Phoenix ✔️

Chapter 9: The Better One

(6 months later)

I'm leaning against the wall, with tears flowing down my face, as I dry them with a scrunched up paper towel. The insults that he threw at me last night are ringing in my head like church bells. The wounds from the insults are refusing to heal, leaving me with pain that's lasted all night. I'm taking deep breaths in between to help calm myself from the insults that are tearing through my heart slowly.

The bathroom light is shining on my face, with the areas moist with tears looking like someone had just polished my face with a layer of wax. Even though he's still fast asleep upstairs, I feel like my sobbing is going to wake him up and drag him downstairs to punish me even more.

I can't forget last night, where he peacefully went to sleep, while I proceeded to cry myself to sleep. Even after I woke up, the insults were still fresh in my mind, like someone had carved it there with a hot needle. I can't get them out of my head, no matter how hard I try. Those insults carve their way into your heart, and they stay there.

It's a scar that's a reminder of the pain that I endured throughout the whole experience. Eventually, after I have no more tears left to cry, I figure the only way to get my mind off of things is to cook for Colin. After all, I do enjoy cooking, and it's practically the only thing that can take my mind off of things at this moment.

Any cooking is good, but morning cooking is the best when Colin isn't yapping in my ear. Before stepping out, I take a deep breath, and step outside so that I can calm myself before cooking. Stress and cooking is like putting Bellatrix Lestrange and Harry Potter in the same room.

When I get to the kitchen, I subtly take out the ingredients to make Colin's breakfast. I fight the urge to run out, find some rat poison, and slip it in his food so that I'm rid of my misery. I think about how I won't have to deal with him again, and that I'll be free once more. I shake my head and snap out of it. Stop it, you're not risk getting arrested for attempted murder, I think to myself. 

 While I cook some breakfast, Colin comes downstairs, whistling a tune under his breath.I don't make any eye contact with him, as he continues to make his way into the kitchen for some breakfast. "Good morning," I mutter, as I continue to monitor my cooking. My breath starts to intensify as he enters the kitchen slowly.

"Good morning," he says in his usual voice that is as cold as a carton of ice cream. My heart beat starts to rapidly accelerate as well. In the mornings, depending on his mood, I could either be left alone, or he could unleash all his anger on me right now. It really depends on his mood during the day.

After he sees me cook, he lets out a little sigh, and he goes to the dining room to probably check his emails or do some office work. The weight that's on my shoulders every morning is lifted off. I relax a little bit, and continue to cook the food that I'm working so hard to make. When it's done, I put it on a plate, along with some coffee, and I take it to Colin, who's aggressively typing something.

I set it down in front of him, and his eyes, which are glued to the screen, don't shift to see the meal I cooked for him. "Cool," he mutters under his breath, as he continues to type on his computer. I give a little eye roll, and I go back to cook my own breakfast. Two slices of toast, some eggs, and some coffee are more than enough to get me started for the day.

I gobble up my food as fast as I can, like I'm running late for a meeting and missing it risks my job as a whole. When I finish up my breakfast, I start to do the dishes, and while I'm doing them, the reminder hits me. Ash is coming over today to discuss something with Colin. He's been bugging him to help him get it done so that he can just get this whole process done as fast as he can.

I know he's been sitting on it for a while, so Colin invited him over to get it done with. Honestly, I think Colin's reasoning is to get it done with so that he won't have to see Ash again anytime soon.