Whispers of Love

The Forgotten Promises

Author's POV:

Perth sighed as he sank into the couch after another long day at the office. Saint was in his art studio, painting. Through the open door, he could see him intensely focused on his latest piece.

"Son?" Perth called out.

He turned around, surprise evident on his face at being interrupted. "Yeah?"

"Do you have a minute to talk?" Perth asked hesitantly.

Saint looked at his painting, clearly wanting to get back to it but decided to hear him first as he said, "Um, sure. What's up?"

Perth gestured for him to join him on the couch. He reluctantly put down his brush and walked over to sit on the couch while keeping some distance between them. Even though Perth didn't liked him sitting a little distance away from him but still he let him sit as he pleases.

"How was your day?" Perth asked, hoping for some semblance of a normal conversation.

"Fine. Busy with a few commissioned pieces," Saint replied shortly.

An uncomfortable silence fell between them as Perth searched for the right words. "Listen, I...I wanted to talk about us," he finally said.

Saint sighed. "What about us?"

"It just feels like we've been drifting apart lately. I miss you," Perth said softly while moving to grab his hand but Saint shifted backward, defensively. "I'm right here, Perth. What more do you want from me?" He asked, surprising Perth to no end.

'Huh! Perth?' Perth thought in his mind, shockingly.

Perth tried to reach for his hand, but immediately pulled himself back in fear. "I want 'My Husband' back." He said sadly. "The man I fell in LOVE with..*Sighs*Sometimes it feels like.. I don't even know you anymore." He added in sorrow.

"That's a bit dramatic, don't you think?" Saint scoffed. "People change, Perth. We've both been so busy with our careers." He added.

"But our marriage should come before our work," Perth countered. "When was the last time we even went out together, just the two of us?" He asked in accusing tone.

Saint thought for a moment. "I...I don't actually remember. A few months ago, maybe?" He tried to bluff.

"Try over 6 months ago," Perth said sadly. "We're just going through the motions, Son. There's no passion left between us." He continued.

"That's not true." Saint frowned. "Passion comes and goes in a long-term relationship." He stated, sounding confident.

"It shouldn't disappear completely, though," Perth argued. Sensing his little aggressive tone, he took a deep breath to calm himself down for his Saint before continuing. "Do you even still have feelings for me?" He asked out of nowhere.

Saint was totally taken aback by the question. He opened his mouth to counter back, but no words came out.

"See, you can't even answer that," Perth said, pain evident in his voice.

"It's not that simple, Perth," Saint finally replied. His eyes were telling something, which Perth couldn't understand.

"Then help me understand. Please, I'm trying here," Perth pleaded.

Saint was quiet for a long moment before continuing, "I care about you, of course I do. We've been together for so long. But lately, when I'm with you, I feel..."

"What? Tell me," Perth urged.

"Suffocated. Trapped. Like my life isn't my own anymore," Saint admitted hesitantly.

Perth let out a shaky breath, feeling his heart break. "Is that how being married to me makes you feel?" He asked in broken tone.

"No, that came out wrong," Saint backtracked. "It's not you specifically. I just feel restricted here, in this life we've built that doesn't allow me to fully express myself through my art." He said what he have in his mind.

"But your art is so important to you. I've always supported your dreams," Perth argued.

"You always say that, but your actions tell a different story," Saint replied sharply. "How many of my exhibitions or shows have you actually made it to in the past year?" He asked him, looking dead in the eye.

Perth frowned, realizing he couldn't recall the last time he saw one of his pieces displayed. "I'm...I'm sorry, you're right. I've been a terrible husband." He apologized, guiltily.

"We've both made mistakes, Pin" Saint acknowledged in a softer tone while calling him by his nick name which was given by himself. The point is Perth likes to call him Son and Saint always calls him Pin.

He then reached for his hand, and Perth let him take it as he can't refuse his Saint for anything in this world. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I need space to spread my wings creatively. I feel like I'm being held back in this marriage."

Saint finally poured out everything, he had in his mind till now, causing Perth to get shocked to the bone. Perth felt tears prick his eyes upon hearing Saint's words.

"Are you saying you want a divorce?" he asked hoarsely. He can see his world getting shattered infront of him. He felt someone was strangling him, chocking him to death as he can't take breath properly.

"No!!" Saint exclaimed little louder while squeezing his hand in reaction. "I just think we need to re-evaluate some things if we want to save our marriage. We've both let our relationship take the backseat for too long." He explained his point.

Perth let out a sigh of relief upon hearing no from him. He then nodded in an understanding, processing everything he said. "You're right. I'm sorry I've been so neglectful. I never meant for this to happen." He again apologized. He was feeling so guilty.

"Me too," Saint said softly. "I still care about you, Pin. I don't want to lose what we have. But things need to change if we're going to get through this." He added.

"I'll do anything," Perth promised fervently. "Name it, and it's yours. Just please don't give up on us." He begged in the fear of losing his love for real.

Saint offered him a small smile. "I won't, as long as you're willing to meet me halfway. We have to make time for each other again and find a better balance between work, life, and marriage." He said.

Perth exhaled in relief. "Absolutely, you have my word. From now on, you and our relationship will be my top priority."

"And I'll be more present too, both physically and emotionally," Saint said, feeling full determined.

"We're going to get through this. I know we can fix this if we work on it together," Perth said, daring to feel hopeful.

Saint squeezed his hand again reassuringly. "Together."

To be continued....

Until then,

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