Love Disperses With the Wind

I abandoned the drink after taking only a sip from it. After leaving behind a tip, I left the shop.

Ray came home drunk that night. He reeked so strongly of alcohol that I had to pinch my nose. With a glass of water in my hand, I walked around his side of the bed to mine.

"Take a shower. I can't sleep when you stink so badly," I admonished him. I didn't know when it started, but my relationship with Ray was now estranged.

We had been married for seven years. Now, the passion we once felt for each other had faded, leaving only disgust behind.

Ray turned over and deliberately rubbed his stank onto me.

Angered, I slapped him. Then, I said, "I went to a coffee shop today. It was near our old college. I never noticed it before—"

He cut off the rest of my words by grabbing my throat.

"You went to see her?" he questioned.

I instantly knew who Ray was referring to. In the past, I had always ignored his transgressions and been unconcerned about them. But this time, I didn't.

"That's right. That little vixen is seducing my husband. Can't I teach her a lesson?" I shot back harshly.

I felt him gradually squeezing my throat at my deliberate words.

Ray's tone was threatening as he said, "I'm warning you, leave her alone."

I laughed at this. Tears stung the corner of my eyes as I cackled on. I could feel my lungs running out of oxygen, and my eyes started to roll backward.

Ray released his grip just as I was about to lose consciousness. I collapsed close to the edge of the bed, coughing for a long time. He had left a hideous handprint on my neck.

"She is my bottom line, Claire Fort. I will make life difficult for you and your family if you dare mess with her," Ray warned. Then, he slammed the door on the way out.

I sat pensively on the bed. In my near-death moment, I only thought of one thing—Ray would actually kill me because of that girl.