Until Death

III

Beware of crying women. Horrid things they hide under those tears.

She was a mountain on the verge of exploding. Through their marriage, the pressure of not having children had been pushed on her. The love they felt at the beginning thinned and thinned every year.

So many clinics had been tried, so many things had they done... and too many failures did they bear in return, each one squashing the hope that had once been present.

Adoption. So not easy to do and while they familiarized themselves with the idea both wanted, if they should take such a step, a child less than a year. Ah, what a headache this was, a near impossible thing and when they found pregnant women who wanted to give their still-in-the-womb baby for adoption, these people would desist at the last time and the law, even though the future adopters had already paid for all the steps and medical visit, much more favored the real mother in such cases.

Their criteria, over the year, broadened too and they went up to three years but still, somehow, could never find a child to adopt and by the time they found, they had long stopped being civil with each other and there would always be a problem creeping up that would make it impossible.

Oh, how stubborn they were. Were they still together because of love still?

By the time she found out about his affair, he didn't seem to be that much in love anymore. The indignation, anger, and humiliation that rose in her at the sight of such proofs in his phone were most certainly related to the feeling of being betrayed itself than any real love.

It was but a simple clumsiness that brought to light this specific trail of messages, she wasn't looking for proof of cheating in his phone after all but merrily to command something to eat, work hasn't let her the time to cook something. But after that, she became particularly paranoid and should he be late with just some minutes she would be on his back the whole night.

When the anger culminated and the confrontation turned left place to explosion, she afterward tried to rekindle the flame of their passion. So many years had they passed together, maybe now it was more the idea of being alone or maybe some kind of misplaced sense of possession or the pride of winning him back in the end that prevented her from even thinking about something as definitive as a divorce.

Nothing seemed to work well though and he was suggesting that ridiculous idea of divorce she had first thought of and discarded.

She took him by sentiments in the end, for he was weak to her tears still. And somehow, there had been one last chance given to their couple. One last time. One last shot.

Her eyes, that had cried so much since married to this man held no joy as her mouth was professing words of love.