RYKER"Love..."Claire has been strangely quiet ever since we left our home. She hasn't said a single word, as if the vastness of the world outside has swallowed her voice. The once lively and animated person has now retired into herself, leaving an eerie void. I let go of the situation because I thought that maybe her long-lasting sadness had made her do what she did. I used the harmonious art of music to fill the silence inside the car by carefully arranging melodic notes. This took away any discomfort that might have come from the silence. As we arrived at her parent's house, they were shocked because our entrance had caught them by surprise and left them unprepared. Claire was talking to her parents when I suddenly had to call her immediately. At that very moment, she turned towards me, and I quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from her parents."What do you want me to buy for them as a gift?" I asked. Claire had her eyes on me. "What gives you that look? I want to retur
CLAIRE"H-Heiji…"The words I heard on the phone seemed to have a strange ability to make me feel a deep sense of pain. It felt like an unseen force had touched my heart and crushed it brutally under its weight. I put a shaking hand on my chest and tried hard to stop the tears threatening to come out. When I realized that Ryker's feelings for me were gone for good, I felt unbearable pain because I could no longer hold on to hope. The soft creak of the door reached my ears and drew my attention to the room where Ryker and Alice were sitting. But it wasn't the usual sound of a man's voice that caught my attention. Instead, the soft rhythm of a woman's voice filled the air. In time, I could feel Heiji's hand lightly touching my shoulders."Claire… I will take you home."I didn't say no to what Heiji said. I, too, longed to leave that terrible place. As Heiji and I strolled to the parking lot, his strong arm comforted me and helped me keep my balance. As soon as I got into the car, I was
RYKER"Be careful."I gently put my arms around Claire's shoulders to support her as I led her to the car. I correctly told my in-laws that I planned to take Claire back to our home. People there were only aware of the disagreement between my wife and me; they were still sure that Claire was sick, so they let us leave for home.At some point during the trip, Claire calmed down. She leaned back against the soft backrest of her seat and kept her face straight. Deep in thought, she looked out the window with her hand carefully placed on her lips."Love, let's talk..."Claire didn't say anything and kept her eyes on the world outside the window. Despite turning her body around, she didn't even look at me for a second."Whatever the issue is, let's discuss it to understand and clarify each other. Not this way." I spoke confidently, and my voice echoed like a beautiful symphony. "You can't just end our relationship.""I need some space. I want to breathe." Without so much as a glance in my
RYKER"She's not here. Weren't you two together last night?"When I got to my in-laws' house, I was quickly pulled into the job of finding my wife. As expected, she was not there. Maybe, deep down, she knew that my persistent chase would eventually lead me to her parents' house."Yes, Mom," I replied, my voice tinged with melancholy. "She left without telling me. She was gone when I woke up.""Perhaps she's at Russell's house.""Maybe she'll just leave for a while. Why did you not call your house? She might already be there."I took a deep breath and gathered the courage to pull my phone out of my pocket. Without delay, I quickly picked up the phone and called one of my maids. She answered my call immediately, and I could hear her voice clearly at the other end."Has Claire arrived yet?" Instantly, as soon as she answered the call, I asked."Not yet, sir.""All right, let me know when she gets there."I quickly ended the call without allowing the maid to say anything. "Did the two of
RYKER"What the hell did you do again?" Russell screamed, and her voice was a little irritated."I have no idea what I did!"I was sitting on the sofa, feeling at ease, while Russell stood straight before me. Russell was surprised when I showed up at her home out of the blue, but as soon as she saw me, she quickly took on the older role and treated me like I was the younger one. As luck would have it, Daniel had told her about our conversation, which may explain why he had been calling me so much, and I hadn't answered.Russell was walking across the space in front of me at a steady beat, and I caught a quick glimpse of her. She held her stomach with one hand."Sit down. That might prompt you to give birth to what you're doing." I said.Without delay, she moved quickly forward and sat down smoothly in the empty chair before me. There was a line on her face as she held onto her phone. I paid close attention to her as she carefully dialed her phone. Her attention was steady, and her mov
RYKER"Love, I looked everywhere for you. Where have you been?"As soon as I saw Claire at my in-laws' house, I felt a strong urge to give her a big hug."Looking for you almost drove me crazy," I whispered.Because Claire didn't say anything, I was able to hug her. It took a while, but eventually, I let go of her. Then I turned my attention to my respected in-laws and looked at their faces with an unwavering gaze. Their eyes seem to send me a mysterious message—a quiet call to prepare for what I don't know.As my eyes moved to the stairs, Heiji smoothly descending them caught my attention. He had a strange look, similar to how my mother-in-law looked at me with her eyes. It was like I sensed something odd about us all. His lips were adorned with a sly grin, and a soft tug suggested that he was quite fun.I looked at Claire again. "Let's go home.""Ryker, I'm not going to your house."A deep wrinkle appeared on my brow as I twisted my face into a dissatisfied look. "My house? Are you
CLAIRE"Have you made a decision?"I turned my gaze to Heiji, who was standing still behind the chair I was sitting in. I couldn't find peace, so I decided to stay in the green refuge of my yard and let my thoughts wander. I feel very guilty about what I did to Ryker, which weighs heavily on my mind. At this very moment, I feel like my heart is being broken into pieces that can't be put back together. For some reason, though, I don't want to lock Ryker into a relationship I know will never work out. Furthermore, I have to free him from being tied to me because he is about to take on the grave responsibility of being a father. I worry that the child will grow up without the father's supervision owing to my selfishness.Heiji set the beer bottle on the table's shiny surface in a smooth movement. The golden color of the glass sparkled in the soft light. He moved quickly and sat on the empty chair across from mine, putting himself in my sight."That," he says softly, "will help you sleep.
CLAIRE"Claire..."While lying on the bed, I felt warm and cozy from the blanket. I gently pulled my legs together and cradled them in a private show of comfort. Tears ran down my face as I did this, showing how distraught I was. It's like forgetting has snagged my mind and thrown me into a sea of broken memories. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that something so unexpected would happen. In my heart, I always wanted Ryker's touch. The things that occurred tore apart the very fabric of my life, leaving my world in a mess. The sad truth is that I can't remember anything except the painful memory of an aching pain that plagued my mind the night before while Heiji and I were talking. He reached out to help me and led me up the stairs with a gentle hand. Anything after that time is lost in my memory, and I have no more thoughts. I feel uneasy in the depths of my being like the very fabric of my mind is becoming less stable. The lines between what makes sense are fuzzy, leaving me lo