Love Ends Before Dawn

I had become so accustomed to being a lovesick fool and caring too much for David that my habitual obedience made it hard for me to refuse him.

We had just received our marriage certificate yesterday and with only seven days left until the wedding, I couldn’t afford to create any issues at this time.

That night, I took sleeping pills and finally managed to drift off. Suddenly, David called and asked me to come to the bedroom.

I was filled with joy, thinking he wanted to send Claire back to the guest room.

But as I happily walked in, I found him sitting on the edge of the bed, gently holding Claire and humming a tune.

When he saw me, his tone was filled with command.

“Noria, I have an early shift tomorrow. Come over and sing a lullaby for Claire to help her sleep.”

But it was already one in the morning.

I hesitated, “I have work tomorrow too…”

David furrowed his brows tightly. “What’s the difference? You won’t keep up in that dead-end job anyway. You’ll be relying on me to support you in the future! Claire is neurotic and struggles to sleep in a new environment. Hurry up and come sing for her!”

Claire let out a light laugh.

I felt humiliated, my cheeks burning with shame. The sense of disappointment lingered in my heart, but I didn’t dare to resist.

“David, she wouldn’t really want to sing for me, would she? It’s okay. I can sleep by myself.”

“It’s not a bother at all. Noria sings beautifully,” David answered for me without waiting for a reply.

But Claire wouldn’t let me sleep. Every time I started to doze off, she would pinch my arm hard to wake me up.

So, I spent the entire night in that dark room, hoarsely singing in fits and starts. By morning, I hadn’t slept a wink and had to make breakfast while sporting two dark circles under my eyes.

Meanwhile, Claire complained to David, “Noria’s singing is so terrible! Is she just pretending to help me?”

David shot me a glare. “She’s just selfish and indifferent to others. It’s fine, Claire. You can catch up on sleep during the day. If you want anything to eat, just ask her to go buy it.”

With that, he grabbed his briefcase and walked out the door.

Frustration bubbled inside me as I ignored Claire’s taunting gaze and turned to head to the bedroom to hang up some clothes.

But as soon as I pulled open the curtains, I heard Claire scream behind me.

I spun around to find her collapsed on the floor and her phone showed that she was on a call.

Confused, I didn’t understand what was happening until David’s furious voice echoed through the line.

“Noria, are you out of your mind? Claire is afraid of light! Why would you open the curtains in front of her?”

His anger caught me off guard and I felt my heart race, overwhelmed by the sudden chaos.

Before long, David returned home, his face a stormy shade of anger.

I hurried to explain, “I was just trying to hang up some clothes and I only pulled open the curtains on my bedroom balcony. It didn’t even shine on her…”

Claire interjected softly, “It was my fault for accidentally walking behind her and getting caught in the light. David, please don’t blame. I’m just too weak…”

David looked at her with concern. “Claire, you’re just too kind-hearted. Only I know how serious your condition is.”

Then he turned to me, his voice sharp. “Noria, you always say that girls should help each other. Can’t you even handle something this simple?”

I felt a wave of frustration as I rushed to explain, “I truly didn’t mean to do it. If I had known she was behind me, I would never have pulled the curtains!”

But David cut me off with a dismissive wave of his hand, his disgust evident.

“Whether it was intentional or not doesn’t matter anymore. You need to learn from this and apologize to Claire right now!”

I turned my face away, refusing to apologize, my eyes beginning to sting with tears. It hurt deeply to realize that after eight years together, he didn’t trust me at all.

But then, in an unexpected turn, Claire suddenly covered her face and began to cry.