NOTHING BUT A BAD TASTE. (✓)

22. DONE & DONE

( unedited )

DEEP INSIDE EBÉN'S SOUL, his heart had broke. Shattering into a million different fragments.

His head was tortured with that picture; with the thought of Maya's, the love of his life and the mother of his child, lips being suckled by the vermin that was Reuben. He felt quite foolish — at how the revelation of their kiss hadn't come from Maya herself.

Even if this was about to spell the end of their happily ever after, did he not deserve that from her at the very least? Instead, the very woman who he had mistreated was now acting as messenger. Karma.

He never envisaged that there would ever be an instance where Maya would exact such a betrayal; in the same vein and fashion that had been done to her. She was a woman scarred by the very person she kissed, yet she still ran back into those same arms despite knowing the consequence. He felt so incredibly dumb — he had brushed away every single rumour, every single bad word that was said about his marriage because they didn't know her, and they didn't know them. Now, he too, was starting to question whether he even knew her at all.

"Sorry, Ebén. I'm so sorry." Maya blubbered, almost hysterically — wanting so desperately to embrace him, but recognising that she had lost the right to.

Ebén appeared incredibly doleful, "So it is true? The picture is actually true?" His eyes looked at her, not with disgust, but with sheer incredulity. He hoped that this was just a mixup fuelled by someone with a vendetta against the couple. But, Maya's hangdog face was proof that she had done that shit.

"Picture? What picture?" Maya had now rose; with a quizzical look now dominating her face. The urge to run into his arms was still heavy; it was one of the only places in the world Maya felt safe. And because of her inability to say no, she had lost that safety.

"I aint sure if you're intentionally tryin' to fuck with me or if y — " Ebén's face continued to look scarily wooden, as he looked down at Maya deadon.

"I'm not, I—I swear. I dunno what photo you're talking about," Maya's eyes were already shedding tears, "C—c...can you show me?" She felt so out of place asking that of him, but if she was going to talk then she would need all the facts to do so.

Ebén wasn't heartless — it hurt him to his core to see her so visibly affected by this. But, he had to remember that it was him who had been wronged; not her.

He pulled his phone out from his LV-leathered pouch and showed her how her misdeeds had been photographed. He said nothing and neither did she; only gasping and holding her mouth. Her tears began to fall and Ebén was battling with himself to stay rooted. These were not tears he needed to comfort.

She was going to have to do that on her own.

"Ebén, I'm sorry. I'm so incredibly sorry." She cried, so distraught, that she had lit a match and burned her own home. A home she was happy in, grateful for.

"I just don't get it, Maya. I thought shit was good between us. We're expecting a baby for fuck sake!" Ebén unleashed his frustration at the foot stool by repeatedly kicking it, placed to the right of him.

"Baby, it is. I swear," Maya croaked; even she, herself, didn't have an answer for why she did what she did, "I don't know why I kissed him." She couldn't blame curiousity or the fact that Reuben's charisma succeeded in worming his way into her heart because those answers would do nothing but prove they weren't secure in the way they led people to believe.

"Obviously something made you to kiss him Maya. Shit like that just doesn't fuckin' happen," Ebén was now talking less refined and more emotional.

"I wish I could tell you what it was but I, too, am not too sure. Maybe, I was curious — he was sayin' things that turned my brain to mush and I — "

"You folded?" Ebén finished her sentence for her.

She gulped a disconsolate yeah.

He crouched down, head in his hands, listening to the erratic rhythm of his heartbeat. They were supposed to be forever and now a kiss had threatened that. She met his crouch, her hand firm against the back of his neck, "I want you to know how sorry I am. Truly."

"It doesn't change a fuckin' thing. You still did it,"

"I know, I know. If I could take it back, I would... over and over. I hate what I have done to you, to us." Maya's bottom lip was quivered, knowing now that this was not going to be a quick fix.

Ebén didn't want to ask the question; the most important one of all — but he now had everything to lose. He had centred his life and spoke so proudly at the thought of being a father and now he didn't even know if he would be that. "Is that..." He pointed towards her bump, "...baby even mine?"

"Ebén, how the hell could you even ask me that?! Of course it flippin' is!" Maya replied back.

"You're actin' like it's so out of the question. You kissed a brudda that you have history with, how can I not think that you two didn't fuck?"

"Because it's me, Ebén. You know me."

"I'm starting to think I don't." Ebén angrily brushed her off of him; even her body scent was starting to smell dissimilar. She no longer smelt so ambrosial, instead she smelt putrid — just like her ex.

"Ebén, don't say that. It's me?" She walked up to him, determined to put back the broken pieces. He noticed her there and presumed as much that she could read the look of anger on his clenched jaw and back away. But she didn't, she stood here desperate to fix this.

"Maya," He paused, possibly intentionally, "Leave me alone. Please."

"Ebén, please. I just want us to talk."

"We've already talked Maya. I aint got nothin' else to say to you." Ebén let out the heaviest exhale, his chest undoubtedly felt it.

"So what, are we just going to live and move around this house in fuckin' silence?"

"You can. I sure as hell ain't stayin' here — "

Maya frustratedly clenched a clump of her curls, her eyes starkly wide, "Baby, no. Where you gonna go?"

"Somewhere you aint."

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Two chapters in one week — go me ! Just a heads up for the few chapters, there's going to be a timejump so just be prepared. Anyhoo, hope you dig this chapterrrrrr. See you in the next one.