Novel & Cerita If Only I Could Tell You

James was sitting in the dark living room, the glow of his cigarette flickering faintly. Seeing me enter, he jerked his head up, exhaustion written all over his face. He rushed over and pulled me into a tight embrace. "Babe, where have you been?" Then, realizing I couldn't hear him, he let go and signed, "I've been calling and texting you all day. Why didn't you answer?" I glanced at my phone and replied coldly, "Battery died, so it was off." He let out a sigh of relief. "I thought I did something to upset you."

Just that. But something told me “just that” might not be enough.

"And I need to tell you something." "What is it?"

“Tell me something.” “Yes?”

She confirmed still not digesting the fact that it was indeed true. "Only You."

𝙷𝚘𝚠 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝙸 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞? 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞.

I had entirely lost my appetite. My fierce bravado began to crumble the second I was alone. My hands started to shake. How could he not tell me? I thought, a fresh wave of hurt washing over me. How could he not tell me he had an ex-wife who worked in the exact same building? How could he not mention a five-year-old daughter? That isn't just a little omission of truth; that is a massive, life-altering secret!

“Either you are really dumb, or you are an excellent actor. So answer the damn question.” “I honestly have no idea. You have always confused me with your behaviour. You can be a quiet, broken girl one minute and an outgoing, eccentric person the next. I have no idea who you truly are. Every single day, I find out something new about you. I don't know your story. What has shaped you into the person you are today? But one thing I do know is that I was completely mistaken about you. I should have known better than to make assumptions about you. I should have been more open with you, especially after everything you have been through.”

The emotions she kept hidden surfaced, mingling with the sea breeze. “I didn’t ask to be the eldest, nor to carry the responsibility,” Jill cried, her vulnerability laid bare in the quiet solitude. “I just want to be happy. If only I didn’t have this family. If only he fell in love with me. Maybe, then I would be truly happy,” she uttered in solemn reflection, her words dissolving into the vastness of the ocean, unheard echoes of a longing heart. “IF ONLY”

If only I saw the number plate. If only I know her number plate. I shut my eyes. Maybe what I need is a good sleep.