The Traitor

"I'm not mad. It's our big day. You should smile more." She held my hand and blew on it. "Did that slap hurt your hand? I'll put something on it. Get some sleep tonight," she said, her voice gentle. She was acting as if her betrayal had never happened.

I flung her hand away in disbelief, making her frown in displeasure. "I let you slap me. That should be enough."

My tears came again, and I couldn't stop them. "When did you change? Where's the woman who loved me with all her heart?"

Wendy didn't take my hand again. Instead, she sipped on her wine and slowly answered, "I've been more than generous with you, Ashton. You only came to me after you had your fun with Summer. You wanted something warm, something tender, and I gave all of that to you.

"You only have one kidney. I didn't complain about how you're used goods. Instead, all I did was cheat. Yet, that's all it takes to make you flip?"

I froze for what felt like an eternity before I answered, "But I never half-assed our relationship."

The look in her eyes was something I'd never seen before. It sent chills down my spine. She retorted, "I never did as well. I only approached Joe to avenge you. I wanted to sleep with him, take the pics, and show everyone the trash he really is."

She took a deep drag and breathed out a string of smoke. "But the more I do it, the more I get why Summer went for him and not you."

I shivered. "Why?"

She turned her eyes to me, and a small smile curled her lips. "She has a good eye. He's so much better than you."

The trembling stopped, and my blood froze. "Wendy, you…"

"He tattooed my name, and it expands when he does. I can see every letter bounce. It's exciting. You can't do that. You complain about the pain if I get too rough.

"I didn't want to touch the wound, but then I remembered you only took on that suffering for Summer, and… and I didn't like it."

Her voice was turning raspier with every passing moment. Her eyes were crimson enough that it felt as though she was one temper away from bursting her veins in her eyes. "How is she better than me? Why is it that she gets to win every time?"

I stared at Wendy as if she'd shed her human skin and revealed her grotesque form. The usually gentle and courteous woman was acting like a wench who had gone insane.

She flung the door open and wanted to leave, but she softened when she saw the tears on my face. "The stylist will change your clothes." Then, she left just like that. My eyes were puffy from all the crying.

I was holding that woman's hand and exchanging my marital vows with her in front of everyone just 10 minutes ago.

Now, my sight was blurred by my tears, and something sorrowful filled my heart.

The wound on my lower back was groaning again. Once again, I was faced with the same situation. Once again, I found myself at the same crossroads.

…

Somehow, my legs brought me home. When I opened the door, what met my eyes surprised me. The house was filled with the stuff I'd mentioned in passing—the limited-edition signed jersey I wanted to collect back in college, the vintage vinyl I stared at for a second too long, and even a limited-edition watch she asked someone to bring back from Soland.

All I did was leave a like on socials, and she went through all her connections for nearly a year to get it.

Everything was wrapped up in premium packaging and finished with an exquisite ribbon. 'Happy Wedding' was spread in the backdrop, and my eyes stung. My fingers were trembling when I called her. It went through after a few rings. "What is it?" she asked.

It took me everything I had to push my voice out. "Can you come home? We need to…"

She chuckled. "You lost again."

My mind was blank again. "What?"

Her laughter became a roar of hilarity. "I was talking to Joe. He said you're too dignified and would demand a divorce." After a beat, she continued with certainty, "I said you'd come to me."

Joe's mocking laughter was making my scalp tingle. "You're a loser, Ashton. I stole two of the most important women in your life away! How impotent could you be that you couldn't satisfy them?"

My soul was ripped in half, and the pain was making me shake. "I want a divorce, Wendy."

The call ended a long while later, but not my tears.

Then, the door swung open.

Wendy was back, and Joe had an arm around her waist. Hickeys littered all over her neck and chest only served to break my spirits further.

I charged ahead with my hand raised, but she grabbed my hand and shoved me out the door before I could land that slap. "Cool down, just like you did three years ago."

Then, the door slammed shut. I could feel the freezing rain pouring all over my head, causing me to shiver under the biting cold.

I had suffered the same rain three years ago. The woman who held up that umbrella was the very same one who pushed me into the depths of despair once more.

Cruel Woman

I sat on the flooded ground. The silhouettes on the window were entwined with each other, but soon that figure was also a blur.

I dazedly thought I saw Wendy again, the one from three years ago. I was all but dead after experiencing my first betrayal. I said nothing, shed no tears, gave no smiles, and only spent my days staring emptily into the ceiling.

Wendy did everything she could to cheer me up. She bought me flowers, but I didn't even look at them. She brought me to the beach to see the ocean, but I said nothing. She cooked for me, but I didn't even take a bite.

Then, she went missing for the whole afternoon. When she came back, her face was covered in the Joker's makeup, and a big red nose hung from her actual nose.

She tried to play some tricks to cheer me up. It was a clumsy performance. She scrambled to juggle the balls, only for them to fall off three times.

Wendy was the Haltons' only heir and always kept up airs wherever she went. She was serious and intimidating, but she humbled herself just to make me happy.

I laughed. For the first time after the betrayal, I laughed.

Then, she got into a row in a bar for me, all because someone told her in an offhand way that I was used goods. She threw out all her lessons on etiquette right there and then.

She had once cried in front of the whole company, all because I was throwing a tantrum and told her I didn't want her anymore. She grabbed my hand and pleaded for me to stay.

The pride Summer complained about was something Wendy took. She told me she'd love me no matter what I was.

I couldn't understand why the woman who had nothing but eyes for me could turn into… that.

I stood underneath the complex, staring at the building numbly. Only when the lights had gone out did I leave. The wound on my lower back was screaming now. I went to the hospital.

…

The nurse yelled out my name and said my card was frozen. "You should've checked before you came! It's the dead of the night, for God's sake!"

I scrambled off the operating theater. Not only was my body drenched, but my coat was clinging tightly to my skin and draining my warmth. The cold was almost freezing me.

I apologized profusely, only to gain looks of scorn in return.

"He must've cheated or something. He deserves to be dumped."

"God's watching, I always say."

No, no, that wasn't it. That was a lie. Alas, I couldn't say anything. My fingers were clenched tightly around the card, and my knuckles went white.

I had nowhere to go. Eventually, my legs brought me back to the den of treachery. The door swung open. Wendy was leaning on the wall, a glass of wine in her hand. Her eyes were gleaming with mockery, as if she knew I'd come home.

"Why did you marry me, Ashton? Love, or revenge on Summer?"

That question came out of nowhere. I couldn't come up with an answer on the spot. Her eyes went red, and she clamped down on my shoulders tightly.

Then, she started shaking me as if she could shake an answer out of me. "You don't feel anything even after all that, Ashton? Why didn't you make a scene? You made a huge fuss when you found out Summer was cheating!"

The shaking was making my nausea worse, so I retched. Wendy flung me away, and a cold, cruel smile hung on her lips. "Think I'm disgusting, do you?"

She pinched Joe's chin and kissed him right in front of me. Joe moaned, his voice sickeningly sweet.

Wendy raised her head. Her lipstick was smudged. "Hold it in as long as you can."

The Cruelty Continues

I looked away. A wave of exhaustion washed over me, flooding me. "You're a child, Wendy. Summer's a bigger adult than you'll ever be."

What I said triggered her, causing Wendy to charge right into me and shove me back. I hadn't expected her to react so violently, so I didn't brace myself and crashed into the door. The pain made my vision swim. Her eyes narrowed, and she took half a step.

"Wendy…"

Wendy opened her eyes, and her cruel smile turned into a bloodthirsty grin. "You're not going to divorce me, Ashton. No one's going to marry a man who's gone through two divorces. No one but me."

Every word stabbed through my heart like a blade meant to kill. I clutched my spinning head and tried to leave, but her footsteps quickened. "You're not leaving!" She tossed Joe onto the bed and grabbed my hand. "Are you seeing Summer again?"

My bones were groaning in pain, but she kept talking, "You know what she did. You were in the rain, begging her to come back, but she never did! She was fucking Joe!"

My body was getting colder by the minute, but I held back the shiver in my voice as I answered, "And you did the same thing. You're no better than her."

That shut her up for a moment.

She stared at me with red-rimmed eyes before hissing, "I did it for you! For vengeance! But I see you love her more."

She yanked my shirt and tore it apart before pushing me down onto the bed. Wendy stared at me from above, her eyes filled with burning madness. "How is she better than me?" Her voice cracked as she rode me.

I turned away, my tears seeping into the sheets beneath. She clenched my chin and forced me to look at her. Her eyes were now completely bloodshot, like those of a feral beast. "Answer me!"

Silence was the only reply I gave her.

The light in her eyes dimmed. "I've found a heart donor for your father. It was going to be our wedding gift, but now…"

Strobe lights lit up. I put a hand to my face, but she pulled my belt away, and the cold crawled up my back. "Don't cover your face. You were holding it in well enough." She took a sip out of her glass.

"It's a bet. If you had told me Summer meant nothing to you, I'd cherish you like treasure." A pause later, she said, "But you lost the bet."

Joe spread the video across the Internet right away.

"Everyone has seen my photos. Now, you're going to be starring in those headlines, too. Fair's fair." She flicked the ash of her cigarette away and replayed the scene in her head.

"I'll tell them the photos at the wedding are AI-generated. You're still going to be my husband at the end of the day."

A sliver of jealousy flickered in Joe's eyes, but it hid itself quickly enough. He held Wendy's arm and whispered something in her ear.

That brought a smile to her face. "You know me so well."

I tried to get back up, but my legs failed me. Still, something inside gave me the strength to endure this torture. One single thought kept me going. 'I must escape this hell.'

A long, long while later, a surge of warm and metallic liquid choked me.

…

Her phone rang, but Wendy turned it face down on the nightstand. She turned back and held Joe. "Ignore him."

A long stretch of time later, Wendy's phone rang again.

She picked it up with a face full of satisfaction. "Are you sorry now?"

A panicked voice answered, "Hi, Wendy Halton? Your husband suffered hematemesis and is going through an emergency procedure. We'll need you to sign the papers right now. He needs to get into the ICU!"

Wendy was stunned. "I'm sorry, what?"

The call ended abruptly. Wendy jolted up from her bed and unlocked her phone. It was filled with missed calls and texts from her mother.

Melanie texted, "Where are you, Wendy? You have to go to the hospital, now! Ashton has late-stage kidney cancer!"

The text hit her like a nightmare she couldn't wake up from, and her fingers froze as she stared blankly at the screen.