Affection's Facade

Bitter taste

Authors present Pov

Soft streaks of sunlight, filtered by rain, streamed through the translucent bathroom curtains. With the lights off, they drew a peach-like glow on the walls. The gentle rhythm of after-storm raindrops were dancing against the windowpane and serenaded her as she stood in the shower.

The water flowed over her brown skin, her eyes closed as it massaged the inner linings of her Afro, relaxing her scalp to its fullest extent. Meanwhile, her breathing harmonized with the gentle ripples as she turned off the shower. She hadn't slept decently for a few days, but what did it matter? It was a cycle she hoped to break soon.

Beside her, the claw-footed bathtub was filled with warm water, its steam continued rising and merging with the cool mist from outside. Without drying, she approached, naked. She submerged herself, holding her breath. While time seemed to pause, offering a fleeting escape from reality she remained. Though she lay motionless, she reminded herself that it wasn't too dramatic. Even if it was, it was justified because she was tired.

The water, be it from the rain, shower, or bath, seemed to soothe her. The gentle embrace of the liquid served as a liniment, easing the stress and overwhelming emotions from the day. She drifted into her thoughts, her eyes hazy. For a moment slowly, she pondered what life might have been like growing up with her child. Each ripple brought fleeting visions of alternate realities. Yet, just like water, these wishes were fluid and fleeting, they were essentially useless, and they weren't solutions to anything other than reminding her of the futility of dwelling on what might have been.

Ever since the day he told her, things had changed. Although a lot had happened, she kept to herself, becoming quieter than she had ever been before.

Outside the bathroom, Jae-Hoon sat on the ground, waiting for her return. "Honey, I won the election," he said as if trying to hasten a reunion that wasn't meant to be. "I found out this morning," he added. She remained silent.

The door clicked open, revealing Elera's silhouette. Her once-expressive face was now inscrutable as she moved past her husband, treating him as if he were a ghost in the room.

As Jae-Hoon reached out, trying to bridge the gap between them, she recoiled. The passion, even in anger once evident in her voice was now replaced by a weary heaviness. "You are suffocating me," she murmured.

"It makes no sense why are you treating me this way? It wasn't me; I'm not the one who did it." He added.

Elera methodically braided her hair into cornrows, avoiding his gaze by focusing on her reflection in the mirror.

"Because if you had never found out, you'd still be treating me like they did," Elera began, Her voice was calm. Slightly less bothered than usual.

" I told you already. It shouldn't have taken my trauma to change you. You should've tried, even when it was hard. You should've protected me, especially when your mother came around, whether or not you loved me then."

"I am not my mother," he retorted. Elera looked at him for a moment longer, before looking at her phone.

Jae-hoon's eyes darted between Elera and the floor, trying to find the right words. "I'm sorry, Elera. I truly am."

Elera paused, fixing her makeup with deliberate strokes, she didn't even care to avoid his gaze in the mirror. "You're right," she began, "In many ways, you're worse." She closed the compact with a soft click, meeting his gaze for a fleeting second. "I never expected her to care about me. But you? From you, I hoped for protection."

She applied some Vaseline on her hands and her elbows, each movement slow, giving Jae-hoon a chance to respond. However, there was no use in trying.

Elera began to dress, slipping into her white dress pants and a tailored black blouse. Soon after with a deep breath, she turned towards him, her face a mask of composed neutrality. "Anyways," she said, her tone devoid of its usual warmth, "Congratulations on your election."