“Get out!” he ordered, his voice cold and harsh.
The black jacket he was wearing made him seem more distant than usual. His dark eyes, which rarely revealed any emotions, to begin with, were unusually icy as well.
I opened my mouth to say something but, in the end, no words came out.
My gaze fell on his computer. Suppressing the pain in my heart, I said to him, “Ashton, I don’t know why you get so mad at me over a person who’s no longer living in this world. If you really think I’m that fickle and capricious, then we can file for divorce. Relationships between people will eventually end one way or the other. Every gathering will have to disperse in the end. Some live on while others die. I don’t blame you, and I won’t resent you.”
There are some things in the world that you have to let go of if they are no longer within your grasp, especially when it comes to matters of separation… and death.
Between the two, I would pick separation over death every single time. That way, at least both parties were still alive.
A cold glint mixed with anger flashed in his eyes. He raised his hands and, in one fell swoop, shoved his computer and some other junk off the desk. They crashed onto the ground and shattered into smithereens.
“Divorce?” His thin lips outlined a vicious grin. “Scarlett, what does this marriage look like to you? Do you see it as a trade? Or a momentary pleasure? I wonder how it is that you can utter the word ‘divorce’ so freely. Have you been rehearsing it over and over again in your mind, to the point that it comes out so smoothly? Huh?”
I stepped back subconsciously when my eyes came into contact with his cold gaze. My heart ached. “You were the one who drafted the divorce agreement. You were the one who kept hinting at me about divorce. You can deny it all you want, but you can’t let go of your responsibilities towards Rebecca, and I feel guilty for Marcus, so… it would be better for both of us if we just split!”
I did not know why I could be so calm and composed at a time like that. I could even describe my internal frustrations, which had been repressed for so long, in a calm and concise manner.
Perhaps I had them buried deep within my conscience for so many years, and I felt that the timing was right to bring them up since the topic of divorce was now on the table.
We clearly acknowledged the helplessness and grievances we had for each other. Furthermore, no matter what, we were basically incapable of achieving mutual understanding. So, divorce might just be the best option.
“Better for both of us?” His sharp glare gave me the chills as he curled his lips, ready to mock me. “For you, maybe. The man who you initially thought had gone to heaven suddenly showed up among the crowd. Before that, you had decided to put the past behind you but then your heart grew restless again at the sight of him. What you harbored was not guilt, but regret. And when you saw him again, you were tempted.”
He sneered. “My responsibilities towards Rebecca? What a joke. Here I am working my hardest to give you a sense of security while all you think about, Scarlett, are a million ways to get rid of me. Good gracious!”
His words might be harsh and mean, but I chose not to refute them. No matter what he said, it was useless for me to set things straight.
I glanced at him with an impassive expression. Compared to his anger, I took his reaction in stride. “Ashton, let’s stop lying to ourselves!”
I did not want to argue, for I did not even know where to start. I could not even tell how our relationship hit the rocks. Was I at fault or was he being a pain?
So I did not want to fight. Grandma said that if two people loved each other, no matter what obstacles laid between them, they would always be able to forgive and tolerate each other. Maybe love was what we lacked, and thus we could not find relief.
I turned to leave but he caught my arm and held me within his grasp. He had me pressed against the table and began to kiss me aggressively.
From the bottom of my heart, I wanted to resist his strength and dominance. I turned my head away to evade his attack while I tried my best to push him away.
But, sadly, men and women differ in strength. To him, my strength was comparable to a mosquito. He clasped one hand around my waist and pinched it so hard that I winced in pain.
His free hand held my head in its grip, forcing me to reciprocate his kiss.
It was unbearable. I lifted my hands to push him away, but he bit down so forcefully that I yelped.
“Ashton, let go of me! I don’t want this!”
He snickered. “We are a couple. This is what couples do. What’s wrong with that? Heck, you don’t want to do it with me because you’d rather do it with Marcus, is that right? You’re still thinking of someone who’s already dead. What for?”
Slap! I hit his face as though on instinct, while the disgust and pain intertwined in my heart.
He stopped abruptly. His face resembled the turbulence that gathered before the pouring rain. The storm he was brewing made me tremble all over.
I thought he would hit me back or push me to the ground out of fury, but he did not.
Instead, he raised a hand and held my chin in place before taking a brutal bite of my lips. After that, he proceeded to ravage me like a feral beast.
I roared, “Ashton, no! I said no! Release me!”
He scoffed. “When have you ever wanted it? When have you ever asked for it? Huh?”
My mind went blank. Just when it was about to short-circuit, I felt a burst of pain spread throughout my body.
I did not resist. In fact, I had no way of resisting.
I questioned myself over and over again in my head. How did we end up like this? Is it because we have fallen out of love? Is that why he can step all over me as he pleases?
As I looked at him, I noticed there was nothing but a bottomless abyss in those dark eyes of his. There was only eternal darkness.
