My face whipped to the side, stinging. His raised hand trembled in the air as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just done.
I saw him looked stunned, more at himself than at me. In the next second, he pulled me into his arms in a panic.
“I’m sorry—I didn’t mean it! I just—You said awful things, I lost my temper. You know I’d never hurt you on purpose.” He reached up, gently cupping my cheek, his voice soft, “Does it hurt?”
I held my swollen cheek and pushed him away firmly. “We're getting a divorce. That’s final.”
Then I turned and walked out the door.
Alric started to follow, but Seraphina quickly grabbed his arm. “Let her cool off. She’s just jealous right now. You chasing after her will only make things worse.”
Of course, Alric obeyed her.
I let out a quiet, bitter laugh. Of course he stayed. He truly didn’t understand, it seems.
When a woman finally calmed down, truly calmed down… it wasn’t forgiveness that came next. It was clarity.
And once clarity set in, my decision to leave only became more certain.
I wandered the streets for nearly half an hour before, I hailed a cab and returned home.
But I never made it inside.