The Wife He Loves to Hate

The first thing I saw was Finn kissing another girl. Not a harmless kiss, nor the kind that could be explained away as a joke between friends. His hand was wrapped around her waist, pulling her against him while his lips moved against hers with a familiarity that made my stomach twist.

I stopped walking, unable to breathe.

The hallway behind the school auditorium was usually empty after class. I had come looking for Finn because he promised to meet me before we went home together. Instead, I found him with Stella Bennett—the most popular girl in school. The girl every boy wanted to date, every girl secretly wanted to be, and apparently, the girl my boyfriend wanted too.

My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag. "Finn?" My voice came out so quietly that neither of them heard me. I swallowed hard and tried again. "Finn."

This time, they separated. Finn’s face went pale. Stella looked at me for a moment before calmly fixing her hair.

"Abigail..." Finn took a step toward me. "Abi, wait."

I couldn't move. I stared at him, desperately searching his face for an explanation that would make what I had just seen impossible. He had promised me. He had told me I was the only girl he wanted. He had held my hand yesterday, talking about our future—our graduation, college, our first apartment, maybe even marriage—as if there was no doubt we would have one together. I had been stupid enough to believe Finn was forever.

"How long?" I whispered.

Finn froze. "What?"

"How long have you been doing this?"

His mouth opened, but no words came out. That silence was answer enough, and I felt something inside me crack.

Stella folded her arms, unfazed. "Don't make this more dramatic than it needs to be. You and Finn weren't going to last forever anyway."

"Excuse me?" I stared at her in disbelief.

"Stella, stop," Finn said, turning toward her. But he didn't defend me. He didn't tell her she was wrong, nor did he tell me that I was the only one he loved. He simply stood there, and somehow, that hurt more than the kiss.

Tears burned behind my eyes. "Finn..."

"Abi, I'm sorry," he stepped toward me again. "Please, just let me explain."

"Explain what?" My voice trembled. "That you love her? That you've been lying to me? Or that I was the only person stupid enough to believe you?"

"That's not fair."

I laughed bitterly as tears finally spilled down my cheeks. "Fair? You kissed her."

Finn looked away, and I nodded slowly. "Right."

I turned around and ran.

"Abi!" Finn called after me, but I didn't stop. I couldn't. I walked faster, then faster, until I was practically running across the field. I didn't care where I was going; I just wanted to get away from him, away from Stella, and away from the humiliation burning inside my chest.

"Abigail!" Someone shouted behind me.

I knew that voice—Liam. My best friend since childhood. He was the person who had probably noticed I was crying before I had even realized it myself.

"Abigail, wait!"

I heard his footsteps getting closer, but I didn't want him to catch me. If Liam saw me like this, I would break completely. "Leave me alone!"

"Not a chance!"

"I'm fine!"

"You clearly aren't!"

I ran faster, ignoring the ache in my legs and chest. I didn't even notice that I had left the school grounds and entered the wooded area behind the campus. I only knew that I needed to escape the memories: Finn's lips, Stella's arms around him, his useless apology, and the future I had imagined collapsing in seconds.

"I hate him," I whispered, wiping my tears with the back of my hand. Then I shook my head. "No. I hate myself."

"Abigail!" Liam's voice was closer now.

I turned around while still running. "Stop following me!"

"I'm not leaving you alone when you're crying!"

I opened my mouth to answer, and then my foot landed on nothing. My entire body lurched forward as the ground disappeared beneath me. I screamed, grabbing at the edge of the hole, but the soil crumbled beneath my fingers.

"ABIGAIL!" Liam screamed.

Then I fell. My stomach dropped as darkness swallowed me. I heard Liam shouting and the sound of dirt falling after me, then—nothing. No pain. No sound. No light.

And the last thought that crossed my mind before everything disappeared was simple: I wish I could go back. Back to before I met Finn. Back to before everything went wrong. Back to when Liam and I were enough.

Then the world went completely black.