May the Flames of Hell Engulf You

Brandon was in the kitchen making dinner when I got home.

From the entryway, I watched him wearing his loungewear and an apron while he cooked. My eyes started to sting a little.

Maybe I stared too obviously, for he quickly noticed and turned around to smile at me. He turned off the stove, washed his hands, and got on his knees to help me change my shoes.

"You've been out shopping all day. Are you tired? What did you buy?" he asked.

Before going to the hospital, I told him I was going to the mall.

He reached out for the medical report. I paused for a second, forced a smile, and shook my head. "I'm not tired. I didn't buy much."

He didn't think too much about it and just told me to rest on the couch for a bit as dinner would be ready soon.

But unexpectedly, right at dinnertime, an uninvited guest showed up.

Lexie handed him a file and apologized, "Sorry, Mr. Foster. I forgot to get your signature on this."

I only glanced at it briefly, but I clearly saw that there were faint, suggestive water stains on the document.

Brandon twitched his eyebrows. The next second, he blocked my view and spoke with an unmistakable sharpness in his tone. "Don't let this happen again."

I knew exactly what he meant. He was telling Lexie not to be so blatant in front of me.

Lexie's eyes reddened slightly, and she whispered an apology.

She hadn't been gone long before Brandon suddenly said he needed to go buy some seasoning and left after her.

I trailed behind them from a distance.

Sure enough, after just a little while, I saw him at the end of the garden path, holding that delicate woman in his arms, comforting her gently as she sobbed.

"I'm not mad at you. I just told you before not to show up in front of Daniella so often. She'll overthink things, okay?"

Lexie had already noticed me. She raised an eyebrow at me and whined coyly, "But this time wasn't my fault. Mr. Foster, you were the one messing around in the office…"

By the end of her sentence, her voice had turned into that sickeningly sweet tone.

Brandon playfully tapped her nose and whispered something I couldn't hear. Soon, the two of them were kissing.

My vision blurred, and I had no idea how I got home.

When Brandon came back, I was sitting on the couch, waiting for him.

He met my empty gaze, and maybe he felt a little guilty because he clumsily tried to explain, "The store in our area is closed. But it's fine. I can cook without that seasoning. I'll buy it next time."

I hummed softly and looked away.

I didn't tell him there was a lipstick stain on his collar, which Lexie left on purpose.

…

A few days later, my wedding dress arrived. It was an intricate, high-end design with shimmering diamonds embedded into the skirt.

When it was delivered, Brandon went to pick it up himself. "Be careful, don't ruin it."

He suggested I try it on, but I didn't have the energy to deal with him anymore. I just smiled. "It's fine. We already did the fitting."

"Alright."

Brandon finally noticed I looked a little pale. His expression was filled with concern. "Daniella, are you feeling okay?"

I shook my head and brushed him off. "It's nothing. I just didn't sleep well last night."

Brandon still looked worried and insisted on taking me to the hospital, but his phone rang as soon as he helped me into the car.

He turned his back to me to check it. He frowned like he was dealing with something complicated at work.

Then, he turned around and said apologetically, "Daniella, I'm sorry. There's an issue with a contract. I have to go back to the office."

I nodded silently and slowly clenched my hand around my phone.

Before leaving, he reminded me again to get checked at the hospital and said he would ask for my test results when he got home.

But just moments later, I looked down at my phone and saw a message from Lexie.

"Did Mr. Foster tell you there was some emergency at work again? Hehe! Well, he does have something to do at the office."

Then, I received a video call request.

My throat went dry. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to find the strength to answer.

It was a view in a fitting room.

Lexie was wearing the wedding dress that Brandon and I had spent so much time working with the designer to perfect. The delicate straps slipped off her shoulders as she draped herself over Brandon.

His hands roamed greedily up her smooth, pale thigh. In the middle of the wet, obscene sounds of their kissing, his voice was husky and low.

"Ms. Pace…" The driver's voice pulled me back to reality.

That was when I realized that my nose was bleeding again. I pressed a tissue against it and turned off my phone. "Take me home."

The driver hesitated. "But Mr. Foster told me to take you to the hospital…"

I let out a soft laugh. "It's fine. He won't give you a hard time over it."

After all, whether he had me in mind was another matter entirely.