I choke, the lump in my throat hurting me to the core. My heart breaks into pieces as I watch Luke walk out of the room with his fist clenched angrily at his side.
???
After I go back to my room, I can only cry on my bed, hugging my knees. My heart still breaks every time I remember Luke walking away.
Why are we like this?
Why can't he believe me?
Tears are streaming down my cheeks. My sobs break, and it's becoming uncontrollable. Everything around me becomes blurry as I break down.
I can't erase the image of his angry face as he accused me of betraying him, how he didn't even want to listen to me even though I was begging him to believe me, how he didn't think twice about me being a cheater.
It hurts to know that the only man whose opinion matters to me right now isn't on my side when I need him the most.
I'm starting to doubt whether I can trust him or not, whether he's my safe haven or not. How stupid I was to think that he was.
What hurts the most is that he thought that I wasthat kind of woman. The one who wouldn't think twice to throw herself at another man.
I thought that he was different. I thought that he could be the one I turn to when the rest of the world is against me.
But I'm wrong.
A soft cry of frustration leaves my lips. Now that I stare down at my bedsheet, I don't know why my tears won't stop flowing.
Why does Luke's opinion matter so much to me?
Why is the way he sees me as a woman so important to me?
Why do I think that nothing else matters as long as he believes me?
Why did my heart shatter into a million pieces the last time he looked at me with such coldness in his eyes?
Those are the questions that I have no idea how to answer.
One thing for sure is that tonight is going to be a long night while I'm breaking apart.
It’s so different from the other night when I was crying in his embrace, when I thought that I'd never been so safe in my whole life, when his warmth made all of my problemsvanish into thin air.
23
________
LUKE
Istand at the back patio of my house, since I can't go back to my bedroom. My heart feels like it’s being sliced continuously, my soul empty.
Even though it's dark out here with just a few lights from the garden lamps, I can still see the gerbera daisies in my garden.
They are her favorite flowers, which I’ve planted all these years, just for the sake of seeing her smile again when she saw them.
All this time, I've been waiting for her to come back to me. And she's finally here.Cassie. My Cassie. Now my wife, whom I love so much.
My throat hurts so fucking bad, and the single tear that falls onto my cheek startles me. I collapse onto my knees, my eyes squeezing shut as a soft cry leaves my lips.
My shoulders shaking, I bury my face in my hands.
I couldn't bear seeing her with that man again.
