You Picked Her, I Picked a Life Without You

I could clearly see Jessica's smile spread across her face, as if all her worries had disappeared. However, I was sure... She was just pretending to care about my feelings.

"Really? So... Who is more worthy to be your partner, Liam?" Jessica tilted her head, returning the kiss to Liam much more fiercely.

“Of course, you are. Daisy is just a backup… someone I use when I’m lonely.”

I froze. In front of me, they were wrestling shamelessly. Their clothes were scattered on the floor. They didn't even lock the door.

Turns out, I was never an option. Just a stopover.

I took a step back, not caring what they did.

****

When I arrived at the apartment, Jessica asked me why I hadn't picked up Liam. I smiled sarcastically, it turned out that the reason Liam had a fever and I had to pick him up was just Jessica's trick. She must have deliberately provoked me by doing that disgusting thing in front of me.

With a feeling of anger, I decided to pack my clothes, all of them. I would be leaving in two weeks.

The next day, I ignored Liam again. I busied myself as a waitress and occasionally went ice skating to vent all my anger through sharp and cold movements on the ice.

A week before departure, my room was almost empty. But Liam didn't even notice.

That night I had just come home from work. Just as I opened the door, Liam's hand immediately pulled me and pressed me against the wall. His breath reeked of alcohol, his sharp gaze locked on me.

"We meet again. Again, you've been avoiding me for the past week. Weren't we just making up? We were laughing like we used to and suddenly you're shutting me out again, Daisy!" Liam demanded.

"Get out of my way, Liam. I don't think I need to explain myself to you anymore."

Liam didn't give in, he grabbed my shoulders.

"I deserve to know, Daisy! You can't treat me like this. A week ago you were always texting me, asking how I was, feeding me breakfast. Then suddenly... you're distant again."

I groaned softly, trying to push his hand away. “Stop acting like it means anything.”

I pushed his body, Liam's body moved a little away. And he staggered back towards me.

"What do you mean?" he said as his eyes sharpened on me.

"If you keep avoiding me, then... I will make sure that the engagement between me and Jessica will never end. And soon I will decide to marry her immediately!"

I laughed sarcastically. "Isn't that your plan? Just do it! I don't care."

I was about to leave and ignore Liam but his hand grabbed mine, making me wince.

"I'm sure you still care about me, Daisy. It's easy for you to say that because you're jealous of Jessica."

I tried to release the hand that was gripping my wrist, but its grip grew tighter.

"Liam, let go. You're out of your mind now."

But he didn't listen. With one pull, he dragged me towards the bedroom, his steps unsteady but full of anger. I screamed, trying to hold myself up, but he was stronger. When we reached the bedroom, he pushed me onto the bed.

My body was thrown, and I immediately got up. But Liam was already standing in front of me, his eyes dark with heavy breathing.

"What more do you want from me, Daisy? I begged! I tried to change!" he shouted.

Liam grabbed his collar, ripping it open roughly, as if to show that he was losing control. I stepped back, panicked.

"Liam, enough. You're drunk. You don't know what you're doing!" my voice rose, my chest pounding.

"Daisy, I'll show you what love is like. And maybe this way, you won't avoid me anymore."

Liam pressed every word. Without warning he ripped my clothes off. I was shocked, screaming, but he silenced me with a furious kiss. His breath hitched.

My tears fell but Liam didn't care. Even both of my hands were in his grip, making it difficult for me to move further. This was the first time, he was rude to me after years of our relationship.

My legs moved wildly, then I managed to kick his body and immediately got off the bed.

"Stop it, Liam. You're hurting me! Is this how you're going to make me melt?" I sobbed, wiping my tears roughly.

"Daisy, I just..." Liam began to realize in his drunken stupor.

I just looked at him with a disappointed look then I chose to leave without waiting for Liam to explain.

"Damn it! Bastard!"

I covered part of my body with the jacket I found. Then walked, with messy clothes just like my feelings.

My mood soon improved when I met Freya. Meeting her made everything better. Her jokes, her stories that made me laugh made me forget my bitter feelings.

Freya even told me about her wedding date. I'm not jealous of her, in fact I'm happy to hear that.

Another unexpected meeting happened. Jessika came to the restaurant where I worked, ordering food alone. When I had delivered her last dish, she pulled my hand to sit with her.

"I have to continue my work, Jessica. If you want to chat, find another friend." I said coldly and was about to leave. But her grip tightened.

"Come on, Daisy. I just want to talk to you for a minute."

I was silent, waiting.

"Why didn't you come when I said Liam had a fever, Daisy?" She asked, looking me deep in the eyes.

"You know... He kept talking in his sleep, calling your name. I was confused because you weren't here yet. Then suddenly Liam pulled my hand into his embrace. But what happened... was more than that."

She chuckled, looking down as if reminiscing about a sweet moment.

"So... I'm sorry, Daisy. Something happened between us that night that I can't forget. Has Liam explained it to you?"

I was speechless feeling the blow in my chest. In fact I witnessed it myself before my eyes.

“Ah, you know… I don’t think he’s ever had it from you before. He really enjoyed that night. In fact… he said he wanted to do it again.”

I held back the anger burning in my throat.

"After that," Jessica continued casually, "he said he wanted to take our relationship more seriously. We're going to get married soon. So I think... your relationship with him should end."

My breath hitched. Jessica smirked, enjoying every second of my destruction.

“Then what do you want?” I asked sharply, leaving no room for hesitation.

"Oh, no! Don't think badly of me. I just... Want to invite you to our wedding. Can you be my bridesmaid, Daisy? But you have to break off your relationship so it won't be awkward when you meet us later."