It's a couple of weeks until he sees Tine again and this time he's sporting a freshly made contusion on his right eye that he doesn't tell Tine the true origin of it. He just blames it on work when Tine asks, all concerned and worried like a mother hen. He doesn't tell Tine that his wife likes to pitch things at him, anything that she can get her hands on when she hulks out, doesn't tell him that she had pitched her phone at him, which resulted in a colourful display around his right eye.
Like they say, a happy wife is a happy life and his wife is most certainly not happy. Haven't been in a long while and, of course, he continues to blame him for every misfortune she's had, which he isn't not used to.
It's your fault.
You did this.
Why would you?
She blames him for almost everything and it's not like he doesn't do it back but come on — how's the filming of her movie getting cancelled his fault?
But he takes it in, mostly. The slaps, the punching of his chest, her drinking, and sharp words, though his are worse and laced with poison. He lets it slide because he understands what she's going through, what's it like to lose something you've put so much time and effort and love into.
It wasn't easy losing the people he love.
So, Sarawat doesn't fight back. He stands there and takes it, letting his wife hit him over and over and over again, until the blows slow and she finally stops, exhausted or bored or — something.
Two weeks after the cancellation of her film, they had their first argument in years (for years and years, they just couldn't care to ... care). It was loud, both of them screaming at each other, so loud that the people living at the next house could probably hear every single word. And he tried to pretend that it didn't hurt when her palm hit his face.
She stormed out and returned at four in the morning, smelling of booze and men's cologne that definitely didn't belong to him.
The next morning he pretended nothing was wrong, and so did his wife. However, it's hard to ignore the bright purple hickey on her neck.
He didn't say anything because then ... he'd not only be a lying, cheating bastard, he'd also be a hypocrite.
____________________
"Since when?" she hisses.
Tine doesn't reply but he can see that she's guessed the truth.
"Since you started fucking me again?" she spits the words laced with disgust. "You know, it's really twisted, Tine. You can cheat on your wife but you can't be unfaithful to your girlfriend? Is that it? And then you did that to me to make yourself feel better?"
"I didn't mean to do it. I'm trying to make things better."
"Well, it's not working!" she yells in frustration and exhaustion.
He sighs. "Okay, so, what do you want me to do?"
She draws a ragged breath, fixes her eyes on him and says, "I want you to leave."
"XXX ..."
She shakes her head. "Please, just go."
"Okay."
____________________
"Tine ... I think my wife knows."
"How?"
"My back. The mark you left me."
"Do you think it's all coming to an end? Do you think we should ..."
"No. I don't think we should. Why would you say that?"
____________________
YOU ARE READING
Don't Leave Me
Hayran Kurgu"I missed you. When you were gone I felt like dying. I couldn't smile. Couldn't live happily. I became the most miserable person in the world. I couldn't love anyone like I loved you. If people talked to me about fate, I'd laugh in their face. That...
