A Cup of Stars (Revised).

ᴡᴇᴅᴅɪɴɢ ʀɪɴɢ.

A hand covered his mouth, refraining him from calling for help. A slim figure sat on top of him, holding a sharp fruit knife to carve ugliness on his beautiful face. He cried silently while whimpering in sadness and misery. His bare chest was filled with scratches from it. He was almost lifeless, watching him frame himself as attempted suicide. They wiped off the fingerprints on the knife handle and placed it on his hand. When the ambulance arrived, they found him unconscious on the floor. They rushed him to the hospital and his husband acted like he was about to lose him while the mistress pretended to be his cousin.

A month had passed and he sat in front of his dresser mirror. He hid the scars on his face with make-up and smiled faintly. How could a simple wedding ring make his life so miserable? He took it off from his finger and placed it inside the drawer. He couldn't take any more abuse from his own husband and his mistress but at the same time, he has nowhere to go. He grabbed his backpack and locked his own room, just in case someone tried to steal something from him.

He arrived at the café and he was welcomed with warm and comforting hugs. His staff members knew what happened to him and when they tried to tell it to the authorities, they just ended up getting threats from his husband and his mistress. He asked one of his staff members, Yuki, to open the café for him. He asked everyone what happened within the month he wasn't able to go to work and they assured him that everything was alright. He took his seat inside his small office at the side and the staff who handled the financial matters of the café followed him. Natsuki gave him the document files and then, the exact amount of profit they earned within that time.

"Thank you, Nacchan. I don't know what I will do without you and everyone." He smiled faintly and the younger one left the office after that. He checked every folder stacked on his table and when he was done with it, he went back outside to help them with the customers.

He pursed his lips when he found his husband at the entrance. It seemed like he was waiting for him. He immediately approached him and his husband grabbed his hand to place his wedding ring on his palm. He almost gasped. How did he get the wedding ring when his room was locked? He forced himself to wear it and then, a smile formed on his lips. No matter what he does, he feels like he has no chance to escape from him. He felt a kiss on his forehead and he never felt so disgusted with it. How could he kiss him as if he didn't kiss any other people? His staff members looked at him worriedly. He went behind the counter and he almost fell on the floor due to severe anxiety. Aki, their cook, rushed to his side and helped him to take a seat.

"My pills.. It's inside my bag." He whispered. Yuki quickly got the pill bottle from his office and then, Aki got him a glass of water. After taking it, he started calming down. His whole body was trembling and he felt like he was running out of breath.

"Do you need any help?" They heard from the other side of the counter and then, he lifted his chin to look at the person who just offered help. He saw him wearing a white laboratory gown and then, he shook his head gently.

"I just felt dizzy but I'm fine now." He answered in a low but soft voice and then, the man walked behind the counter to check him up. He got a penlight from his coat pocket and assessed his pupil response.

"I'm a doctor. I can help you if you need help." The man added as he took his card from his wallet. He accepted and looked at it. He could tell that he is younger than him. He gestured to his staff members to leave them alone for a while.

"Fujiwara-sensei.." He called for him and the younger one nodded while smiling. He took his business card from his wallet and gave it to him. He already had his own consulting doctor and changing into a new one will just be a hassle for him.

"Yoshino-san, my office is just a few meters away from here. I don't know if you already have your appointed doctor but you can call for my help if it is too urgent." The doctor said and he just nodded. He doesn't know if he should accept his help. He doesn't want any more people to know about his situation. A few are already fine for him.

He didn't dare to look at him when he left his café. He hid his wedding ring and bit his lips lightly. If he saw his scars on his entire body, perhaps he would stop helping him. He conditioned himself to work properly for that day. He threw his card to the trash bin and decided to forget that he met someone like him. He doesn't need any more help.

When he went back home, he was welcomed with a hard slap. He didn't expect that his husband was already there. He slumped on the floor as his foot landed in the wrong spot, resulting in him having a sprain. He held on his backpack tightly while feeling the blood sliding down to his jaw because of the cut. His husband pulled him up and he continued to give him more hard slaps on his face. He started crying silently while his mistress was just standing there and enjoying the show.

"I told you not to take your wedding ring off!" His husband shouted and it was his first time in a while to hold onto his shirt and beg for him to stop. He could tell that if he continues his physical abuses on him, his body will give up soon.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. It is getting tighter around my finger, so I took it off for a while." He lied while crying softly. His husband grabbed his backpack and rummaged through it to get his wallet. He thanked himself internally for going to the bank earlier to deposit his money. When his husband didn't see any cash from him, he received another slap.

He stayed lying down on the floor for a while. He couldn't move his body, especially his sprained foot. He forced his arms to move to cover his ears in order not to hear those disgusting sounds that his husband and his mistress were producing from inside their own bedroom. How did he end up staying in the guest room after all those years? He is the legal husband. How come he couldn't do anything to throw his mistress out of their own home? It took him minutes to get up and go to his room. He saw his drawers open and messy. He knew that they were looking for his valuable things like his money and jewelry. He silently closed the door and leaned on the wall while crying. He doesn't want to live like that anymore. He is already tired.