Broken Strings

C H A P T E R T H R E E

"He does something to me, that boy. Every time. It's his only detriment. He steps on my heart. He makes me cry."

- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

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Anisha looked through the colorful dresses that lined the racks. Andrew's birthday was tomorrow and his parents would always host a ball for him.

She had decided to buy a new dress. All of her previous clothes were now loose on her. She had lost a lot of weight in the last three months.

She tried on a lavender gown. She liked that it made her look more filled but it was evident that she was frail.

When she looked in the mirror, she saw nothing but a weak girl. Sometimes she still felt like that. She still felt as if she was the same insecure girl that used to get made fun of in high school. She didn't even know what Andrew had seen in her. He didn't see anything in her anymore and now when she stared at herself in the mirror, she didn't see anything either.

She wasn't anything special.

Her hair was thin, there were dark circles under her eyes, she was too thin, bruises covered her body. She was really fading away.

She tried on a green dress. Green was Andrew's favorite color. It was truly funny how she could bring every little thing back to him. A coffee would remind her of their first date while a rose would remind her of the times he had given her flowers. But Amanda had his affection now.

She smiled sadly as she looked at herself in the mirror. The green dress was nice but it wasn't like he would even notice it on her. Amanda was the one he cared about. She was the one who he loved. But Anisha was okay with that. As long as he was happy, she was okay with that. That's all she wanted- for him to be happy.

And besides, Anisha would soon only be a reminder of his past, of the love they had once shared.

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Andrew simply nodded. Amanda was going on and on about her day at work but he just couldn't find it in himself to be interested in what she was saying. He was thinking about his birthday tomorrow.

His birthday was the same for the last fourteen years. Him and his wife would go to the ball and act like a happy couple in love. She, he knew, would always use the dinner as an advantage to be around him. Yet though he would never admit it, he enjoyed his birthday every year.

"Are you even listening to what I'm saying?"

Amanda raised an eyebrow as Andrew shook his head nodding.

"Amanda, you work for me. I'm sure I knew how your day is going."

She agreed smiling. "But you can still listen to me talk about my day."

He nodded but it was evident, he was disinterested.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just the birthday ball is tomorrow."

"Oh." Her smile fell. "So you're going with your wife?"

He nodded slowly, trying to convince himself he wasn't looking forward to spending an entire evening with his wife. His wife, his Anisha. All his. Only his.

"Can I come?"

"You want to go to a dance where my wife and parents will be present?"

"I mean. I could go. You could tell everyone I'm your PA. Your parents already know how important work is for you. And then we could go to my place after."

"Sure." It was wrong of him to agree, he knew that. Amanda was simply his mistress, nothing more. But still he knew he had to agree with her to keep her happy.

But he knew it was his wife's heart he'd be breaking. Once again. Without meaning to.