The Lives We Live

Chapter 22

Enjoy and as always let me know what you think! 

-------------------------------------

"What is this?" Toni said reaching it. She opened it and looked at Cheryl with also tears in her eyes. "Your resignation?" She asked sadly.

The redhead nodded, "Please sign it," She said crying.

Toni stood up from her place and sat in front of the redhead. "I won't accept it, leave him." The redhead looked at her with wide eyes. "Don't look at me like that, we will get married if you want, and if you think it's early for us then we will leave together. Choose anyone of those two options but please don't leave me, Cheryl."

"It's not an easy thing to do Toni," Cheryl spoke in a low voice. "I can't leave him,"

"Why not?"

"Because I have kids,"

"Your kids are my kids," Toni replied without hesitation.

Cheryl smiled softly through the tears, "I can't leave him."

"And you can't stay away from me Cher."

"I know, I can't think of a day would come and I wouldn't see you in it. But I am going to hurt him."

"It's not your fault you love someone else. It's not like you met me on purpose, baby please."

"But when someone decided to get married, it means that this someone will dedicate their life to their family,"

Toni sighed, "And if the love between you and that someone was gone, the family will start to fall apart. You're just in that family for a piece of paper Cheryl, if you left me for him, wouldn't you also be hurting him because you aren't in love with him?"

Cheryl nodded, "But it would hurt less."

"Are you trying to convince yourself?"

"A person should be responsible for the decision he took. Even if he isn't happy with it."

"The worst thing in life is that when the night comes and the door closes on you with someone you don't love, your body isn't reacting to him. You basically wake up as if you are in a play and you sleep in a play. The worst thing to lie to yourself, to your kids to anyone who is around you. You are trying to convince yourself that you are happy but in all honesty, you aren't fooling anyone, Cheryl."

"What you are saying is true, but it doesn't justify cheating."

"Cheating isn't being someone who doesn't love him, it is being with him and you don't love him." She sighed and held the redhead's hands, "Baby, love is a passion if it went away, everything else fades away. I can't own a person just because I'm married to him/her and there isn't any love between us, the worst thing is to continue your life with someone just because you are married to him."

"W-What about the kids? It isn't their fault their mother fell in love with someone else." She said sobbing again.

"You are right, look at me, you are an example for your kids because if you gave up on your happiness they'd grow up to be like you. So don't do that to them." She said grabbing the resignation paper and looked at Cheryl with a smile. The redhead smiled back. "I am tearing this paper apart," Toni said making Cheryl laugh through the tears.

"D-Don't, I want to tear it." She said as she started cutting it to pieces.

Toni grabbed Cheryl's hands and directly embraced her in a hug. The redhead nuzzled her face into the crook of her neck as she wrapped her arms around the brunette's shoulder. "I love you so much Cher, d-don't leave me please."