I stood upstairs, leaning against the guardrail, looking down at the living room below. Damien sat on the sofa with Selene, the two of them joking around with laughter that sounded so light. Now and then, Damien would feed Selene pieces of fruit and snacks, while she smiled indulgently as if enjoying the attention.

My chest felt tight. I was like a stranger in my own home. None of them were aware of my existence, or perhaps they were deliberately ignoring me.

I clenched my fists, trying to suppress the increasingly heavy feeling in my chest. I didn't want to care, I didn't want to think about it. But with each passing day, Damien's treatment made it clear that I was sure of my choice.

***

In the morning, I sat on the living room sofa, staring at the television screen, trying to enjoy myself. Just as I was about to take a sip of hot tea, the sound of footsteps could be heard approaching.

"I made you some coffee," Selene said, holding out the coffee. "I remember Damien saying that you like black coffee without sugar." She said again as she smiled meaningfully at me.

I raised my face, looking at her with furrowed brows. 'What? Black coffee without sugar? Does Damien want to kill me? Doesn't he know that I'm allergic to it?'

Selene smiled a sweet, fake smile. “I just wanted to get closer to you. After all, we live in the same house now," she said shamelessly.

I snorted. "Don't joke around, Selene! I'm allergic to coffee and Damien knows it," I said with a glare.

"Oh, my God. How could Damien forget this? Why does he only remember what I like and what I don't? It hurts, Althea," she said with a sad face then smiled slyly and pulled the coffee back towards her.

Hearing that, my heart hurt.

"If there's nothing important, then leave! I don't want to be disturbed," I shooed her away with my eyes fixed on the television screen.

Selene chuckled casually. "I just want to chat like yesterday. You don't mind, do you?"

I paused. What did she say? Chatting. Instead, yesterday she accused me of pushing her. What a sneaky woman.

Selene played with her coffee cup, still standing. "I still remember, Damien used to bring me coffee every morning. He never forgot the measure. If I was sick, he would feed me himself, without me asking," she said, smiling so broadly. I don't know what she was thinking.

I gripped my cup tightly.

"Ah, and I also remember how he always rubbed my head before going to bed," she continued, her voice made soft. "You know, that habit never changed. Except..." She looked at me with sparkling eyes. "Does he still do that to you?" he asked without finishing his sentence.

I stood up, feeling disgusted by his talk. "I'm not interested in hearing about your past with Damien."

Selene smiled smugly and then said, "Why, do you feel disrespected by him?"

I gave her a sharp look and said back, "I just feel sorry for you, Selene. You came back and thought you could take everything away from me. But in reality, you're just a pathetic woman who can't let go of the past."

Suddenly her smile disappeared. Her eyes narrowed, full of hatred.

Suddenly, before I could move, she shouted so loudly that I was startled.

I was wide-eyed as I saw Selene drop her coffee cup into her hands, the hot coffee pouring out as she continued to scream in pain. As if that wasn't enough, she quickly threw herself to the floor, her forehead hitting the side of the chair with a loud thud.

I was startled, but before I could help her, the sound of quick steps could be heard.

"Selene!"

Damien ran towards her, his face filled with worry. He immediately knelt, examining Selene's reddened hands and forehead.

I opened my mouth, wanting to explain, but Selene burst into tears first, saying, "I just wanted to bring Althea some coffee. But she got angry and poured it on me and pushed me."

My eyes widened. "What? That's not true! She-"

A hard slap landed on my cheek.

I jerked back. Stinging ran down my face, but what hurt more was the fact that Damien had slapped me, without hearing my explanation.

"Althea! You've gone too far!" Her voice trembled with anger. "Selene was just recovering, and you hurt her instead."

"Damien, I don't-"

"I know you don't like her, but just because I didn't make breakfast for you yesterday and bring Selene here, you got angry and took it out on Selene? Are you out of your mind?" he said with a sharp glint in his eyes.

I fell silent, my chest tightening.

Damien grasped Selene's shoulders, helping her up. "I won't let you keep hurting her."

I held back the pain in my lip that had been split by his slap. "You trust her like that, Damien?"

He gave me a hateful look. "I should have realized from the start, that you're not a good woman, Althea."

I didn't have time to react when Damien pushed me to the floor. My head hit the table hard. The pain was immediate before everything went black.

Before I lost consciousness, I could still hear Selene sobbing and Damien frantically calling her name.

Not my name. But the name of the woman who had ruined everything.

I woke up with my head still feeling heavy. My vision was blurry for a moment, before finally adjusting to the bright white light in this room. The distinctive smell of antiseptic immediately filled my sense of smell. Hospital?

I blinked my eyes, trying to get up slowly. The pain in my head immediately struck, making me groan softly. I looked around, searching for someone. But, there was no one here. No Damien, no Selene.

My heart raced as the door to the room opened and a nurse walked in. The woman smiled kindly as soon as she saw me awake.

"Good news, you're awake. How are you feeling?" she asked gently as she checked the IV in my arm.

I swallowed, my throat feeling dry. "Who brought me here?" I asked curiously.

The nurse frowned for a moment, before smiling again. "There was a man and woman who said they found you on the side of the road. They didn't recognize you." She replied with a smile.

I froze.

"But," the nurse continued in a casual tone, "I did hear the woman call her boyfriend Damien." She said while tidying up the medical equipment she was carrying.

My whole body felt stiff instantly. I didn't know how to react. As if I had just been stabbed in the back, I could only stare at the nurse blankly.

So, Damien brought me here, but didn't even acknowledge who I was to him? He left me for dead after what happened?

I bit my lip, holding back the sob that was about to break out. The nurse seemed to notice the change in my expression but said nothing. After finishing her brief examination, she walked away, leaving me alone in this room.

And once the door closed, I couldn't hold back my tears anymore.

Damien was gone from me.

I took a deep breath, trying to control myself. This was enough. I wasn't going to stay any longer in a relationship that was unwanted by the person who was supposed to love me.

With trembling hands, I reached for my cell phone on the small table beside the bed. My fingers moved quickly to search for the one name I hadn't called in a long time.

Lucas.

It doesn't take long before the line connects.

"Hello, Lucas," I said in a shaky voice, fighting back tears.

"Althea?" Lucas' voice sounded worried from the other side. "What's wrong with you? You sound strange."

"I'm in the hospital," I said quietly, trying to keep my voice steady. "Can you pick me up?"

There was an annoyed sigh from Lucas. "Sure. I'll be right there."

I hung up the phone and wiped away the tears that still lingered on my cheeks. I had to get out of here. I got off the bed, pressed the emergency button, and asked the nurse to come and remove my IV and Lucas would be the guarantor.

After Lucas arrives and takes care of the hospital paperwork, I ask him not to take me straight to his place. There was one thing I had to do first.

"Are you sure you want to go back there?" asked Lucas in a disapproving tone, as soon as I said I wanted to go back home for a while.

"I'm just going to get my essentials. I don't want to be there any longer," I replied firmly while looking Lucas in the face with conviction.

Lucas's face seemed to look annoyed but eventually nodded. "Alright. I'll wait in the car."

Once I got home, I entered cautiously. I knew Damien wasn't here. It was evident from Selene's post that she was eating dinner. It was better because I didn't want to meet him.

Quickly, I grabbed the essentials, clothes, documents, and a few other personal items. I didn't bring much. I just wanted to leave as quickly as possible, before Damien returned.

As my hand reached for the small suitcase, my eyes unconsciously caught our wedding photo that was still hanging on the wall. I looked closer, staring at my happy smiling face beside Damien. It was like looking at memories that no longer belonged to me.

Without thinking, I took the photo off the wall and placed it on the bed. I didn't need to carry it with me. It no longer meant anything to me.

My eyes, unbidden, gaze down at my hand, looking at the ring that's still on my ring finger. The ring that Damien had given me in our simple proposal, with the promise that he would always love me and take care of me.

A promise that now feels empty.

With trembling hands, I slowly remove the ring. It hurts more than I imagined as if I'm letting go of a part of myself. But, I must not be weak.

Without hesitation, I placed the ring on the table, leaving it there as a symbol of the end.

"We're done, Damien. Enjoy your life with Selene," I said as I took a firm step.

I walked out of the room and closed the door without looking back. My feet move quickly towards Lucas' car.