From Ashes to Forever

F I V E | Feel The Beat

Aria

In the two weeks since our wedding, our lives have devolved into a series of escalating pranks, each one more destructive than the last. It seems our main focus has shifted to annoying and hurting each other, turning our newlywed life into a constant battleground..

We've pulled countless pranks, each designed to cause maximum inconvenience. He recently spent hours in the bathroom, purposefully making me late for work for the third time in a week. In response, I "accidentally" burned his hand with my straightener. The searing pain in his eyes was unmistakable, but instead of backing down, it only seemed to fuel the fire between us.

In retaliation, he went further, setting an alarm to go off at 3 a.m. every night for a week, ensuring I was jolted awake and left exhausted. My patience wore thin, so I decided to sabotage his work presentation by 'misplacing' his USB drive. The panic on his face as he searched for it was satisfying.

While we don't engage in outright verbal or physical arguments, there's a constant undercurrent of passive-aggressive remarks and subtle insults, each one calculated to provoke and enrage the other.

Lately, I've noticed he's been spending more and more time in a separate bedroom, one he claims is filled with his old belongings. But something about the way he guards that space makes me suspicious. What could he possibly be doing in there that keeps him occupied for hours on end?

Over the past two weeks, I've tried multiple times to gain access to the room, but the key remains tricky to find, hidden somewhere only he knows.

The mystery of that locked room, combined with our escalating conflict, has left me feeling increasingly uneasy about our relationship and what the future might hold for us.

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As I was tidying up the room, I noticed Rian's jacket lying on the floor. I picked it up, intending to toss it in the laundry basket when a small photograph slipped out of the pocket.

Curious, I picked it up and examined it closely. The photo was of a striking woman with scarlet curls framing her face, her full pink lips curved into a contented smile. Her honey-brown eyes sparkled with warmth, and a pair of glasses perched delicately on her nose. She looked like she was caught mid-laugh, radiating happiness.

I couldn't help but wonder who she was and why her photo was in Rian's jacket. Was she a friend I didn't know about? A past lover, maybe? The thought nagged at me, a reminder of how little I knew about Rian's personal life before me.

Flipping the photo over, I hoped to find a name or a date, but the back was blank. Deciding it wasn't my place to pry, I placed the photo on Rian's side of the table and tried to push the curiosity out of my mind.

For a fleeting moment, I considered trying to track down the woman in the photo, but I quickly dismissed the idea. Without a name or any information, it would be impossible, and besides, it wasn't my place.

I finished cleaning and went into the living room, where Rian was engrossed in his laptop. An idea sparked in my mind-a chance to get under his skin, just as he so often did to me. I settled next to him on the couch, knowing my mere presence would irritate him.