Hurt

Leona stepped into the house, drenched from head to toe, her hair stuck to her face, her red dress soaked and clinging to her legs, her heels making soft, squishing sounds as she walked across the tiled floor, leaving little puddles behind her with every step, she didn’t stop to take off her shoes, didn’t bother to grab a towel or turn on the lights, the silence in the house didn’t calm her, it only made everything louder inside her chest.

Her fingers trembled as she let go of her purse, it dropped onto the nearest chair without care, water dripping off its edge, the cold air in the house wrapped around her but it wasn’t the kind of cold that made you shiver, it was the kind that came from inside, from everything crashing down at once, from truths that cut deeper than any storm.

She didn’t make it far, only a step or two in when she heard voices, like nothing was wrong, like everything was normal.

Her eyes narrowed as she turned toward the living room.

There, on the couch, sat Dorian’s mother and younger sister, warm cups of tea in their hands, legs crossed, like they belonged there, like it was just another visit, just another day in their perfect little world.

Her mother-in-law looked up first, her eyes taking in Leona’s soaked dress, her dripping hair, the water trailing from her arms, and yet there was no worry in her face, no concern, just a tiny twitch of her brow.

“Why are you drenched,” she asked, calm as ever, her tone holding more judgment than care, “didn’t you check the weather before leaving”

'Not are you okay, not what happened'. Not even a look that said she cared, just a question that made it clear she didn’t see anything wrong with what was happening.

Leona didn’t answer at first, her hands clenched at her sides, her chest rising and falling slowly, trying to calm the storm inside her, she looked at the two women, then took a breath, shaky but steady enough to speak.

“I saw your son,” she said, her voice low but steady, her words cold even though her skin was freezing, “with another woman”

Her mother-in-law didn’t blink, she just lifted her cup and took a sip like the words meant nothing.

Leona stared at her, something deep in her chest beginning to twist, a feeling that didn’t come from the rain or the heartbreak, but from the stillness in this room, from how easy it all looked for them.

“You knew,” she said, and it wasn’t a question, not anymore.

Silence filled the space like thick fog.

She stepped forward, her wet heels clicking quietly against the floor, “how long?" she asked, her voice rising, shaking, “how long has he been cheating on me?"

Her mother-in-law didn’t answer, her eyes focused on her tea as if it held more interest than her son's marriage falling apart.

Leona turned her gaze to Clara, Dorian’s sister, but now, Clara wouldn’t meet her eyes, her fingers fumbled with the ring on her hand, twisting it back and forth like she was trying to keep herself together

“Nine years,” Clara whispered, the words barely there, like she didn’t mean to say them out loud

Leona blinked, confused, her heart stopping for a second

“What?"

Clara finally looked at her, her eyes soft, filled with something that looked like guilt, her voice cracked when she spoke again, “it started a year after your wedding, we all thought it would stop, that he’d grow out of it, that it was just a phase."

Leona felt her knees weaken, her back hit the wall behind her, she needed something to hold onto, anything, her mouth opened but nothing came out at first, her thoughts moved too fast, her breath too slow.

“Nine years,” she said again, this time like she needed to hear it herself, “Nine years of lies."

Her voice cracked on the last word, and she looked at Clara again, waiting for her to say it was wrong, that it was a mistake, but Clara stayed quiet.

Leona’s hands moved to her chest, her fingers pressing against her ribs, it hurt, it all hurt, not like a punch, but like something tearing inside.

"How is that even possible, how could you all just sit there and watch this happen?"

Still, her mother-in-law said nothing.

Clara stood slowly, her hands raised like she was trying to calm her, “Leona, I didn’t know about it until recently, I swear, I would’ve told you, I didn’t want this, but Mum..” she glanced at her mother, her voice dropping, “she said it wasn’t our place”

Leona turned slowly to the older woman, her eyes sharp now, not soft like before.

“You watched me cook for him, wait for him, plan dinners, celebrate anniversaries, buy him gifts, hold him when he was tired, cheer for him when he won, and you said nothing."

Her mother-in-law finally met her eyes, her face still cold, and calm.

“You were never the right fit for him,” she said, standing slowly, setting her teacup down, “I didn’t interfere in your marriage, that was your job."

Leona stared at her, stunned, like the floor had disappeared from under her, like someone had opened a door she never knew was there and behind it was all the truth she hadn’t wanted to see

So this was it. The truth, plain and ugly. They had all known.

Every smile, every hug, every word of support, were fake.

Every time they asked how she was doing, every time they sat at her table and ate her food, every time they smiled for family photos, all of it a lie.

The ache in her chest twisted again, but it wasn’t the same ache from earlier, it had changed, it had sharpened, it had caught fire.

Not just hurt now, not just sadness, but something deeper, something stronger

Anger!

Not the kind that makes you scream right away, but the kind that burns slow, that starts in your stomach and grows until you can’t hold it in anymore

She wiped her face with the back of her hand, her palm wet from rain and tears, and took a step forward, her voice steady now, like steel wrapped in silk

“You stood by and watched me give him my whole life,” she said, her words not loud, but clear, “and you never once told me the truth, you watched me build a home around him while he built another one behind my back, and you did nothing."

Her mother-in-law didn’t answer, she just looked at her like she was the one causing the problem.

Leona shook her head slowly, a bitter laugh slipping from her lips, dry and tired.

“I used to think I was lucky to marry into this family,” she said, her voice softer now, almost to herself, “But the truth is, I was just the easiest one to fool."