UNCHANGEABLE - TIAOM

18

"here, take this." kim hands over a can of beer to peter who accepts it.

"thanks." he opens the can and sips from it, wincing after. "damn. you really gave me a good lip cut with your punches."

kim chuckles. "i am a veteran, in case you have forgotten."

peter chuckles. "right."

"do you need me to get the medkit again?"

"no. i'm fine now. how about you, is your nose still bleeding?"

"nope. all good now."

peter nods a few times and then turns his attention back to the city view in front of them. "pie's right. you really have a pleasant view from here."

kim opens her can, bends over to the railing and drinks. "really? she never told me that."

"she told me that night she came here. says you have a cool balcony."

kim smiles.

"she was... extra sweet that night to me, you know..." says peter in a way kim knows he's ready to spill something. "exerting extra effort to provide real-time updates. truth is, i don't have issues with her going here. you were injured after you saved our kid. going here to take care of you is the right thing to do."

"you're her husband. you deserve to know what she's up to," says kim.

"yeah. but we aren't like that," he says. "pie and i, being both medical practitioners that we are, we don't message each other when we're at work. we know the complexities of our work, of how a simple distraction can lead to losing lives.

"but her actions that night got me thinking," he continues. "she was over-communicating to the point i find it odd. why does she have to go that far to prove to me there's nothing to be worried about her going to see her ex? is she masking something underneath that sweetness? then i realised, yes, she's doing that because she wants to give me the impression that she's no longer in love with you when in fact she still do."

kim eyes her beer can and wipes the dew with her thumb. she doesn't know why but this conversation is making her feel guilty at some point.

"i never mentioned that to her," peter continues after another sip from the can. "i don't want her to know that i know. besides, she's exerting too much effort to make it up with me, leaving no room for any doubts."

kim drinks her beer too, silently listening.

"pie's an admirable woman. really. a woman of her word," says peter calmly. "despite our fights and the challenges we are facing in our relationship, she never gave up on me. she was never willing to throw in the towel even if i wanted to."

kim whips her head at the doctor. "what do you mean?"

"i've been talking to her about getting a divorce since two years ago."

"what?" kim's eyebrows furrows. "please tell me you're not cheating on her otherwise i'll really kill you now."

"i'm not!" peter says right away, laughing a bit. "i wouldn't do something like that to her. not to her." he went silent. "she doesn't deserve that."

"then why divorce her?"

"she's..." he looks at his can and exhales. "she's been in pain, for years now, and it's because of you and me." he looks at kim. "i am the only reasons she hasn't begged on her knees for you to come back to her yet."

"that's not true," kim says, remembering the last talk she had with pie. "she loves you. she told me she doesn't have plans of leaving you for me nor anyone else."