Ruthless

52

"Brother," Elizabeth's voice broke the tautness, a soft plea cutting through the dense air. "I know she's wrong, but she's hurting. Don't be so harsh on her," she added, still looking up at Edward, whose eyes were locked on Faith with a stormy intensity.

Faith, weak and fragile, lay curled on the bed, her head nestled against Elizabeth's chest. Elizabeth's fingers moved gently through Faith's hair, a tender and warm gesture meant to offer some comfort.

Faith, however, was clearly avoiding Edward's gaze, her entire body tense, as if bracing herself for the storm that was about to break.

The way she shrank, her posture so tense and uneasy in clear guilt, reminded me of my neighbor's dog after being caught in some wrongdoing—an peculiar but striking resemblance. Both filled with the same anxious anticipation of what was to come.

The memory of the night of finding Faith crumpled on the floor, blood seeping from her wrists, flashed through my mind. The sight of her in that state had nearly driven Edward to insanity. His reaction had been immediate and uncontrollable; lashing out at everyone, even his mother. It was as clear as fresh water that he cared for Faith deeply, perhaps even loved her.

The CCTV footage revealed the truth, which, however, wasn't something I or anyone could have expected and still hard to digest at least for me.

At the thought, my gaze automatically drifted to Faith's freshly bandaged wrists. A chilling reminder of the lengths she had gone to in her desperation, driven by a twisted love that had consumed her. Yes she wasn't attacked but had hurt herself.

My chest tightened with an unexpected wave of sympathy. Faith had tolerated me as his wife, somehow managed to swallow the bitterness of seeing us together.

But the idea of another woman who was obviously me giving him what she believed should have been hers had pushed her over the edge.

I had never experienced love like that, but I could never have been okay with it. The very thought of it was shattering. How Faith had managed to endure seeing someone else as Edward's wife was also beyond me, because I would have ended things rather than being the second choice.

Despite the fact they seemed to love one another, they were torn apart by the cruel circumstances. What we call not meant to be. Maybe this was the consequence of the wrongs they had done to others, coming back to haunt them in the most tragic way. The situation was far more complex than it appeared, a tragic entanglement of love, jealousy, and despair that had brought them all to this breaking point.

As twisted as it was, a part of me couldn't help but be grateful for her actions, even if I didn't agree with them. If Faith hadn't done what she did, I knew the night would have ended very differently. The thought of what would have happened alone is enough to make me shudder down my spine.

Yes you may find it twisted and no doubt it is, but I can't deny how I felt.

I noticed Edward's stone stance and the thick haze of his anger softened just slightly, as if Elizabeth's words were slowly penetrating the fog of his rage.

"Why?" It was the only question he directed at Faith. She slowly lifted her face from Elizabeth's shoulder. Her tear-stained eyes, red and swollen, met his through the curtain of her dark lashes heavy with moisture.

For a moment, she simply stared at him before fresh tears welled up in her eyes. Then her lip trembled, and a tear slid down her cheek which she immediately wiped.

"You're really asking me why?" Faith's tone was incredulous, almost disbelieving. "Do you seriously not realize what you were about to do?"

She broke off, glancing at me, and the contempt in her eyes was as sharp as a knife. I am sure she would be glad to plunge deep inside my heart. It stung. I hate to admit it but it did.