8 Sisters of KodaCait: The Original

Chapter Thirty-Four: Broken Dreams in LoveLock

Mari's marriage with Hawthorne was a loveless union built on deception and betrayal. Mari, compelled to support Hawthorne's dubious business of selling stolen jewellery and dresses, found herself entangled in a life far removed from the dreams she once had. Instead of living in a big house in the lap of luxury, she instead found herself in a tiny rundown cottage in the middle of nowhere, completely different from the gorgeous, pastel coloured houses of LoveLock. Hawthorne, consumed by his pursuit of wealth and hedonistic pleasures, neglected Mari, spending his nights drinking with friends rather than fostering a meaningful connection with his wife.

Six months into this bleak reality, Mari's world crumbled when she caught Hawthorne passionately kissing a girl, who was none other than Lorelai, a revelation that exposed his secret affairs while claiming to be with his mates. Mari felt a deep sense of hurt as the betrayal unfolded before her, shattering the trust she had once placed in her marriage.

As Lorelai pulled away from Hawthorne quickly, an unapologetic, mischievous grin appeared on her pretty face. Effortlessly, she undid her loose ponytail and shook out her voluminous blonde curls, battering her eyelashes innocently at Mari.

"Oh my gosh! Hey...sorry...what's your name again?" Lorelai giggled with a hiccup, clearly drunk, "Marisol? Marietta? Maria? Mari..."

"It's Mariposa. Now get the hell out of my house."

Rolling her perfect blue eyes, she gave Hawthorne one final flirtatious smile before leaving the room. As she passed by Mari, she gave her a cold and icy glare, looking her up and down as if Mari was beneath her. In the battle for Hawthorne's affections, Lorelai had won.

"What was that about? Why were you two kissing?" Mari asked angrily as soon as Lorelai was out of earshot.
Hawthorne looked around, avoiding eye contact. He was red in the face with embarrassment, but unashamed, "Calm down, Mari. It was just a harmless kiss, it didn't mean anything."
"Didn't mean anything? Hawthorne, I'm your wife, and you can't go around doing things like that! I haven't had a romantic moment with you since we got married!"
"Well how's that my fault?! You're barely home!"
"Doing your job, Hawthorne! Just admit it, Isa and Evie were right about you; you're a terrible husband-"

Feeling the fury rise through him, Hawthorne rapidly threw the bottle he had on his bed into the wall, and Mari flinched as she watched the bottle shatter into pieces. Hawthorne no longer looked like the charming man that she fell in love with, he just looked like a monster with his red face, bared teeth, wide eyes and his veins pulsing in his neck. He lumbered over to Mari, his entire body reeking of alcohol, and cornered her into a wall. He grabbed her arm and twisted it, his face had a lack of remorse as Mari squealed helplessly and begged for him to let go, terror overtaking her face.

"It's your fault, Mari! It's all your fault! Don't you think I deserve better? Think of everything I've done for you. I wasted my hard-earned money on gifts for you, I rejected Odette for you, I'm giving you the life you always wanted. Whenever you have disagreements with your family, who did you come to everytime? Me. You've had this sourpuss attitude since we first got married, in fact since we first started dating! You know what... I don't even love you anymore, never had, never will!"

Mari felt the earth sink beneath her feet, and tears began to well in her eyes, "But...I thought you loved me..."

"Loved you? Oh cry me a river, Mari! This isn't some stupid soap opera! You've always thought you were better than everyone else, when you're barely worth the air you waste. You're so easy to manipulate, using you for money and status was just too simple because you're so damn gullible! I don't care if you think I'm a terrible husband, but as far as I'm concerned, I rule this house, you hear me?"