Bethany and Matt stared back at Carl as he dropped the grocery bags on the floor. They were both naked on the couch and Carl couldn't believe his eyes.
"Matt? What are you doing here?"
"I thought you said he wasn't going to be coming home for a while? How come he's here?" Matt completely ignored Carl.
"I sent him shopping, I had no idea he'd he so quick about it."
Carl's anger flared up as he watched them talk, neither of them even scared that they had been caught in bed together.
Matt stood up and wore his underwear, all the while smiling at Carl as if he had done something worth applauding.
"You know, you should thank me, Carl. Your wife here tells me that you're a sorry excuse of a man. You can't even last in bed. Hell, you can't even last in a job. " He burst out laughing and Bethany slapped his arm and giggled.
Carl could hear his heart beating loudly now and that's when he swung his fist across Matt's jaw. He didn't think twice as he did it again when he noticed Matt was getting up from the floor.
"Carl!" Bethany shouted as she ran towards Matt who was groaning on the floor "Have you lost it?!"
Then, he felt the tears coming.
"Bethany, how could you do this to me? He's my best friend! You're my wife!"
She didn't answer him nor look at him. Her entire focus was on Matt whose nose was bleeding. Broken, maybe.
"I'm talking to you, goddammit! Answer me! Why him?!"
"Because he's a better man than you'll ever be! What did you think, Carl? Did you think I was going to suffer and die with you? I'm ashamed, Carl. I'm ashamed to go out in public because I look wretched! Everyone is laughing at me. My parents aren't giving me money anymore! I need to survive!
There is no way I'm depending on you. You're worthless, just look at you! You're a useless excuse for a husband! You can barely provide for yourself, how in the world are you going to provide for me? You disgust me, Carl and I regret marrying you. You are the biggest mistake of my life."
As she said those words, he felt his entire resolve collapse. Was this what she had been thinking about him all this while?
"You know what? I'm sick and tired of pretending." She stormed away and pulled out a file from under a pillow and threw it at his feet "Those are the divorce papers. Sign them and get the hell out of my life."
Carl got on his knees immediately. Their marriage may not be the best but it was she only thing he had. She was the only family he had and there was no way he was letting her go.
"Beth, please just one more chance. I'll prove myself, I promise. Please don't do this to me. I beg you. " The tears were streaming down his face and he wasn't holding them back.
"No way, Carl.. I have you six years to prove yourself to me but things just got worse and I'm sick and tired of it. I hate you and I want nothing to do with you anymore. You're poor, wretched and useless. You'll be doing yourself and everyone a favor if you just died! Get out of my life!"
He crawled closer to her with his hands together.
"What about the things we shared? Six years, Beth! You want to flush all that down the drain? We would have had kids by now."
She scoffed.
"Yes and they'd have died from starvation. You have nothing to offer me or anyone else so do me a favor and just sign the bloody papers."
She walked away to the kitchen and Matt began laughing.
"I always knew you were gullible, Carl but I never knew you were stupid. I warned you not to marry her. She's a slut, Carl. She came on to me, seduced me. She's not worth you so just divorce her and be free. Besides, I've already had a taste of her and I have to say, she's nothing worth crying over. "
Then he laid his head back on the chair and continued laughing. Maybe Matt had a point. There was no point fighting him, he had had enough of Bethany. It wasn't like he hadn't tried to get her back. He had waited four years.
He picked up the papers and looked at her one more time. Everything flashed before his eyes- the restaurant they'd met when she came for a date that had gone so terribly, the late night they spent together planning their future and the way she was always proud to call him her husband wherever they went.
Guess that meant everything to him and nothing to her. He signed the papers and quickly wiped away his tears. There was no use crying now, it was all over. He didn't have much so it didn't take long for him to gather his things. He had nowhere to sleep but he was sure he'd figure something out.
Bethany was still putting ice packs on Matt's nose when he came downstairs. He walked past them in anger and was about to open the door when he heard Matt's voice.
"Oh Carl, I'm sorry in advance." He smirked letting Carl know that he was up to something.
Carl ignored him and shut the door behind him. Right outside the door were four huge men. They all stared down at him like he was pretty they were about to devour. That's when Matt's statement made sense.
Suddenly, he was pushed to the floor and kicked in the stomach, head, chest and back. They took turns using him as a punching back and kit stopping even when he started coughing up blood.
It felt like it was never going to end and then rain started falling. His head throbbed and he could barely breathe, the blood test was in his mouth and airways not helping matters at all. Every inch of his body ached and he could barely move.
He knew he was going to die out here because no one was going to come out during the rain. He finally gave into his body's command and closed his eyes, falling asleep in the rain, hoping for death.