Chapter19
I struggled to remain still, my body tense with the effort, as exhaustion and pull wrestled for dominance. My eyelids drooped, heavy with the weight of my mistakes, but I fought to stay awake, unable to escape the hellish results of my own making. Every twitch of her body, every sob that racked her frame, was a fresh indictment that I’ve screwed up real bad.
She threw off the covers and rose from the bed, hastily wiping away her tears as she muttered curses under her breath, berating herself for being foolish enough to trust me, and naive to think I was a better man.
Her eyes, once bright with hope and admiration in the hallways of our high school, now blazed with hatred as she hurried towards me, her glare piercing my very soul. The same eyes I had longed to meet mine once in the post, now burned with a fierce contempt, leaving me feeling more gutted and hollow.
“Was last night your bachelor’s party?” she asked, her voice low and deadly serious, her eyes boring into mine with an unflinching gaze. I nodded, my head trembling, unable to meet her eyes, my gaze faltering under the weight of my quilt
And then, in a swift, merciless motion, her palm connected with my jaw, the loud, harsh slap sending a searing sting through my face, the sound echoing through my ears like a crack of thunder, leaving me reeling from the force of her anger and the depth of her hurt.
“What were you thinking, Keith? How could you lie so easily and betray the woman who’s probably waiting for you, expecting to spend the rest of her life with you? She erupted, her voice a thunderstorm of anguish and fury
“It was supposed to be just a kiss!” 1 bellowed back at her, my voice a desperate attempt to deflect the blame, but she flinched at the sound, her eyes wide with pain, and retreated backward, as if my words were a physical blow.
“Get out! Get the hell out of here, you lying, cheating bastard“” she screamed, her voice cracking as she slowly collapsed to the floor, curling her knees up to her chest like a wounded child, her body shaking with sobs.
couldn’t stand standing there any longer, unable to bear the harsh reality of my disloyalty rubbing in my face. The sight of Rose’s tears, her shattered expression, and her trembling lips was a mirror reflecting my own shame, a constant reminder of my betrayal.
“I–1” the meaningless apology faltered on my lips, dying before it could even escape, as I knew it would be a hollow attempt to salve the hurt I’d inflicted
“I–I have to go,” L asserted, the words tasted heary on my tongue, as I turned to dash from the terrifying place, from the consequences of my actions, and from the devastation I’d wrought.
With each step, the sight of her tears drew the dagger deeper into my chest, the weight of my mortification crushing me, until I thought I might collapse under the burden of my own regret.
I looked around hopelessly, my eyes scanning the familiar landscape as if it had transformed into a strange, hostile planet, where every shadow hid a menace, and every sound was a potential threat.
The world, once a safe haven, now seemed treacherous, a place where my own horrifying actions barkod, waiting to pounce, to chase me down, to prevent me from reaching Karissa, my beacon of hope.
Every face that passed by was a blur, every voice a distant echo, as I felt like a fugitive, pursued by the ghosts of my own deceit. The air was thick with tension, heavy with the weight of my secrets, and I couldn’t shake off the feeling that I was being hunted, that my own faults were closing in on me, strangling me.
A yellow taxi screeched to a halt beside me, its tires squealing in protest, and I stumbled into its worn, as if fleeing the scene of a crime, a murder 1 unintentionally committed, now there was blood in my hands.
Icollapsed onto the cracked leather seat, my body wracked with sobs, my lungs burning from the effort of containing my misery.
Between choking gasps, I managed to stammer out the address, my voice barely audible over the sound of my own ragged breathing. The driver, a gruff, seen–it–all veteran of the night shift, raised an eyebrow in the rearview mirror, but said nothing, merely nodding and putting the car in gear, as we Jurched forward into the darkness, leaving the shattered remnants of my conscience behind.
I was a cheater, a despicable, deceitful cheater, who had callously betrayed the trust of Karissa, an extraordinary woman who had loved me with unwavering devotion, even in the darkest moments when I couldn’t find the strength to love myself. I had sullied our relationship, tarnished our engagement, and shattered the vows we had promised to uphold.
The burden of my Infidelity crushed me to dust. And now, with our wedding just a day away, I was faced with the daunting, soul–destroying task of confessing my disloyalty to the one person I had sworn to cherish, honor and stay loyal to
The thought of her reaction, of the pain and hatred I had unleashed upon her, was throttling me, leaving me gasping for air as I contemplated the unbearable consequences of my actions. How could I possibly face her, look her in the eye, and reveal the depths of my betrayal, when I knew that my words would be the dapper that would ultimately destroy our love, and possibly, her very soul?
As the tax screeched to a hair, I stumbled out onto the resort’s driveway, my legs trembling beneath me like a lead in a hurricane. I fumbled for my wallet, my hands shaking uncontrollably as I yanked it from my pocket, spilling its contents onto the seat.
