"Not that I don't enjoy having you here, but until when are you planning to stay?" Remi asked Zara as he locked the front door of the apartment.
Zara collapsed tiredly on the large, murky green, three-person, living room couch.
"You could've chosen a classier way to kick me out you know..."
She commented, tightly shutting her eyes. She was feeling a bit more exhausted than usual, which was strange because she hadn't really been active for the past few days. Maybe it was the stress on her mind finally catching up to her body...
"You and I both know that's not true," Remi said as he said beside her. "I'm just worried. You haven't even told your father about you divorcing Xander. And what about your job? You can't keep asking for days off Zara."
Zara frowned at the sound of her full name on his lips. He only called her that when he was dead serious about scolding her, or when he was really apprehensive.
"Relax, okay? I'll be out of your hair in no time." She smiled lazily at him, causing his frown to deepen.
"Zara, that's not what—"
"I know I know! Okay, Remi?! I know!" She snarled at him before she could stop herself. Zara stormed out of the living room and into her room, leaving a stunned and unsettled Remi on the couch.
No, Zara's anger wasn't directed at her, but towards herself. She hated what she had become. She hated that she'd let a single man ruin her like this.
Zara collapsed on her bed and buried her head deep inside her pleasantly cold pillow. She could feel the tears well up in her eyes and she hated it. This feeling. This feeling of helplessness and defeat...
She hated herself for ignoring all the obvious signs. Maybe deep down, she had always known that he had been cheating on her. But she had decided to ignore those hunches as she had felt happy and content with her life. She already had a routine. On weekdays, she would wake up, make breakfast, go to work, come back, make dinner, cuddle with her husband, and sleep. On weekends she would make breakfast, and do the housework as the housekeeper didn't work on the weekends. Her husband would come home and they would have a sometimes chatty dinner, then cuddle and sleep, or sometimes get intimate. And now that she thought about it, their intimate relationship was nothing to brag about...
Could it be? Is that why he had left her? Had he felt that she wasn't pleasing him enough in bed?
Now that she thought about it, this reason seemed to be the most reasonable one.
It seemed to make even more sense as she thought of her ex-best friend, Sarah.
Sarah had always been the adventurous and active type. Not to mention her beautiful and seductive figure, which aligned perfectly with her charismatic personality...
'No! No! No!' Zara thought as she tried to dismiss the thoughts. She didn't need to feel worse than she already did. Those two people were now a part of her past, and she was determined to leave them as far behind as she can. She wasn't going to torture herself like this anymore.
All the same, her routine had been broken, and she was a complete train reck now. She had to find a way to—
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Gentle knocks were heard on her door.
"Come in." She said already knowing who it was. Her voice was muffled under the pillow and she wasn't sure if he heard her or not.
Zara felt his weight on her bed as he slowly sat down beside her. An overwhelming feeling of guilt crept up her chest. She felt dire as she realized she'd snapped at the only person who'd understood her like no one else, the person who'd taken her into his when she felt shattered and miserable. And yet here he was yet again, even after she'd been so harsh to him...
The tears she had been holding back finally fell from her eyes, wetting the pillow below her. Her shoulders shook slightly as her silent tears turned into muffled sobs.
"Zara..." She heard him call out her name, his voice gentle and concerned. "Look at me."
Zara felt his hand on her shoulders, as he effortlessly turned her toward him. His gentle hands wiped away the tears that were still falling from her eyes. Her gaze fixed on the bedsheets, not daring to meet his gaze.
"I said look at me, Zara Bexon." She heard his firm and absolute voice say, and left with no choice, lifted her eyes.
His warm and sympathetic gaze met hers and she bit her lower lip to prevent herself from turning into a sobbing mess again.
"I'm sorry Remi. I shouldn't have—"
Zara didn't get to complete her sentence, as Remi unexpectedly pulled her into a tight and soothing embrace.
_