Chapter 1
My vision blurs from the tears that i will not let be shed. The picture in front of my face is one that i had anticipated, but never prepared for. My wife, Ariel.. My cousin…. Afair. I stand watching, frozen in my spot; unmoving. Silence fills the room, no one speaks, moves… blinks. My mouth moves only for there to be no words escaping my lips. My wife that i had been loyal to, returns the favor by being unfaithful. Six years down the drain. With the exception of my daughter, Lily. A very smart girl for her age of three years old; she can carry a conversation as if she is of true intellect, which she is. Lily went to my Mother’s house since i had to work late...Ariel told me that she was going to prepare a surprise for when i got home but i guess i got the surprise that she was not ready to be revealed. But she of all people should know that the truth will always surface; her parents had gone through the same predicament and with her parents being married for almost thirty years, only to find that her father was having an affair with the dentist.
But my thoughts are cast aside when a fit of rage takes over my body, it takes place in the form of words.”How long?”I hiss calmly through clenched teeth.
Silence.
My vision begins to clear as tears cascade down my cheeks.
“Please.” I plead, hurt and anger evident in my voice.”Please i need to know, please Ariel… tell me the truth.”My voice at the end of the sentence comes out as only a whisper. I cover my mouth with my hand to muffle the sob that threatens to escape my lips. I am not ashamed to show my emotion; i wear my heart on my sleeve.
“Axel...Im so sor-”Ariel begins but i butt in.”No your not. Your just sorry that you got caught.” Her brown eyes hold an emotion that i cannot decipher.
“How long?!”i hiss. Moments pass before she finally speaks, the only sound to be heard in the room is my heavy breathing. I clench my fists,i look down to see that my knuckles have have turned white. I look back up to meet her eyes when her voice reaches my ears.
“S-since before..” She clears her throat.”Since before the proposal.” She states hesitantly. Without another word, i move from my place to go further into the room. They both look at me wide-eyed, suspicious of my next moves. But to their surprise i walked right passed the bed to the closet off to the right of the bed; i retrieve the suitcase that i never thought i would use for an occasion like this.
I pass the bed with a blank expression on my face; unable to cope with the pain that swirls in my chest, or the lump in my throat that continues to grow. I pay no mind to the unexpected visitor that accompanied my wife in our bed...
I get everything that i would need for the time being, until i am able to replace what i wish to leave behind; i can’t be in this house with them… with her any longer.
As i exit the room i stop and look Ariel in the eye, and without hesitation i speak the words that didn’t surprise her if anything, once those words left my lips a hint of happiness sparked in those hazel eyes that only days ago i stared at with love and admiration, but now….. Disgust.
“Lily is coming with me.” She looks at me and says a faint ‘okay’ as if she was waiting for those words to pass my lips.
Before walking to Lily’s room i take in her appearance one last time.
Her slim figure rested under the brown comforter, her long dirty blonde hair pooling in waves around her, wide hazel eyes-seeming innocent, and soft features. She may look like the same Ariel i had fallen for years ago but she had changed drastically.
