Aftermath And Betrayal

Chapter Five: Aftermath and Betrayal

I woke up with a start; the light cut through the dimness of the room, my head heavy, my body sore, and for a moment, I didn't understand where I was. The softness beneath me was unfamiliar, the scent of someone else in the air-everything about the room screamed of an unfamiliarity I didn't want to acknowledge.

And then it all came rushing back.

The man. The stranger. The night.

I sprang up into a sitting position, my heart racing in panic. My clothes were in disarray, my body sore in places I did not recall. How did I let this happen? I had come here to escape, to figure my life out, but it felt like I had only dug myself deeper.

I looked at him, sleeping next to me. Lying on his side, he was turned away from me; his back rising and falling in a soft, steady rhythm. This man who had been broken just the night before-shaking with his body, almost having desperation emanate from his pores-was still calm, still quiet. Totally unaware of my storming thoughts.

I couldn't even look at him properly, I was so embarrassed, humiliated by what we'd done. What was I thinking? How could I have let it get this far?

Panic rose in my chest as I scrambled for my clothes. I wrapped up quickly, desperate to shield myself from this reality. The shame, the guilt-it was suffocating. What had come over me?

I couldn't stay here. I just couldn't face him.

My hands shook as I got up from the bed, trying to make as quiet an exit as I could without waking him, but of course, on cue, the moment my getaway was almost complete-he stirred.

Where are you going?" His voice was groggy, rough, and though I didn't turn to face him, I could feel his eyes on me. There was something in his tone that made me freeze.

But I couldn't answer him. I couldn't even look at him. I had no words, no explanation. This was just a mistake, one that I would bury as deep as I could, pretending it never happened.

"I… I cannot stay here," I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper. "I have to go."

I grabbed my purse and ran out of the hotel room, leaving him behind with nothing but the memory of what we had done. My mind was racing as I climbed into my car. I couldn't go to the lawyer like this, not in the mess I had become. I needed to fix myself first, at least pretend to have control over something.

But from the instant I got behind the wheel, everything that had happened was what my mind could dwell on. Who was that man? What did we do? And most importantly, what had I done? A complete fool, I told myself.

I reached home, my heart racing with my mind still filled with thoughts. But nothing would have prepared me for what I walked into.

The door was ajar, and as I stepped inside, I froze.

Adrian was on the couch, with Sophia in his lap; they were kissing, their hands all over each other. They were oblivious to anything else around them.

I felt like my stomach had hit the bottom of my feet-it felt like someone had belched, punching me in the stomach.

The room spun as the reality of what I was seeing hit me. My mind had barely caught up with the shock of the night before, and now this—Adrian and Sophia. They were together. They didn't even care who saw.

My vision blurred, and my chest tightened as I stood there, watching them. Every kiss, every touch, felt like a blade driving deeper into me. He was my husband. My husband. And yet here he was with her, as if I didn't exist.

I was frozen, wordless, and clueless as to what to say or do. My body shook, and it felt like the ground had utterly disappeared from under my feet.

Adrian looked up, his eyes widening in surprise. But his face quickly morphed into a cold indifference.

“Lily,” he said in that flat, emotionless tone, like nothing had changed. Like everything was fine. “You’re back early. Never knew you would still come over here after everything that happened yesterday”

I had barely breathed, and my words had choked in my throat. How could he do this to me? How long was this going on? The questions raced in my head, but none of them mattered anymore. The fact stared me in the face, and I couldn't escape it.

The always-calm woman, Sophia, smiled at me with that false sweetness I knew all too well. "Did you have a good time, Lily?" she asked, her voice cloaked in venom behind its politeness.

I just wanted to scream. Wanted to lash out, wanted to throw the truth in their faces. But couldn't. I was stuck, paralyzed, an emotional storm crashing inside.

"I—I don't know what to say," I whispered, and my voice wasn't audible. The well of tears brimmed in my eyes, and I couldn't hold them back.

Adrian stood up now, cold. "Lily," he started, his voice just as emotionless as before, "we need to talk."

Talk? About what? About divorcing?.

I couldn't stay here-not with them, not in this house, with this man who had shattered every part of me into a million pieces.

"I don't want to talk with you," I said decisively, while inside I was at the height of the storm. "I'm done."

And turning around, I walked away from the room, knowing my heart broke a little at each step.