Chapter two

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The next time I went over to Leamington Enterprise, I had a patch on my eye to hide the blue eye. Lewis and I got into a brawl with some people at the bar we were at during the weekend.

The bruises on my face have not gone down, and my eye was the worst, hence the eye patch. When in the building, I only ran into Lizzy. She asked what happened, but I preferred not to talk about it. She gave me a concerned look when I headed to the elevator.

I knew Drew would freak out and I was not looking forward to that. The last time he saw me injured, we had an argument that led to me refusing to see him for two weeks. It was bad and I hated when we argued. It opened up a lot of bad memories from when we were still together.

It wasn't surprising that when I entered his office and he saw my face, he stood up, concerned.

"What happened?" he asked, coming up to me and gently tilted my head sideways. His hand touched my face, asking, "Does it hurt?"

"Yes it does. It was just some stupid thing at the bar."

He didn't take lightly to my nonchalance. "You're still going to bars?"

"You're going, but you don't see me complaining." I threw back.

A dark look passed over his eyes. "You know it's not the same."

"It is."

He just sighed, then gestured for me to have a seat. He went back to his chair in defeat. "Maybe I'll start going with you to your bars since you attract trouble."

I smiled, taking my coffee. "I had Lewis, don't worry."

He gave me a side eye, making me erupt in laughter. "And I bet he looks worse than you."

"He held his own pretty good. But yes, he's worse."

Drew just shook his head, but at least he was smiling. "Are you free this weekend?"

I narrowed my eyes, wondering what he wanted. He knew that I preferred to interact with him less outside my job. "Why?"

"Leon! I hope you did not forget our anniversary!"

My brain short-circuited. I stared at Drew, unable to say anything. The hurt that passed through his eyes made me feel guilty and made me feel like the worst husband alive.

"You forgot," he stated.

"Yes. I'm sorry. A lot has been going on on my side. What were you thinking we should do?" I asked, hoping he would let it go.

The look he gave me let me know that he didn't believe me. I blinked my eyes at him, trying to act all innocent. He rolled his in turn.

"I wanted to book us for a hiking trip. If you want to go that is."

I couldn't really disappoint him when he's looking at me like that. Like he wanted me to agree because he wanted to go hiking. Maybe he wanted to spend the night with me and the morning after. Was this his ploy?

I narrowed my eyes, suspicious. "Is this for two days?"

He took too long to answer. That's when I got my answer. "Drew. Please, don't do this."

"But Leon, we're still married. This is ridiculous. Why do I have to convince my husband to spend time with me on our anniversary? Last year you only wanted us to exchange gifts. I can't do that this time."

I ran a hand down my face, then flinched because I exerted too much pressure on my bruises. "We'll go," I replied, also overlooking the fact that he said our separation was ridiculous. He just didn't understand how I've been suffering in our marriage. Everytime I bring up the issue of his family's treatment, he gets all defensive and makes me feel like everything is in my head. I hate that. That's the reason I left. And that's the reason I don't want to go  back because the moment I go back, it's dinners with his family. Dinners with the monsters-in-laws.

He grinned, taking a hold of my hand on the table. "You won't regret it, my love."

I squeezed his hand, saying, "I know."

"Can't I come to your place tonight?" he asked, whining.

I laughed, shaking my head. I stood up, grabbing a muffin for the road. "Not now. I'll let you know when to come though."

Drew stood up too, coming to my side. "Sometimes I feel like you don't miss me as much as I miss you," he complained.

I wrapped my arms around him, making sure that my muffin was safe. We were both tall, but I was one inch shorter. "I do miss you just as much," I mumbled, loving the smell of his cologne.

"Then what's with all the boundaries?"

I didn't reply. I was basking in his presence, realising how much I missed the physical contact. I didn't want to let go, but I had to leave. I let go, but he clung to me tighter.

"Drew, I really need to go. Come on," I said, pushing him away.

He sighed, letting go. "I'll come pick you up on Friday night."

"Friday? Not Saturday?"

He shook his head, running his hand through his hair. "We'll spent the night there so that we can hike early in the morning. Then we will camp there."

I shook my head in defeat. "Fine." I pecked his lips, then turned around to leave.

"I love you," he said, making me stop at the door and turn around.

I grit my teeth, waving my hand. I just couldn't say it to him. I love Drew, but something has changed since I've moved out. Maybe I was no longer in love with him, I don't know.

I didn't want to see his hurt any longer. I left with a heavy heart, knowing very well that I brought this upon myself. This was for the best. If I had not left two years ago, I'm sure we would have divorced already. We would be bitter ex-husbands by now.




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