and she gently wrapped her arms around me.

Her fingers slid through my hair as if trying to soothe every shattered piece of me.

The words poured out before I could stop them.

I told her everything. Coming home early to surprise Bella. Finding the house empty. The panic that had swallowed me whole. Searching everywhere until I reached the bar.

Walking inside...Seeing my wife tangled in another man's embrace.

The kiss. The argument.

Her cruel words. And finally...walking away.

Serena never interrupted.

She listened while I emptied every painful memory into the silence between us.

When I finally finished speaking, I felt emotionally drained.

"I'm so sorry, Luke," she whispered, tightening her embrace. "I truly am."

She rested her cheek lightly against my head.

"You rushed away from me because you wanted to spend your anniversary with your wife. You lied to her just so she wouldn't worry about my medical emergency."

She sighed sadly. "And this is how she thanks you?"

Her voice carried quiet disappointment. "She humiliates you in public."

I closed my eyes."I don't understand."

My voice cracked. "I loved her and I still love her. So why wasn't I enough?"

Serena gently rubbed my back. "Maybe you were always enough."

She hesitated before continuing. "Maybe she simply never appreciated what she had."

A painful laugh escaped me. "Or maybe she deserved someone better than me."

"You don't believe that."

"I don't know what I believe anymore."

Silence settled over the room.

After a while Serena spoke again. "I've always believed Bella wasn't the woman you deserved."

I didn't answer.

I couldn't.

Everything hurt too much.

She continued comforting me for hours, whispering reassuring words whenever another wave of grief threatened to swallow me whole.

She reminded me that I wasn't alone.

That someone still cared whether I ate, slept, or fell apart.

But nothing worked.

Because every time I closed my eyes...I saw Bella.

I saw our wedding day.

The way she'd smiled as she walked toward me in her white dress.

The way her hands had trembled while placing the ring on my finger.

Until another image shattered those memories.

Bella kissing another man.

Leaning into him. Holding him as though she wanted him.

That picture replayed over and over until it became impossible to breathe.

A single tear slipped down my face.

I quickly wiped it away, but another followed.

Then another. She really broke my heart.

*********

Bella:

The next morning felt like punishment.

My head pounded so violently that even opening my eyes made me wince.

Sunlight spilled through the curtains, making the empty bedroom seem even colder than usual.

I was still wearing the torn black dress from last night.

Mascara stained my cheeks. My hair was a tangled mess.

The bitter taste of alcohol lingered in my mouth, mixing with the overwhelming regret sitting heavily inside my chest.

Luke was gone.

His final words refused to leave my mind. "Wrapped around some random prick like a cheap whore."

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Fresh tears slid down my cheeks.

I hated that those words came from the man I loved.

I hated myself even more for giving him a reason to say them.

Just then, my phone vibrated on the bedside table.

For a moment, I considered ignoring it.

I thought maybe it was Luke. So with trembling fingers, I answered.

"Hello?"

"Bella?"

The familiar voice immediately made my entire body stiffen.

"It's Serena."

Every ounce of exhaustion vanished, replaced by anger.

"What do you want?!" I snapped. "Haven't you done enough already? My marriage is falling apart because Luke spent our anniversary with you."

She let out a soft sigh. "I know you're upset."

Her voice sounded calm, almost sympathetic.

"I only called because I think you deserve to know the truth."

I frowned. "What truth?"

"The video I sent you..." My heart skipped. "...the one showing Luke kissing me." I gripped the phone tighter.

"It wasn't real."

For a second, I couldn't understand what she'd just said.

"What?"

"We never kissed." She continued talking.

My breathing stopped.

"I edited the video. I wanted to see how you'd react if you believed Luke had chosen me over you and he was only helping me with my strained ankle. Last night, we weren't doing anything when you came to the mansion to check." A small laugh escaped her lips. "And you reacted exactly the way I expected. You ran straight to a bar, got drunk, let another man touch you."

My stomach twisted violently.

"You..." I could barely find my voice. "You manipulated me? faked that video? What kind of sick person does something like that? Why would you destroy someone's marriage just to prove a point?"

"To protect Luke."Her answer came without hesitation.

I laughed bitterly. "Protect him? Who asked you to protect my husband? Who gave you that right?"

"Luke has always been caught between us. He feels guilty whenever he chooses one of us." She said, "I needed to know whether his wife truly trusted him. Now I have my answer, you don't deserve him."

Anger surged through every part of me. "You had no right! No right to test my marriage! No right to interfere in our lives!"

She ignored my outburst and continued talking.

"He came back to me after leaving the bar. He was devastated so I stayed with him all night."

"He needed someone, um, I don't think he'll be coming home very often anymore, Bella.” She sounded almost satisfied. "You should prepare yourself for that."

Before I could respond, the call ended.

I stared blankly at the phone.

My hands shook uncontrollably.

The kiss never happened. The video was fake. Everything that destroyed my trust was carefully planned.

I felt sick.

Over the following days, life became nothing more than waiting.

Waiting for footsteps.

Waiting for the front door.

Waiting for my husband.

I didn't later go for the modelling job and I told Fiona not to prepare the divorce papers anymore.

Every evening I cleaned the house until everything sparkled.

I cooked his favorite meals, set the dining table for two, lit candles, wore the perfume he always said reminded him of home and then...I waited.

Most nights he never came.

Sometimes, long after midnight, I'd hear the front door open.

My heart would leap with hope. Only to hear his footsteps pass our bedroom.

The guest room door would close instead.

Before sunrise, he'd be gone again.

The silence inside the mansion slowly became unbearable.

One evening he finally entered our bedroom.

The sight of him almost brought me to tears.

"Luke..." I hurried to my feet. "Please, we need to talk."

He didn't answer.

He simply opened the wardrobe and began changing his clothes.

"Serena called me, she told me everything,the video was fake and truly she confirmed there was never a kiss."

"It was all a test, I should've come to you first.I know that, I was hurt. I thought I'd lost you."

Finally, he looked at me, his expression was painfully empty.

"And instead of asking me the truth..." he said, his voice was barely above a whisper. "...you chose to believe the worst, the problem was not me, it's just that you've never trusted me."

Every word carried quiet disappointment.

"I know." I swallowed hard. "I'm sorry. I made a terrible mistake."

He looked away.

The silence that followed hurt more than shouting ever could.

I stepped closer. "Please stay tonight."

"We don't have to solve everything."

"Just stay. I've missed you and I made plans for breakfast tomorrow. We haven't shared a meal in days."I said, softly with hope."I can make something now if you're hungry."

For a brief second, I thought he might agree.

Instead, he picked up his jacket and said coldly: "I'm not hungry."

Then he walked toward the door.

I felt panic rising inside me. "Luke..."

He stopped without turning around."Don't wait for me anymore."

The words landed like a death sentence.

The bedroom door quietly closed behind him.

I stood there in complete silence, staring at the door long after he left.

The bed suddenly felt far too big.

The mansion felt unbearably quiet.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I slowly sank onto the edge of the bed as tears streamed endlessly down my face.

No matter how desperately I held onto hope...It felt like I was already mourning a marriage that hasn't officially ended.

And the most heartbreaking part was knowing I have no idea how to save it anymore.