Fractured Bonds (Completed)

A Heavy Mistake

Tine looked anywhere except Wat. He felt ashamed and pathetic right now. Letting Wat see such an ugly side of him was somewhat a relief and shame. He was glad he didn't have to pretend anymore but how could he possibly let someone see such messed up sight. It's not like Wat liked or even cared about him. What would this even change? Maybe nothing. Maybe Wat would just go back to the way he had been and not even care. But a small part of him argued, what if he cared? What if he tried to help him? What if Wat saved him? But to be saved you must first acknowledge there is something to be saved from.

"Tine, what happened? Tell me." Wat voice had taken a soft and soothing tone.

"N-nothing."

"Please don't lie anymore. Tell me who did this to you? "

"Ryan." Tine blurted out.

Wat's face was riddled with mix of expressions and most prominent one was anger, "Tell me everything. How did you meet him?"

Tine didn't say anything for a minute, contemplating what would be best course of action. He finally decided to let it all out. He was tired of being scared and hurt everytime. He wanted to be loved and protected.

"After you left me, I was really depressed-"

"You had Mil." Wat snapped.

"What? I wasn't even that close with Mil."

"Oh yeah, that's why you hooked up with him?"

Tine turned completely to face Wat, "What are you talking about?"

"Tine, let's not talk about that. We have a more pressing issue."

"No. We are going to talk about this. I deserve to know why did you dump me like that?"

"It's all in past-"

"I don't care. I want to know."

"Because you cheated on me."

"W-what? I never did that."

"Don't pretend now. We both know the truth. "

"No, we don't. I never cheated on you. Never."

"Yes, you did. I caught you red handed."

"When?"

"The day I broke up with you. I had gone to your apartment to surprise you because we had been fighting a lot at that time and I wanted to make it up to you but you were there hooking up with Mil."

"What the hell? The day you broke up with me I wasn't home. We had a group project so I had just left the cafe when you texted me wanting to break up. I was about to buy a cake for you."

"No, you were. I saw-" Wat stopped talking. He hadn't actually seen Tine.

"I can show the photo we took in the cafe." Tine fished out his phone and scrolled through the gallery, finally reaching the photo he had taken just minutes before Wat had messaged him.

"See the date and time if you don't believe me."

Wat felt hot and cold at the same time, "But Mil was in your apartment and-"

"Mil was dating my best friend, Jared at that time. Jared had key to my apartment. He had asked if he could stop by my apartment for a bit. I didn't know he was going there with Mil though."

"I heard him specifically take your name."

"I had called him because Jared wasn't picking up my phone. I needed advice to make up with you. I ended up venting to him."

"But..... I..... "

"You didn't actually see me, did you? How could you just assume? Even if you thought I was cheating on you, you should have confronted me right then and there. How could you just jump to conclusion and leave me?"

Wat didn't say anything. He couldn't wrap his mind around this. Everything made perfect sense now. He hadn't actually seen Tine. He hadn't even heard his voice. He had just assumed since it was Tine's apartment. That was an honest mistake but not confronting Tine was a stupid one. Had he just barged out of the room he would have seen that Tine wasn't there.

"Tine, I wasn't thinking straight."

"Yes, you weren't. How could you dump me over a text? Do you know how that felt? Didn't you trust me even a little?"

"I trusted you, Tine. It's just that-"

"They are all excuses. You left me all alone. You knew how utterly terrified I was being abandoned and yet you did that to me. Did our relationship mean that little to you? You couldn't have trusted me a bit more and tried to find the truth? I ran all over the place searching for you. I couldn't eat or sleep because it hurt so much. I deluded myself thinking it must be some sort of mistake. You would come back to me soon. But you didn't."

"Tine, I left Bangkok that very night. I went to my uncle's place and started living there. I wanted to get away from all this. "

"Was it easy for you to throw me away like that?"

"NO. Of course not. I was in pain too."

"The least you could have done was call me and tell me why did you break up with me. You left with me with no explanation. It was like I never meant anything to you."

"That's not true. I was afraid to face you. I couldn't handle the thought of you telling me that you chose someone else."

"You just assumed whatever you wanted and hurt me because of that."

"I know. It's all my fault. I can't believe I did that. It's just I wasn't thinking straight. What about Ryan? How did you meet him?"

"I met Ryan after 6 months. I was depressed and sick. I wasn't eating properly nor could I sleep without pills. It took a toll on my body. I was hospitalized and there I met him. He had come to see one of his friends and he saw me sitting there alone. We started talking and he was so nice and kind to me. He brought flowers for me daily. I told him I didn't need them but he insisted. Soon we're friends. We had so much in common. He knew how to turn around things to make me feel special.

I opened up to him. I didn't tell him everything about you because it was something very personal but I let him know about my pain and fears. After I was discharged from the hospital, he visited me a lot. I was happy to have a friend like him since I was all alone. He proposed to me and I politely declined because I wasn't ready for another relationship.

But you know, there's this thing about Ryan, he's so good at manipulating people. I don't even know when it began but gradually he had made me believe I was absolutely nothing without him. I don't know when I started craving his attention and approval. It's like those three years with him are blur. All I remember is bits and pieces and pain and bruises.

He started physically and mentally abusing me. I can't pinpoint the exact incident. Over time, I accepted it like it was something I deserved. I would tell myself, had I not angered him, he wouldn't have done that. You know, what's worse, he handled me with such love and care after beating the hell out of me, I just couldn't understand what was going on.

He would cook for me my favorite dishes, take care of the house, pamper me with gifts and care. He did little things that were so sweet. It didn't make sense to me. I questioned myself a lot. I j-just.... I don't k-know..... "

Tine broke down completely. It had finally dawned on him that he was the one putting up with violence. There wasn't any love in that. He just had been deluding himself for such long time. He could have run away or reported him but he didn't. Why? For love? Or was he scared? He wasn't sure.

Wat gathered Tine in his arms and rocked him back and forth until his cries subsided. He stood up and called the reception asking for medicines. He carefully applied the medicine on Tine's wounds and dressed him again. He tucked both of them under blanket and ran his fingers through Tine's hair to sooth him. Tine fell asleep after a while but Wat couldn't sleep. He wanted to break something or someone right now. It took such a self control to not loose his temper in front of Tine. He was going to make sure Ryan paid for what he had done.