“Move,” he says in a clipped voice. There is no trace of the man who gifted me a car earlier today but I maintain my stance and shake my head. “Elna, out of my way.”

“Why don’t you ever believe me?” I ask. “It was a mistake. I didn’t know he would do that. Joshua kissed me.” My knuckles caress his cheek. “You know when I am lying,” I whisper. Palming his face so he can see the sincerity in my eyes, I continue, “Look at me, please. I know it sounds stupid but it’s the truth, I didn’t know his plans. He kissed me.”

My confidence wavers at the cold look in his eyes. “There you go again with the excuses. Once a cheat, always a cheat.” I choke on a sob, my head shakes, I am not a cheat. “He kissed you,” he scoffs and his lips curl in disdain, “but for the ten seconds he had his lips on yours, you did nothing about it. You didn’t protest. Make that make sense, dear wife.”

Bile rises to my throat at the amount of hate he put into that one word: wife. “Shock.”

“Shocked enough for you to enjoy it?”

Throwing my hands up, I say, “I never saw it coming. What happened to what you see is not always what it is? You told me once that facts can be wrong sometimes and in this case, it is.” Fear of rejection stops me from trying to hug him again. “Believe me. Please.”

Brandon’s face softens and my shoulders relax but go rigid immediately when he stops me from embracing him. I don’t want him to travel without us reconciling.

“When I asked you if he would be at the café, why did you lie about it?”

My eyelids flutter furiously, I scan his face for any hint of malice and sigh. “I didn’t lie.”

“What did you say?” he asks in a small voice. My lips remain sealed, he arches a brow and I look down to the buttons of his shirt. “Answer me, Elna, what did you tell me?”

Shifting my weight to another foot, I reply, “That he won’t be there.” He offers me a tight-lipped smile, my lips quiver. “Josh just showed up, I never saw it coming. I didn’t know.”

My response seems to give rise to another question. “Did you tell him you’re married?”

“No,” I murmur. “But I was going to.”

I want to smack that sly smile off his face, more like smack my lips on his to show him how much I love him, that the last thing I’ll do is hurt him. I thought we were past this.

“Where’s your ring?” I refuse to look at him, I don’t like this. “Where is your ring?”

“In the car.” A brief pause ensues, I continue, “I was going to show him after I told him I was married.” The laughter that follows my reply irks me but I manage to put a lid on my temper. “Clarissa is already upset with me,” I say while massaging my empty ring finger with my gaze fixated on the floor, “I didn’t want him to find out the same way.”

Casting him an optimistic glance, the tiny rays of hope die at the emptiness in his amber eyes but I brave on, “I wanted to tell him, then show him the ring. That’s the only reason I removed it.” Brandon bursts into mirthless laughter, I suck in my lower lip and exhale, he is so difficult. “I love you too much to hurt you, you know that. I love you, baby.”

“More silly excuses.” He caresses my cheek, I lean into his touch. “You don’t love me, Elna,” he pauses to sigh, “I thought you did but you don’t. You are just like everyone else, only about hurting me, what you can gain from me. Now what?” Tears roll down my cheeks, I take a step back, I am not any of these things and he knows that. “Don’t throw the l word around expecting me to forgive you for a sin you already committed before.”

Unable to form a response, my eyes follow his hand which sneaks into his shirt to yank the necklace holding his ring and the half heart pendant with my name on it. Clamping his hand around my wrist in a vice-like grip to keep my palm open, I shake my head to stop him from returning the necklace. My pleas go unanswered, I sniff at the contact of the cold metal against my skin, letting it slide between my fingers to the tiled floor.

Our eyes follow the ring which rolls to a stop on the tiles but none of us makes to pick it up. My eyes flicker to his face. “Why are you doing this?” He frowns, I attempt to cup his cheeks but he turns away. “I know I am in the wrong but this is a mistake. I’m sorry.”

“You are always remorseful,” he mutters through gritted teeth. My hand circles his wrist to stop him from pulling his hair from the root and my breath hitches at the glance we share. His arm finally lowers but unlike before, he doesn’t react with disdain to my touch or shrug my hand off and I seize the opportunity to peck him soundly on his lips.

But I shouldn’t have.

Brandon goes rigid, I gulp and inch backwards at the vicious look that creeps into his eyes. The disgust returns with a fearsome intensity, he mutters, “Don’t do that again.”

“I didn’t mean to,” I say and look down at my feet, “I’m sorry.”

“Always sorry but the cheating never ends.” My lips press into a thin line and my eyes remain on the floor. “I told you he likes you, didn’t I? But you said I was whining, even disrespected me because of him. You refuse my help but willingly accept his and you expect me to believe today was a mistake?” I flinch as his voice increases but he doesn’t seem to notice or he doesn’t care. “How do you mistakenly let another man kiss you?”

“Say I believe you and it was indeed a mistake, maybe he kissed you but it’s your fault.” My head raises to meet his gaze, I stare morosely at this strange man who resembles my husband and he nods. My fault? “You did this to yourself, Elna, you put yourself in that position after my warning.” Brandon runs his fingers through his face, I just stand there in hurt, waiting for the final kill. “How hard is it to say: I am married? Three words.”

The weight of his words has my tongue tied, my mouth opens and closes, I blink back the tears. I am done with this conversation. He retrieves the briefcase lying at his feet and I don’t make any move to step out of his way neither does he attempt to leave.

Lines appear on his forehead as we stare at each other in silence, I murmur, “Please.”

His voice is barely audible when he replies, “You broke my trust and I cannot forgive it.”

Wrapping my arms around myself, I ask in a whisper, “You cannot or will not forgive it?” The stupid tears leak from my eyes, I shake my head and allow a few seconds to pass. “It doesn’t matter what I say or do, you always believe the worst of me. Always.” When he doesn’t deny my accusation, my lips curve into a shaky smile and I nod as memories of his past wrongdoings wash over me. “But I would forgive you if you were in my shoes.”

“Is that why you did it?” He scoffs, I ball my hands into a fist and an emotion flits across his face when my shoulders lift in a careless shrug. This talk is pointless, I can’t deal with him and his doubting self today. His voice cracks when he asks, “Don’t you get tired of cheating on me? I am not the best husband but I try my hardest to make you happy.”

Maybe it’s the vulnerability that leaks into his words that has a reply coming out of my lips, “You do, you do, baby. You make me happy, you’re the best husband in the world.”

My hands raise to cup his face, to smoothen his creased eyebrows but I don’t touch him. “Then why let him, why do you always cheat? Why don’t you have any self-control?”

Counting to ten under my breath, I exhale. He is so convinced I am the bad guy, almost as if he wants to get rid of me. “I didn’t cheat. Why is that so hard for you to believe?”

“Because it’s a fucking lie.” His fist connects with the door, I jump and he closes his eyes briefly. “He kissed you, you didn’t return the kiss, it doesn’t change a thing.” His words seem to sap all my energy, my shoulders slump, I no longer want to be in his presence. But Brandon is far from giving me a piece of his mind. “You ask me to try and trust you but each chance you get, you go whoring around with other people. Male and female.”

Those words, I sniff, they pierce right through my heart like shards of glass, I wheeze and place a hand over my chest. My façade of calm cracks, I breathe out, “Don’t say that.” He smirks, knowing full well how much his statement hurts. “You know that’s not true.”

Arching a brow, his lips curve into a sinister smile. I plug my fingers into my ears but I still hear it, his hateful words aimed at ripping off the fragile walls I build around my heart. “First, it was Sophia, now, it’s my brother.” I take a step back while shaking my head and he covers the space. He towers over me, I burst into a sob and cover my face. “Do you have a thing for the people I know? Tell me, who will it be next? My father?”

“Stop it.” My chest rises and falls, I sniff into my palms. “Please, I’m sorry.”

“I wanted a wife not a virgin whore.”

My world stops, I raise teary brown eyes to meet angry amber ones. “I hate you.”

“Good for you, join the queue.”

Lacking an appropriate comeback, I keep my mouth shut, matching his stare with equal intensity and eyes blazing with anger. I don’t want this man, I don’t know who this man is. He shakes his head, gives me a onceover and walks out without another glance at me.

I scream at his retreating back, “If you leave, I’ll also leave. I’m tired. I’m tired of trying.”

Strands of his brown hair fall over his forehead when he spins to face me, I wipe my tears and square my shoulders. We don’t need a fight but if he wants one, I will give it to him. Things are going great for us, if he chooses to throw all of that away, good for him.

He grunts when swiping at the hairs sticking into his eyes, my feet take me a step forward and my fingers itch to help out. If he isn’t so pissed, he’d be rid of them already.

“You are tired of trying?” I cast a tentative look at his impassive face and my head bobs slowly, this is our marriage, not mine alone. “Well then, run off to Joshua or is it Josh? Oh, sorry, darling,” he says with a sickly smile. “Since we have the same last name, you won’t need to change yours. You can keep the black card, consider it my parting gift to you.” My jaw slacks, he raises an invisible glass and says, “Cheers to your new life with him. Now, if you will excuse me,” his head tilts to one side, “I have a flight to catch.”

He winks at my frozen expression and my heart clenches.

A part of me understands his hurt but his words are harsh and unnecessary, death is the only thing that should do us part. I don’t deserve this. I sigh, maybe I do. I could have left after Josh compliment, I should have kicked him. I should have listened to my husband.

Seeing him take a step away from our future has my feet in flight mode, I bridge the gap between us and wrap my arms around his waist from behind. “Brandon, baby. You cherish me, remember?” He remains rigid but I continue, “You are glad I am in your life, I am also glad to be in your life. I love you, please, let’s talk this out. Forgive me again.”