Love's Withering, Life's Countdown

The sleeping pills wore off in the middle of the night, and the pain woke me up. That was when I realized that Elton had come home.

He hadn't been home in a long time. He had purchased a villa for Yvette, where they lived together like a typical married couple.

Elton leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, a wine glass in his hand, and looked at me with a tenderness that I hadn't seen in a long time.

As I walked past him in search of some painkillers, Elton suddenly grabbed my hand and asked, "Hedy, why have you lost so much weight recently?"

His tone was full of concern, as if he still loved me.

But I refused to believe it, especially since he seemed to have just come from another woman's bed. I pulled my hand away and replied with disgust, "That's none of your business."

Elton was abruptly shaken off, and his expression turned cold in an instant.

When I entered the living room, I saw a cake with lit candles on the table. That was when I realized that the phone call had been real.

I had mentioned my craving for cake, and that very night, Elton went out to get one. I couldn't help but wonder if this was his attempt to atone for forgetting my birthday.

But I was dying. I didn't need cake, and I certainly didn't need Elton anymore.

I didn't spare the cake a second glance.

Elton frowned and grabbed my hand. "Hedy, are you messing with me? Or are you mad that I forgot your birthday? I didn't actually forget. I just—"

He tried to explain that work had kept him busy and that he'd planned to be with me after wrapping things up.

However, I cut him off harshly, "That's right. I'm messing with you. So what? You're pathetic. I said I wanted cake, and you ran out to buy it. You're just as pathetic as you've always been!"

I brought up the past on purpose, as those were the moments Elton wished to forget—the ones that he felt the most humiliated by.

He grabbed my collar and pulled me closer. Then, he lifted me and tossed me onto the bed.

He was furious, and his kiss was rough and angry. I could feel my lip splitting under his teeth.

I snapped, "Elton, what the hell is wrong with you? Don't touch me. You're disgusting!"

However, that only made him angrier. He bit down on me, hard, and growled, "Hedy, would it kill you to just show a little softness with me? Do you have any idea how many years I've been kept waiting?

"I'm waiting for you to come around, to say something, or to try. Do you know how happy I was when you said you wanted cake?

"I dropped everything and rushed out to get it for you! And now you're telling me that you were just messing with me?"

He fought to suppress the tears in his eyes as he gazed at me intently. Hidden in the shadows, I remained silent, offering no reply.

The standoff between us dragged on. Neither of us was willing to back down.

At last, Elton let out a weary sigh. "Hedy, what am I supposed to do with you?"

He leaned down, drawing nearer and nearer. Just as his lips were about to meet mine, the piercing ringing of a phone shattered the stillness.

Elton frowned. It was a call from Yvette. He hesitated but eventually answered it.

Yvette said, "Elton, I'm at a bar alone… Someone just tried to hit on me, and I'm scared. Are you really going to abandon me for Hedy? Elton, please come pick me up, okay?"

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he just stared at me. "Hedy, ask me to stay. Just say it, and I'll stay. I won't ever see her again."

There was a hint of pleading in Elton's voice.

But I said, "Elton, you don't deserve it."

He let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh before speaking into the phone. "Yvette, I'm coming to get you."

Then, he grabbed his jacket and slammed the door on his way out.

I watched him leave and thought, "Six days left."