The Stranger He Became

“Don’t you have the balls to tell me what I have done wrong? Why are you treating me this way, Kylian? What have I done to deserve this? Talk to me!” Chloe had yelled at her husband, Kylian Kincaid, while trying to stop him in his tracks.

"You filthy pretender! I should have known better than to be deceived by your looks and lies!" Chloe Kincaid heard Kylian's words echo loud and clear in her head, as he stormed out of the house. Those were his words to her three days ago, when she had yelled at him to tell her what was happening between them.

His words felt like a thousand needles in Chloe's heart, and thinking and crying about them didn't ease the pain. She felt like she was given a front-row seat as she watched her marriage disintegrate into a living hell. watching, helpless to do anything about it.

Chloe sat down on the king-sized bed she once shared with her husband, Kylian Kincaid. She stared at it morosely and sighed sadly.

"How time flies," she muttered to herself, running her palm on the soft sheets.

A year had passed since she met Kylian. The man who once loved her and promised her the world. She could recount those days—the good old days when she enjoyed love and attention from Kylian.

He had been crazy about her so much that Chloe had a feeling he could kill just for her. She was the envy of most girls when Kylian finally proposed to her in the grandest style anyone could ever think of and had the gossip blogs talking about it for weeks.

Her life was perfect. Her love was absolute.

As she sat and stared absentmindedly, memories floated in her mind. Kylian had whisked her away on their honeymoon for vacations in the Maldives. The gifts he had gotten for her now sat somewhere in her drawer.

Even the day Kylian introduced her to his mother, Linda Kincaid, was one of her happiest because Linda welcomed her into the family and showered her with love.

What had gone wrong?

Chloe couldn't wrap her head around it. She had been a good wife and remembered nothing but beautiful memories when it came to Kylian.

So, what had gone so wrong that Kylian had turned into a person she didn't recognize?

Without warning, Kylian suddenly became hostile toward her a few months after they returned from their honeymoon. He suddenly developed a burning hatred for her. He wouldn't talk to her when she tried to ask him why he was being cruel, nor would he eat her food or make love to her.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she stared around their large bedroom, feeling empty.

Linda, his mother, had attempted to communicate with him several times but had been unsuccessful each time.

He wouldn't listen and continued to treat her like trash.

Is this what it felt like? to love someone so much that they stomp all over your heart like it's nothing.

The beeping of her phone broke her thoughts and pulled her back to reality. Chloe stretched out a hand and grabbed her phone off the nightstand. Her heart jumped with the hope that it was Kylian; she hadn't heard from him in three days after he walked out on her. He hadn't even bothered to return her calls. She looked at the screen, and her hopes fell.

It was Emma, her best friend and cousin, who had been her rock in her turbulent life. She was the only one Chloe could cry to and get the support and encouragement she needed to get through the day.

‘What would have become of me if Emma hadn't been here?’ She shuddered to think about it. If not for Emma, her thoughts would've pushed her to do something stupid to herself by now.

Chloe hurriedly wiped away her tears and picked up the call.

"Hey, Em. What's up?"   She said, hoping Emma wouldn't notice she'd been crying.

"Hey, hey, Chloe. How are you doing?" Emma's bright voice filled Chloe's ears, and a surge of emotion welled up in her chest.

"I'm fine. Uh, are you okay?"

Chloe croaked and wiped away fresh tears. After a beat of silence.

"Chloe, have you been crying?" Emma's worried tone made Chloe want to cry more. She hated feeling so pathetic.

When she didn't answer, Emma sighed.

"Oh, Chloe, you can't keep doing this to yourself. He isn't worth your tears."

Chloe shook her head, though Emma couldn't see her. "You don’t understand, Em, he said he hates me. He called me a filthy pretender and hasn't come home in three days. I can't say his actions don't affect me."

"Chloe, listen to me. You're a lovely human being, and Kylian is a fool for not seeing that and treating you the way he does. So, what if he hasn't come home? Fuck him," Emma said, sounding annoyed.

"I still love him, Em. I can't help but worry that something has happened to him. He's not returning my calls or texts. His secretary won't tell me anything. "Even his mom doesn't know where he is." Chloe ran a frustrated hand through her messy hair and let her tears run down her face.

"Calm down, Chloe. I'm sure he's just up in one of his hotels. Don't go giving yourself a heart attack for someone who doesn't care about you. My advice is to focus on yourself. You were the life of the party back then; get that spark again. Don't lose yourself completely in an unhappy marriage."

Chloe huffed a shaky breath. "Thanks, Em. I needed that."

"You're welcome. I'm always here for you, girl. Sisters till the end," Emma sang.

Chloe knew Emma was trying her best to console and encourage her, like always, but she couldn't shake the dread building in her gut. couldn't put a finger on the source of fear hovering over her every night she slept alone on their matrimonial bed.

"But, Em... what if there's another woman?" "What if Kylian is cheating on me?"

Emma scoffed. "Nonsense. Kylian can be an insensitive dick and a bad husband, but he's not a cheat. Come on, Chloe, you know the man; you married him."

"Yeah. Of course. I mean..." Chloe sighed sadly. "I'm just worried and thinking and..."

"Trash those thoughts, Chloe. No more of that cheating talk," Emma said assuringly. "You know what you should do? Shower, get dressed, and go to work! Otis told me you haven't been to your shop in a week now."

Chloe rubbed her face tiredly. With everything going on, she neglected her business and stayed at home in hopes that Kylian would return to her and everything would return to normal.

It seemed all she did nowadays was hope for things that would never come true.

"You're right," she told her cousin.

"I'm always right." Emma laughed, and it made Chloe smile. "A change of scenery will be good for you. Stop thinking so much. You're still too young to be having wrinkles."

"I'll try."

"And get those cupcakes you love so much."

This time Chloe chuckled. "I will."

"Okay. I have to run now; some clients are waiting. If I'm free, I'll stop by your shop; if I'm not, I'll call you later, okay?"

"Okay."

"Talk later.  Muah. I love you."

"I love you too."

Emma ended the call, and Chloe kept her phone on the bed. Oddly, she was in better spirits than when she'd woken up all alone. Her cousin always had a way of brightening her day.

"Perhaps I'm overreacting," Chloe reasoned as she got out of bed. ‘Maybe Kylian was just really busy at work, and I'd been too careless to consider that he might be disturbed by work before yelling at him.’

Chloe made her way across their large bedroom, heading to the bathroom. Kylian could be secretive all he wanted, but Chloe made up her mind to not give up on him or her marriage.

She was no quitter.

The long mirror on the sink in the bathroom gleamed enticingly, and Chloe, unable to help herself, stood in front of it as she took off her nightgown. Her reflection in the mirror looked more like a stranger than her. Dark circles rimmed her puffy eyes from all the crying. Her brunette hair was messy and matted, her light skin had lost its glow, and she looked leaner from all the crying and not eating.

Emma was right. She was losing herself in this marriage, becoming a shadow.

Chloe sighed in appreciation as she immersed herself in the warm, soapy water that filled the bathtub. The water felt wonderful on her skin and lulled her into a sense of calm.

As Chloe closed her eyes and sank further into the tub, until the water stopped at her jaw, a distinct memory dominated her thoughts.

Her very first date with Kylian

***

An icy blue, sleek Lamborghini had parked outside her apartment that evening, a few minutes to seven o'clock—just as Kylian had said in his text. She remembered staring out the window at it and feeling a mix of apprehension and excitement.

She had been skeptical about going on the date, but Emma had practically convinced her to go for it.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Emma had said this as she assisted her with her make-up and then into a stunning black dinner gown. The gown had defined her curves effortlessly, and the diamond earrings and styled hair combined to make her drop-dead gorgeous.

She remembered laughing at how Emma praised her beauty before shoving her out the door.

Outside, Kylian stood in all his breathtaking glory, his head taller than everything, waiting for her. To her, he looked more like an angel that dropped from the sky draped in an all-black suit. Sharp cheekbones, a chiseled jaw, and tousled yet perfectly styled jet-black hair

He was like a dream.

As she got closer to him, Chloe remembered seeing his muscular body beneath his crisp suit. He froze the instant he saw her and blinked a few times.

"Hi," Chloe had timidly said.

"Hi," he replied as if coming out of a trance.

He later told Chloe that that was the day he had fallen helplessly in love with her.

***

A tear slipped down Chloe's cheek as she opened her eyes, letting the memory fade away.

Where is that love now?

"No more memories, Chloe. They'd only hurt rather than heal," she said to herself and climbed out of the bathtub.