In the dim light of the living room, Luna snatched the papers from Mila's grasp, the rustling of parchment echoing through the tense silence like the crackling of dry leaves underfoot. She scrawled her signature without a second thought, the scratch of pen on paper a sharp contrast to the pounding of her heart, which throbbed in her chest like a captive bird.
As she turned and ran to their bedroom, her footsteps echoed heavily on the floor, each step a reminder of her impending departure. Her mind raced like a runaway train, a jumble of thoughts and emotions that threatened to overwhelm her.
As she packed her bags, she realized that she barely knew the man she had married. She didn't know his family, his past, or anything about him beyond his last name. The realization hit her like a physical blow, the weight of her ignorance crushing down on her like a heavy stone.
"I've been so naive," she muttered to herself, her voice barely a whisper, lost in the vastness of the room. "Blinded by love."
It dawned on her that she was no longer Luna Daigo. She was Luna Carnell, and she was free. A sense of liberation washed over her, mingled with a bittersweet pang of loss, like the taste of honey tinged with a hint of vinegar.
She finished packing and headed back to the living room, the soft thud of her suitcase against the carpet a reminder of her departure. She overheard Mila and Alex talking, their voices low and conspiratorial, like the rustling of leaves in a gentle breeze.
"Why did you come here, Mila?" Alex asked, his voice laced with frustration, like the grating of metal on metal. "We agreed that Luna and I would stay together until I had a child with her."
"It's been over a year," Mila replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm, like acid dripping onto marble. "Where's the child? You've been sleeping with her, showering her with love and affection, while I've been alone."
"But this was your plan," Alex protested, his voice rising in anger, like the roar of thunder in a storm. "Why are you acting like it's mine?"
Despite their argument, Alex's tried to keep his voice calm and collected, a stark contrast to Mila's thinly veiled anger, which flared like a wildfire, consuming everything in its path.
"I know it was my plan," Mila said, her voice softening slightly, like the gentle patter of rain on a windowpane. "But I did it because I wanted to give you what you've always wanted. I love you so much that I was willing to let you marry someone else just to make your dreams come true. I didn't want to ruin your chance of becoming a father."
Alex's heart melted as he listened to Mila's heartfelt words. It was true—Mila loved him deeply. He pulled her into a hug, the warmth of her body a balm to his weary soul, like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds.
"I'm sorry, Mila," he said, his voice thick with emotion, like the weight of a thousand unspoken words. "I'm sorry for not thinking about how you felt while I was with another woman. I'm sorry for putting my dreams ahead of our marriage."
Mila smiled and wrapped her arms around him, her scent of lavender and vanilla intoxicating, like the heady fragrance of a summer garden. She had Alex right where she wanted him, like a puppet on a string.
She noticed Luna standing, watching them with a mixture of envy and hatred. Luna's eyes were red-rimmed and puffy from crying, her hair disheveled, like a bird's nest after a storm.
Mila pulled away from the hug and cupped Alex's face, giving him a deep kiss, her lips soft and pliant, like ripe fruit. Alex held the back of her head and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss, their tongues dancing together like flames in the wind. Luna looked away, her heart heavy, like a stone sinking to the bottom of a lake. She had no right to be jealous, because she was not the one Alex loved.
She dragged her suitcase down the stairs, the noise alerting Alex. He started to approach her, but Mila placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him, like a traffic cop halting a car. He watched silently as she hauled her suitcase to the door, her footsteps echoing through the empty house, like the sound of a lone traveler walking through a vast and desolate wasteland.
Luna paused at the door and opened her purse. She took out a spare key and dropped it on the floor with a metallic clink, the sound echoing through the silence like a bell tolling in an empty church. She followed it with her wedding ring, which rolled away with a dull thud, like a pebble skipping across a frozen lake.
"I wish you two a happy life," she said, her voice trembling, like a leaf caught in a whirlwind. "And I hope you get what you deserve for playing this cruel game."
With that, she left, the door slamming shut behind her with a thud sound.
Alex's eyes flickered with a brief flash of emotion, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving no trace behind.
"You should get your things too, Alexander," Mila said, her voice echoing slightly in the empty house. "We don't need this house anymore. Let's go back home."
Alex nodded and went to the bedroom he had once shared with Luna. He stared at the walls, where their wedding pictures still hung, their smiling faces mocking him. He felt a pang of guilt for what he had done, the weight of his betrayal heavy in his chest.
Taking a deep breath that seemed to catch in his throat, he began to pack his bags. The sound of zippers and the rustle of clothes filled the silence of the room. When he was finished, he left the house with Mila, the door closing behind them with a soft thud.
However, he didn't take down the pictures of him and Luna. He left them on the wall, a bittersweet reminder of what they had once shared. He also kept the keys and wedding ring that Luna had thrown away, tucking them into his pocket. He couldn't bring himself to throw them away because they held fond memories that he didn't want to lose, even if they now felt tainted by the knowledge of his betrayal.
Mila smiled triumphantly, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. She had won her husband back, and she was determined to keep him. She planned to convince him to adopt a child so that this situation would never repeat itself. She was not going to let another woman threaten her marriage again, even though it had been her own mistake to suggest it in the first place.