The Winter's Widow (MISHBIR VERSION)

Part Fifteen~

She did not care for the frost biting at her skin or the snow sinking her down to mid-knee, she did not care for the air of ice blowing through the baggy sleeves of his shirt or the flakes of snow littering her hair, all she cared about was reaching Sheila to get answers to questions that had never crossed her mind, answers she hadn't even searched for because she had been a fool for him, the man she called her own.

"Abir" Sheila called excitedly, smile turning into a disgusted frown as her eyes crossed over the woman now stood before her. "Why are you wearing his shirt?" She spat, fist clenched at her side.

"What contract?" Now wasn't the time for pleasantries, she needed to know her husband hadn't played her like a fiddle just to hear music in his ears.

A slick grin grew slowly over her lips "Oh" she pouted, "You didn't know? Well" sitting atop the couch, she pulled out the paper. "Your marriage with your husband was only meant to last three weeks, see, he even signed it" she stood up so she was directly in front of her. "He doesn't want you, he only agreed for his grandad, then I would arrive with this, have you sign it and that little contract you signed in the name of marriage would be null" she sighed, finger curling around a strand of hair. "You should really read before you sign" clicking her tongue, she held out a pen.

Falling back, her hand rested upon her chest "No, no, he wouldn't do, do that to" her eyes shut tightly to keep the tears at bay, "To me".

"Oh, but he did" her hand rested on her shoulder, "It's okay, it isn't your fault, A is just too good of a man to tell you straight that he doesn't want an um" her lips pursed to the side, "Victim for a wife" shrugging, she sipped her coffee.

Gasping, her heart clenched "How, how do you know that?" Had he really told this woman about her demons? Had he told her what she had done? Shaking her head fast, she swiped at her eyes, hating her body for being so responsive to him, hating her heart for beating so fast when he came close, but most of all hating herself for trusting a man she barely knew to treat her better than her dead husband had.

Crossing her ankles, Sheila smiled "How do you think?"

Betrayal flooded through her blood, infecting her system with doses of the backlash he'd left behind the second he penned his name on the dotted line. Reaching for the paper, she traced her fingers over his name, grabbed the pen and ran as fast as her body would allow her to, to get back to him.

"Oh, wait" she shouted dryly after her, cheek against the wall as she sighed in relief, "And that is how it's done" closing the door, she pulled Abir's jacket from the hook and wrapped it around herself.

Oatie jumped up at her the second she swung the door open, his nose nuzzling into her stomach as he whined.

Falling to her knees beside him, Mishti wrapped her arms around his jumpy body "I have to go, don't I?" The admission of what was to come broke her heart, like a dam, the tears continued to fall, wetting his fur as she muffled her sobs into his neck. The simple truth was that she didn't want to go, by buying him a present that rid her of the little cash she had, she'd signed herself to him and discarded all previous thoughts of leaving the man and his dog who'd so quickly became the family she wished for but had long ago stopped dreaming of. Allowing him to fall into her lap, she petted him slowly, eyes focused on the tree that hung over her "Abir is a good man, the best man I have ever had and he deserves to be happy" exhaling loudly, she kissed his head, for a mere second unsure of why she felt the need to justify herself to him, but when his black eyes looked up with an unadulterated innocence she fully understood the desire to want to reassure him that leaving was in everyone's best interests, "I just wish that could be with me, but it isn't and it" she blew out, "And it never will be". She knew he was just a dog, but in some odd way, it was as if he understood the turmoil she was currently facing. The overwhelming sense of awareness that hit her almost made her breathing come to a complete stop when she realised just how far she was willing to go to keep them happy, sacrificing her own wants didn't feel so bad if it meant he'd get the life he deserved. "I'm going to miss you, Oatie and I'll miss him too" the minute her voice cracked, she scrunched the paper in her hand, "You'll look after him for me, won't you?"