‘Ah… you’re still married, you didn’t tell her.’     

My cheeks burn more than if every word she said would have been a slap. The metal of my wedding ring feels warm in my clenched fist. ‘None of your business. I want you to leave.’      

As her footsteps disappear down the hallway, my body snaps like a pine in a tornado and just in time I reach for the bin letting out everything until my stomach clenches and only the bitter taste remains.  

 Bette’s POV   

‘Fuck this!’  I roar and the pages of the sixth book of Proust’s In Search of Lost Time riffle through the air before the hard cover hits the floor with a thud. We were making steps forward. If only I was granted to keep all those painful memories and acknowledged mistakes buried deep inside, leaving them to rot until they turn into dust and we forget about them. Choosing to follow that infuse of fresh spirit between us, choosing to believe in good instead of heartache and betrayal. People who didn’t experience true love never got to endure real pain, most of the times I pity them, today again I wish I was one of them.

‘Where are you going?’ She asks just in time to catch the falling hatrack as I jerk the front door open holding my jacket.

‘Out.’ I bark. ‘Before I break every single fucking thing in here.’

‘Bette wait.’ Our footsteps reverberate as drumbeats in the stairwell. Skipping treads at a time she manages to catch up with me in the portal, where I’m cursing the sleave of my jacket for slowing me down. ‘Let me help.’

‘Leave me alone.’

‘No.’

Behind me her soles struggles to get a grip on the slippery cobblestones like a needle that scratches over vinyl. I speed up, away from those images that invade my brain like a broken record. Time for once was on my side, it helped me blur all these images till the point that I almost forgot about them. But it’s easier to forgive than forget. ‘Bette please, I’m …’

‘If you apologize one more time, I swear… I swear…’ Wishing to be lightning and thunder at the same time, I turn so abruptly that she almost crashes into me.