The Lie That Tore Us Apart

I stopped moving.

"Jay, without you, I really don't know how to live on. You can do whatever you want, just don't leave me, okay?"

This was the first time she had cried since we met.

But I could no longer tell if she was crying because she pitied Ryan or if she was really afraid of divorcing me.

I didn't say anything, and she hugged me tighter.

"Jay, for the sake of our baby, can you forgive me this time? Once his lawsuit is over, I will immediately cut ties with him. Our child cannot be without a father."

But Ariel, when you hold him, have you ever thought about the child for a moment?

I didn't say anything, but I didn't continue my actions either. In the end, I compromised.

After Ryan woke up, he shouted Ariel's name loudly in the room.

She held my hand and went out, and I could clearly feel Ryan's gaze on our hands.

"Ariel..."

He rushed up and hugged my wife tightly, bumping us away without a trace.

"I'm so scared of not seeing you again, really scared..."

She glanced at me, her arm paused in the air, neither hugging nor not hugging.

"You said you would never leave me, does it still count now?" Ryan stared at her affectionately, persistently asking.

Left aside by him, I didn't say anything. I just quietly watched Ariel.

"Our story is long gone. You should wake up, and I will let the lawyer continue to find a solution. You let go of me first."

She just gave a gentle push, and Ryan immediately fell to the ground, like he could break at any moment with his previous injuries.

"Is it because of him? Ariel, you clearly said..."

Ryan, sitting on the ground, was incoherent and in a bad state.

"Jay, I'll send him back first, I'll be back soon."

Ariel hugged me for a while, which was comforting.

When leaving, Ryan gave me a last glance, full of satisfaction.

An hour after they left, Ariel's phone and messages were both unreachable.

I waited for a long time until a anonymous number sent me a few photos.

In the photos, Ariel was topless, leaning on Ryan's chest, looking dependent.

There were no any words, but everything was already said.

I trembled and dialed the number, but no one answered.

That day, Ariel didn't come back.

After being unreachable for a whole day, she came back and then knelt on the floor of the living room.

"Sorry, Jay..."

She moved to me with her knees.

I squatted down and unbuttoned her buttons one by one.

Her fair skin was covered with dense red marks.

"Don't look, don't look, Jay, please don't look..."

She covered my eyes tightly and held her clothes together, but one shoulder strap had already been torn apart, loose and ridiculous.

During the waiting time, I kept comforting myself that the photos were edited with Photoshop, but now it seemed to be self-deception.

"Jay, can you listen to me?"

Without waiting for my answer, she suddenly started slapping herself, rubbing her skin hard on her chest. She rubbed it red, even peeling it off.

The more intense her actions were, the more painful my heart was.

But I still dodged when she wanted to touch me.

"Dirty..."

A word separated the distance between us.

The air was silent for a long time. The things on the coffee table fell to the ground, making a crisp sound, which brought us back.

Her lips moved, pale without any blood, and her face was even more pale.