Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Chapter 16: 16. The Pain
Before William knew it, he was now at home, standing in front of the door. However, his mind wasn’t there at all. His brain didn’t know where he was.
He couldn’t think straight. He didn’t know what to do. His eyes roamed, looking for something to soothe his pain. Was there any? Of course, the mini wine cellar on the corner was always the answer.
William picked up a bottle and a crystal glass from the kitchen. He poured the drink mindlessly. He stopped when the glass was half full. Then, he sipped slowly, hoping it would ease the tightness in his chest. However, that’s not what he got. He couldn’t easily ditch the pain. Of course not.
The wound in William’s heart was still fresh. He didn’t expect everything Paula had planned to fail. The man recalled how Paula persuaded him to have sex in secret and would not tell anyone about it. But once they made a mistake and did it outside, that’s when Lea saw them-in his car-playing hide the zucchini.
“Everything failed miserably because of a single mistake!” he shouted to the air, staring blankly at the wall.
Unable to contain his anger, William threw the glass in his left hand until it hit the wall. The shards of glass spread almost throughout the living room.
“Stupid! This is all unbelievably stupid!” William screamed furiously.
.....
He ruffled his sweaty hair. He rubbed his wrinkled face full of pain. His eyes gazed painfully at the ceiling.
He should never have approved Paula’s plan. He should know that he would lose Lea once he did that. He should never have tried to touch a woman other than Lea. He should have known that a man could never stop once he tasted the joy of having sex. He should never be that innocent, thinking that he would get the taste of fucking his wife while he was in love with Lea. He was indeed a jerk.
In endless turmoil, William continued to drink his problem away. Bottle after bottle down. Until the time went for who knew how long.
***
Hours later, when Paula came home, she found that the front door was not closed. Of course, because there were people at home. However, not all of the lights were on. Only the dim kitchen lamp was the only source of light, illuminating the dark house.
“William? Are you at home?” Paula looked around, searching for the presence of someone around her. Since there was no answer, Paula felt a little anxious. She was afraid of a thief might enter the house.
Paula kept sneaking up, trying to reach the light switch. Before long, she let out a small scream when her foot stepped on a sharp object-shards of glass. “Ouch! Good grief!”
Paula walked on tiptoe lifting her right leg to reach the switch safely. As the room lightened up, she checked her bleeding foot and picked up the pieces of shattered glass. While looking around the floor, Paula realized that someone had broken the crystal glass in the living room.
Something was going on, and it certainly wasn’t a pleasant thing. Paula held the pain and walked into the kitchen only to find a half-sane William, with some empty bottles of drinks on the table.
“William, have you been drinking?” Paula was almost screaming when her feet stepped on more shards on the floor as she approached her husband.
Paula tapped her husband’s shoulder, making William turn his head to see his wife. Just from the painful look in William’s eyes, Paula knew that he was in trouble. Paula wants to talk about the problem of the baby in her womb and the baby’s future. However, it seems that at this time William could not possibly think clearly.
“William, are you okay?” Paula was about to touch William’s cheeks. However, William violently pushed her hands away, hurting Paula.
“Selfish woman! It’s all your fault! It’s all because of your crazy idea!” William rambled incoherently. His eyes drew closer to Paula with a savage look.
The smell of alcohol wafted sharply from William’s mouth, making the pregnant Paula want to throw up. Then William did something he had never done with Paula. Something harsh and violent, so different from his usual touches-gentle and caring ones.
“William, stop it!” Paula screamed. It hurt so much that she couldn’t bear the pain.
“You like this way, don’t you? You asked for it, right?” Paying no attention to Paula’s condition, William continued his hard thrust and sought his satisfaction.
Tears streamed down Paula’s cheeks. Right now, what Paula was worried about wasn’t her condition even though she was in so much pain. Instead, she was afraid of the baby. The fetus she was carrying was innocent. It didn’t deserve a punishment.
“Don’t be violent, William! I’m pregnant!” Paula pleaded.
“What trick do you use this time, huh? In what way are you going to trap me again?” William didn’t care.
“It’s your baby! Your blood and flesh!” Paula screamed, but he still did harsh things to her.
“As if I will buy your lies!”
He did it several times until he lost his strength. He fell asleep in a state of anger. Feeling compelled to punish Paula in an even worse way.
While Paula was crying and whimpering in pain, like a wounded swan, she crawled out of the bed. She tried to stand up and muster the remnants of strength. William was really mad at her. Could something have happened between William and Lea?
Tonight, while enduring the pain, Paula quickly cleaned up. The bruises on her body due to her husband’s violence would be painful things that would not be forgotten even if the scars were gone.
After bathing, Paula packed all her things. She wasn’t going to prolong her relationship with William. She was determined to get this over with as quickly as possible and of course, she would get out of William’s house as soon as possible.
“Sorry, Will!” She kissed his forehead before saying goodbye to her sleeping husband.