Until Death Do Us Part

♡

Lucy Valentine was absolutely obsessed with her fiancé. Austin Fullilove was terrified of his.

Little Miss Lucy V. and Austin Fullilove had been dating for a few years before Lucy proposed. Yes, she'd been the one to propose. They'd been dating since Austin's junior year of college, and Lucy proposed when he turned twenty-six. She was twenty-seven at the time. Now, they've been engaged for three years. Lucy was still enamored with him. She loved him with her whole heart and soul and body, too. Austin, however, couldn't be paid to love Lucy anymore.

Austin's friends often asked why Austin hadn't broken up with Lucy and filed a restraining order, and his answer was always the same.

He didn't want to hurt Lucy.

Lucy was a sweet, well-mannered, well-meaning girl. She was so lovely to him back in college, before they'd moved in together. Many a time, Austin would find himself looking back on that version of Lucy with adoration. He'd fallen in love with that Lucy, not whoever he'd been engaged to. He looked at her through rose-tinted glasses, and he didn't want to shatter that fragile heart.

He was scared.

Lucy knew he was scared of her, and she used that to her advantage. A year after their engagement, on their anniversary, Austin mustered up enough courage to talk to her.

"Lucy? Can we... talk?" Lucy noticed how nervous her lover was. She raised an eyebrow. Her hair was up in rollers and curling pins. She'd been taking them out, getting ready to go out and run some errands.

She had tilted her head. "Of course, darling. What is it?" She asked, setting a pink curling pin on the counter, next to a pair of scissors.

When he said he had wanted to break things off, Lucy used that pair of scissors to threaten him, threatening to hurt herself if he went through with ending their relationship. It was blatant manipulation, but Austin couldn't bear the thought of his sweet, loving Lucy hurting herself. He already felt the guilt pooling in his gut.

He couldn't leave her. Not in life, and he doubted Lucy would let death's kiss to allow him a chance of escape either.