Honeymoon confessions

Ch. 24

Shandell forced a sad smile. No words needed to be said. Nora's heart clenched as she gazed upon the broken woman before her. "You figured didn't you?" Shandell asked.

Nora took cautious steps till she stood a few feet from her. "I didn't know how to tell you," she admitted. She directed her to the seat. The two sat in silence for a good amount of time. Occasionally, Nora would look up at her through her lashes, hoping to find a sign she was ready to start a conversation but after a while, she realised otherwise and asked, "what are you going do now?"

She kept her gaze afar and shrugged although deep down she knew what she wanted. She wanted him. She wanted-needed her marriage to work. She couldn't be the laughing stock of the town.

Lowly black girl divorced after only the first faze of honeymoon. Justin Grayson cheated on his "wife" with his true love.

Even that would be too good. The media was bound to make her the laughing stalk whiles Justin, the victim."

The way she sat with her shoulders slouched with light movements made Nora nervous.  She placed a comfort8ng hand on her shoulder. "You're better than that."

Shandell raised a brow at her. "You don't have to stay with him. It's not worth it." She responded.

Shandell looked away in shame, only confirming her allegations. It was almost heart breaking how pathetic she made her self. "You were going to stay with him?!" She exclaimed. The silence only seemed to infuriate her. "You've got to be kidding." She scoffed, stepping back from her.

"Shandell!" She exclaimed.

"What do you want me to do?!" She cried, "I can't just walk away from the marriage. I love him don't you get it?"

"I'm not saying that," she defended, "but let him feel uneasy and like the dickhead he is."

"I can't." She breathed. "I'll be the laughing stock."

She didn't know what to say next. The media made it very clear Shandell came from a "humble" background. She was a gold digger to them but the little time she spent with her painted another picture.
She was foolishly I love with the man. In fact, to her, she thought the girl was too young to get married to someone like Justin. She was only twenty one-still a child. She lived a very different life compared to what Justin pulled her into.

She knew the man. Chief narcissist and manipulator. All the men in that world were but those on top-like Justin were ruthless and just like everything, he had her wrapped around his finger.

"Shandell..." she started but was cut off by a ringtone.

Shandell quickly picked it up and from the way she looked, she was certain it was Justin. Nothing was said as she only nodded and cut the call. Shandell stood up, "he wants to speak to me."

In her opinion, Nora thought she needed a little time to herself, to be with someone, it could even be family from home, to advise her. She knew the "talk they were going to have would lead to an early forgiveness."

Love did not just vanish but it would be wrong to pretend she wasn't hurt. She didn't have to leave him but...something had to be done.

She walked back to her and gently grabbed her hand. She starred dead at her face: eyes blood a shot and swollen, tear stained cheeks and red nose. She looked distraught. "Don't make it easy for him to keep hurting you. She said firmly, "Please! You deserve better than that."

It took a while for her to truly hear her and after a while, Shandell dried her newly wet cheeks, nodded and walked out.

Her heard was ready to explode her entire journey back. Common sense began seeping through as she pondered on Nora's words.

She shouldn't be the one feeling guilty. She was a good wife. They just got married but she knew she was putting in her best. She loved him too much and if taking the blame, like she did throughout their courting period and if she had to do it once more to save her marriage she would do it without a doubt. She wasn't as innocent either. This time when they made up, she would let him know everything going on with her. No more secrets.

Her hands shook as she reached for the door knob. "It'll be fine." She encouraged herself before opening it. She was welcomed with Justin pacing the room, with an entire wine bottle in his hand but what coauthor her eyes as the box she received from Sean. Her heart immediately dropped to her stomach.

"Justin...I can explain,' she said as she took cautious steps towards him. He stopped right in front of her. His features held deep anger and his fists clenched and unclenched. "You are lucky you are a woman," he spat, "I would have hit you into a coma!"

"The same "coma" Michelle was in?"

She jumped when he reached for her neck. "You don't know anything about that."

"That's because you didn't tell me anything about it," She replied.

"It was none of your business."

"So says the man I'm married,to!" She shot back.
The tension in the room was highly unbearable. Silence took over and the only thing that could be heard was harsh breaths.

"Do you know how embarrassing this is?!" She asked. He understood it was a rhetoric question.

Her palms harshly wiped her tear stained cheeks. "How long?" She questioned.

At the moment the only he wanted to do was hurt her and try as he may, his conscience blamed him for this entire mess but his pride wouldn't give way what was right. He wanted to break her for having an affair with Cristian. It was probably the thought that Cristian stole his family from him that made the supposed affair even more infuriating.

"Since the very start of this bullshit honeymoon," he spat.

He watched as his words sliced.

She was never one to hide how she felt from him but now, although wailing deep down, she silenced the to loud snorts, scuffs and hiccups.

"You were always a means to an end," he started, "just a temporary fix till I got what I wanted and by the way, a black girl would look good on my arm."

She clenched her heart when an excruciating pain sliced it from his words. Vigorously, she shook her head and replied, "you don't mean that."

He scoffed. "Yes I do."

She sized him, with her mouth hung open. She wanted to share the pain and before she could stop herself, she spewed, "it's a good thing your mother isn't alive to see what a bastard her son turned into."

As fast as the words left her mouth, she felt a sharp pain on her cheek. It took both of them by surprise.

Shandell looked up at him through her lashes. She knew of his temper but he had never hit her before. Pure anger ripples through her and with all her might, she retaliated. "DONT YOU EVER TRY THAT AGAIN!" She cried, "I FIXED YOU DAMN IT AND THIS IS THE THANKS I GET. JUSTIN, DONT CALL ME OR TEXT ME." She took a breath to calm herself before adding, "we are done. I'll get off this ship at the next stop and you'll never see me again. Thank you for being honest with me."

Deep down she wanted him to say something but her only stood his her finger prints drawn on his left cheek and his face beet red in anger. "Thank you for being honest with me and I hope you find happiness with Michelle. I hope she loves you enough so you never have to regret treating me like this. Thank you so much." She sobbed and walked away into the room to pack her stuff.

She heard him walk out. "Of course," she murmured.

Sorry for the short chapter. The next will be longer.