𝐄𝐱𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 | 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬

~𝐃𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐜~

(An idea that I got, enjoy :))

(WARNINGS: Angst, profanity, shattered glass, brief mention of alcohol, mention of affair.)

~

      You flipped absentmindedly through the pages of your novel, the dim lighting of the lamp next to you just enough to make the words on the pages legible.

      Yet another night, your husband, Diluc, was late. It didn't bother you at first, assuming that he was working late at the winery. But lately it has been getting more and more frequent to the point where he would come home at ungodly hours of the night and would leave extremely early in which you wouldn't see him for days on end.

      You had your suspicions, how you wished that they were wrong. So you chose to feed into your delusion that your 'perfect' husband was working hard to make a living. However, tonight was the night—The night you would finally get the truth, no matter how harsh it was.

      The familiar sound of the front door lock clicking jolted you with adrenaline. Your palms began to sweat as you took a deep breath, squeezing your eyes shut before opening them once more, now prepared for the rude awakening you were about to receive.

      "I'm home..." That effortlessly sultry, rich, voice spoke from your home's entrance, hearing the light thud of his shoes hitting the hardwood floor.

      You didn't look up from your book, the silence as he waited for your greeting felt suffocating, the sound of the pages flipping now seemed more intense than it was meant to.

      "Darling?" You felt a hand on your shoulder, his warm yet calloused hands soothingly gliding up to your cheek. You brushed his hand away, getting up from the velvet sofa as you walked away from the living room and leaned against the doorframe. You crossed your arms, sighing as you stared at him.

      "You're late again." You uttered, looking at him tiredly. Sighing, he slowly walked towards you and engulfed you into a hug, resting his chin on the crown of your head.

      "I know, darling. The winery has been extremely busy lately, I apologize." He whispered, stroking your hair. He knows that you would forgive him sooner rather than later. He had just gotten so skilled at manipulating your feelings, that to him, it was inevitable.

      You pushed out of his grasp, walking to the kitchen and rummaging through the pantry, pulling out a bottle of red wine and a wine glass. You knew that whatever was coming, you were going to need some liquid courage. You watched as he followed you into the kitchen, leaning against the countertop and looking you in the eyes, almost like he was stalking your every move.

      "Why was there $200 withdrawal on our savings?" You couldn't be any blunter, your eyes met his crimson ones as you sipped from the glass, swirling around the red liquid. He visibly stiffened at the question, swiftly composing himself as he licked his lips before answering.

      "It was a shipping fee to import our wine to Liyue." He lied as easily as he breathed, he knew that where things were going, they would not end well. The corner of your mouth twitched as your jaw clenched, narrowing your eyes as you also leaned into the counter. There was never $200 withdrawn from your savings, which means he had done this repeatedly to only now get, 'caught'.

      "Is that so..." You muttered, your grip on the glass tightening as you picked imaginary dirt from under your fingernails. You stopped, looking at him dead in the eyes.

      "Tell me the truth." You didn't scream, or cry, but your tone sent shivers down his spine. He had never seen you that angry before, he had never seen you look at him the way you did then. He swallowed the saliva that built up in his mouth, trying to speak, to come up some other elaborate lie that had been brainwashing you for god knows how long. But he couldn't, it was as if the words had gotten caught in his throat.

      "I can explain." He croaked, straightening up as he slowly walked around the counter to get to you. In return you backed away, keeping your distance in fear for what he was going to say.

      "Explain then. I'm all ears." Your heart gradually began to beat faster, feeling the thumping in your throat as everything felt louder.

      He hesitated, unsure of how to go about this. It isn't everyday that you break such solemn news to the one you were supposed to love for the rest of your life.

      "I'm having an affair." Everything after happened in slow motion. Out of pure shock, the thin glass slipped from your fingers and dropped to the dark floorboards, the fragile thing shattering in the process as wine pooled onto the surface. You blinked, once, twice, thrice, and a fourth time. You were prepared for the worst, but it still felt like your heart was ripped out of your chest and stomped on in front of you.

      Shallow, trembling, breathes escaped your lips like you were holding your breath. You couldn't speak, you couldn't do anything but stand there like a deer in headlights. It was devastating, the tension in the room was so thick you could barely breathe. Thoughts circled through your mind.

Were you not enough?

Was everything a lie?

How could you let this happen?

Would things have been different if you tried harder?

No.

      This was not your fault, he chose this path and couldn't keep it in his pants. You were not to blame for any of this. You stormed out of the kitchen, hearing his calls as you grabbed a random bag and roughly pulled out a drawer from your dresser, shoving whatever garments you could get your hands on into the bag.

      "Darling please, we can fix this! We—We can go back to how it was before, just please don't leave. I beg of you, I'll do a–anything." The words began choking up in his throat as tears began to well up in his eyes. He knew that he messed shit up, and all for some common wench who works at a flower parlor. He himself didn't know why he did it, when he had a gorgeous wife at home who gave him her undivided attention and affection. He just did, and now there was no going back.

      "...What?" You snarled, turning your body to his as you spoke, the word rolling off your tongue agonizingly slow.

      "Go back to how it was before? Fix this? YOU fucked up. YOU couldn't keep your eyes to yourself. And you have the AUDACITY to try and brush it under the rug like it was nothing? You made the bed, now lay in it." You raised your voice slightly, emphasizing the gravity of the situation. You began to walk out of the bedroom until you felt an iron grip on your wrist, not enough to hurt, but enough to keep you in place.

      "Please... Just hear me out." Diluc begged, a few small tears spilling out of his eyes.

      "My mind is made up, Diluc. Perhaps you can ask that other woman you've been fucking for her hand in marriage next." You spat, ripping your hand from his grasp as you walked to the front door, slipping on your shoes.

      You stole one final glance of him. He looked so helpless in the moment it was almost heartbreaking, like a lost child. You turned back to the door, opening it and slamming it shut, leaving the distressed man by himself.

      He almost collapsed to knees as he watched the door slam shut, knowing you may never walk through it again. He wished he could blame it on anything or anyone but himself, but he knew it would be even more deceit from him. This was his decision and now he had to live with it.

~

(i quite literally wrote this on my phone in my notes app yesterday and finished it today, so if there are any spelling or grammatical errors i apologize. BUT i wouldnt mind making a part two either, so just lmk. lysm 🫶)