NOW

Katia

Crouching down, I lift the yellow envelope of papers that has been left outside the door to the offices. I turn it over and see my name printed on it. Confused, I glance around. No one is about, so I have no idea how it got here. Shrugging, I tuck it under my arm and walk inside. Candy is at the reception desk, waiting for me.

“Hey honey.” She smiles.

“Hey chicky.”

“How’s your mom?”

I put the envelope down. “She’s good. She gets out today.”

“I’m so glad!”

I smile. “Me too, believe me.”

“So, we’re having a party on the weekend. Dusty and me. You should join.”

“I’ll be there,” I say distractedly, staring at the envelope.

“What’s that?”

“It was on the doorstep. It’s addressed to me. It didn’t come through the mail, so it’s strange.”

“Oh my God, open it then!”

I glance down at my watch. It is my lunch break.

“Okay, I’ll take it outside while I eat lunch.”

Candy hooks her arm through mine and we head outside. I unwrap my cupcake and sit down and place the envelope on the table in front of me.

“I’m kind of scared. What if it’s a bomb?”

She reaches over, pressing it. “It’s papers.”

“And if it was a bomb,” I say sarcastically, “we’d be dead.”

“Dramatic much?” she laughs. “Come on, the suspense is killing me.”

“Okay, fine.”

I lift the envelope and slide my finger in to open it. I pull out the papers and glance down at the first page. It’s a copy of a will. The man named is Marcus’s grandfather; I know because he’s told me about him.

“It’s a will. Who would put a copy of a will on my doorstep?” I ask, glancing at the first page, which is full of information about Marcus’s grandfather.

“I don’t know. Is there a note?”

I put my hand back in the envelope, and sure enough there is more paper. I pull out a tiny, yellow slip that reads, You deserve the truth.

I show it to Candy, and her eyes widen. I glance back at the papers and flick them open.

My gaze runs down the pages, detailing the distribution of his assets. There’s business about his house, his finances, but nothing that jumps out.

It’s on the fourth page that I read something that changes my entire world. As I stare down at the words, my entire body goes numb. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as some words flash out at me.

Business.

Needs a wife.

Within twelve months.

Loses everything if he doesn’t stay married.

My vision blurs and I know Candy is yelling something at me, but I can’t make out the words. The chair beneath my bottom moves out as I stand, numbly.

The papers are still in my hand as I stumble towards the house. My mind is swirling, my heart is pounding, but everything seems to be going in slow motion.

I reach the kitchen where I find him.

I’m still in some sort of hazy state, because my hand moves of its own accord and it connects with his cheek. It’s not a slap, but a deep, treacherous hit with the heel of my hand that has him roaring in pain and taking two steps backwards. Then it happens. The emotion catches up and I lose it.

“You piece of fucking shit!” I scream so loudly I scare myself.

My body jolts out of its haze and reality sets in. My skin prickles, my heart aches, my stomach twists and my head pounds as rage and pure heartbreak mix and become lethal in my system. Marcus is holding his cheek, his eyes on the paper in my hand. His expression . . . blank.

Blank like I’ve seen so many times before.

Blank because he doesn’t . . . fucking . . . feel.

I’m a joke.

A contract.

I lift my eyes to him, and he finally meets my gaze. He’s not shocked. He’s not hurt. He’s just fucking blank. Empty fucking brown eyes. Empty fucking man.

“Is this real?”

“Katia . . .”

“God damn it, you piece of shit, is this fucking real?”

“Fuck it, Katia.”

“Don’t you fucking dare,” I scream, my entire body breaking out in trembles. “I fell in love with you, you sick bastard. Now tell me, you weak son-of-a-bitch. Grow some balls and fucking tell me.”

“Yes.”

One word crushes my soul.

I drop to the floor, the papers skidding across the tiles. My head falls into my hands and pain like I’ve never felt in my life rips through my body. I scream in pure agony. It hurts, so bad vomit rises in my throat. Every inch of my body feels like it’s being torn to pieces. Nothing. I mean nothing. It was all a lie. None of it was real.

He doesn’t love me.

I lift my head, and through trembling lips I hiss,  “You sick, deranged . . .” My voice cracks, “. . . pathetic loser of a man. What the fuck is wrong with you? You destroyed me. You took my heart and you have shattered it.”

Something comes across his face, something horrific. I watch him suck any emotion he’s felt for me during the past few weeks back behind his wall of cold, heartless emotion. He’s gone. He’s fucking gone. He takes a step forward, leans down and hisses, “You didn’t think you ever fucking mattered, did you, Katia?”

And just like that, my world comes crashing down. I’m a joke. He never loved me. He never even liked me. I was just a way to keep his business. A loud, pained cry leaves my throat as I stare up at the man I gave my entire world to. That man just shattered it.

“Mattered?” I whisper. “Mattered? I never fucking mattered, I know that now, but there was a second . . . a fucking second . . . I thought something had changed.”

Something flickers across his face but he pushes it back. “You thought wrong. You’re just a name on a piece of paper to me. You stupid, stupid, naive little girl.”

Whack.

His words are like a blow to the face.

“I don’t even fuckin’ like you.”

Whack.

“You never meant a fuckin’ thing.”

Whack.

“It was all a fuckin’ act.”

Whack.

“The Whole. Fucking. Lot. A lie.”

I fall backwards, landing with my hands behind me. Intense, pure, raw heartbreak rips through my soul. My head spins, my body is numb and there’s a pain in my heart I know will never leave. He has torn a hole into my very existence, and he’s ripped me out of it, stomped on me and then tossed me back in, bloody and broken.

“Leave, Katia.”

His voice is like a whip.

“What?”

“Leave. I don’t want you here. I don’t need you here. Get the fuck out of my house.”

I see unadulterated rage in his eyes, and his jaw is so tight I know he’s clenching his teeth together. I stare at him, truly look. Such a beautiful, fucked-up man. Such a waste of perfection. I push to my feet, even though my entire body is shaking. He wants me gone. I’ll go.

“I hope it burns,” I say, taking a step back. “I hope you see my face every time you lose something in your life. I hope one day you have your heart ripped out and crushed just like you did to mine, but most of all, Marcus Tandem, I hope to God someone makes you pay.”

Then I turn, lifting my purse and walking out. I step out of his world, and in doing so I leave this Katia behind. My soul is crushed. My heart is broken. I’m pathetic, and stupid, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be the same again. Heartache is something I know will become a part of my life that I’ll never be able to shake.

He destroyed me.

Right now, I can’t even breathe.  Marcus took everything I was, and he crushed it. Everything I believed in was a lie. He ruined my life. He took from me. He broke my heart. He left me this pathetic, pitiful mess. I may have made a vow before God, that I would love him and cherish him until death do we part.

I can’t keep that vow.

What is it they say?

There’s a fine line between love and hate.

There is.

**MARCUS**

I launch my fist into the countertop over and over, my entire body breaking into pieces as I watch her go. Blood trickles from my knuckles but it’s nothing compared to the pain in my heart. It’s a foreign emotion, something I’ve never felt, but it tears through me, ripping my soul to shreds. My heart feels like it’s going to explode and the overwhelming need to claw at my own chest just to stop it, is driving me over the edge.

This isn’t how it was supposed to go.

I was never supposed to care.

The words I spat at her repeat over and over in my head as I fight the urge to drop to my knees and bellow in agony. She’ll never know what I just sacrificed. She’ll never know what I just gave her. She’ll never know that I just set her free.

“What the fuck have you done?”

Lifting my head, I see Mack standing in the doorway. I don’t know why he’s here. I don’t really care. He looks angry. I guess he would be. He knows everything. He knows about Katia. He knows why she’s with me. He knows what I’ll lose.

“I just heard what you said, what is wrong with you? Do you not see what you’ve just done? What the fuck could possibly possess you to give up everything you’ve worked for?”

“I gave her life back, her freedom...” I mutter, staring blankly. Emptiness rises higher and higher in my pathetic heart.

“I’m all for being the good guy, bud. Fuck, I like Katia...but you made a choice to save your business. You took action. You didn’t do that shit lightly. You fight for that. You fix it. You make it better. Sending her away without a fight means you’ll lose everything.”

I laugh, low and bitter. “You don’t fucking see it, do you, Mack? Even I can see it so clearly now.”

“See what?”

I turn and stare at the empty space, the space where my wife was standing only five minutes ago as I ripped her world apart.

“She was everything.”

THE END – PART 1

Part two will be released in a little over 4 weeks so I promise the wait won’t be long!

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And now a sneak peak from a good friend of mines newest book.

Death’s Shadow by TJ Hamilton.

Make sure you check it out. It’s an amazing read.

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