Page 1 of Consumed by Darkness

CHAPTER 1

LUNA

Her head rested on his bare chest, the ripped pieces of red lingerie scattered all over the floor. I could see hickeys of the same shade all over her neck. He always told me how he loved me in red…I guess he loved my sister in red too.

My heart was in denial, refusing to believe that Adrik and Elena would do this to me. But the evidence was damning, and it was everywhere. From the cum trickling down my sister's exposed thighs, to the arm Adrik had lazily draped across her waist. They slept soundly, entangled in each other. The tears burned as they rolled down my cheeks, but there was no way I was going to let them see me break. They did shatter the illusion of the perfect life I thought I had, but I’d rather die than allow them to take anything away from my pride.

My tears were met by the cool touch of my wedding ring against my hot cheeks, bringing a brief sense of relief. I ripped the band from my finger before placing it gently on the bedside table to avoid waking the sleeping lovers. Something twinged in my chest, an emotion I couldn’t quite explain. It prompted me to gaze at Adrik’s features. He looked so sated, every muscle on his face relaxed.

I thought that he was only this comfortable with me. That he only found peace when he was with me. That was what he led me to believe at least. I put my hand over my mouth to fight a sob. Oh, how wrong I was.

I forced myself away from the sight that, to me, was just like a car crash; atrocious but you just can’t look away. I felt a hot stare trailing behind me. It almost burned my back with its intensity. Turning to look at them again, I saw Elena with her eyes wide open. A smirk was drawn on her beautiful face. I did not know what I expected, but definitely not this. There was no guilt in her eyes, just something bordering on insanity. My sister that I raised with my blood, sweat, and tears; was goading me as she slept next to my husband.

Her perfectly manicured red fingernails grazed his chest as she caressed him. She twirled his chest hair around her finger before leaning in and giving him a peck on the lips. He was still dead asleep, but that didn’t stop her from trailing her kisses downwards. Her cherry lips lathered his solid abs in kisses, and my eyes widened at the realization that she was still descending. She had no shame, obviously aiming to give my husband a blowjob in front of me.

I did not give her the satisfaction of a confrontation, or the sick pleasure of watching me unravel. I just gave them my back again and left with my head held high. As if my whole world did not just collapse in front of me.

Leaving the mansion, the frigid air hit my overheated face, making it a tad bit easier to breathe. With every step I took away from the place I called my home, memories haunted me. Memories of me painting the lilies he planted for me in the garden, of him not sleeping unless I was next to him, and of his loving words that I now know were nothing but a fantasy.

My feet took me to the only place I had left. My heels were making it hard to walk on the slippery, rain-soaked streets, and unfortunately, I did not dress for the occasion of running away from my house after I caught my husband with my sister.

On the way, I sought distraction in my “safe place” memories as I call them. They flooded my mind like an old photo album, each one more precious than the other. I remembered lazy Sunday mornings spent baking cookies with my mother, the scent of vanilla and chocolate filling our cozy kitchen as we laughed and joked together. And my father, with his toolbox always close at hand, teaching me how to fix things around the house and imparting lessons that would stay with me forever.

One memory in particular stood out, like a scene frozen in time. It was my seventh birthday, and my parents had surprised me with a shiny new bike. We spent the entire afternoon on the streets, trying to learn how to ride it. They didn't know how to ride a bike themselves, their own childhoods marred by hardship and struggle. That day is unforgettable, we all took turns riding it, and we all tumbled and fell. Despite the countless scars I have on my knees due to that, it is still my favorite memory.

I finally made it to the cemetery, which looked terrifying at night. But the need for some delusion of comfort was more important than my safety.

Making my way to my parents’ grave, I pulled my coat tighter around me. I did feel grateful for the breeze at first, but the bite of the cold started hurting my bones. It mirrored the pain in my heart. My pants got muddied as I settled next to their graves. My legs ached from the distance I walked, but I did not care one bit.

Before I allowed myself to break down, I promised that this would be the last time I cried over my husband and sister. I have never allowed myself to be consumed by people who didn’t care for me. It was evident that they did not.

No matter how hard it was to forget the man who claimed every bit of my being and left nothing of my soul or body untouched,or my sister whom I nurtured like my own child... I would do it. My chest heaved with the effort of holding back my grief, and I finally unburdened myself. The cemetery rang with the sound of my sobs. Today, I would mourn them. After this, they might as well lie down next to my parents, dead to me.

“Mama, I wish you were with me right now,” I said to the gloomy sky. “She looked at me like she wanted to see me shatter, like I am not the person that raised her all these years, like I never went hungry for her or put her needs above mine.”

I wiped my nose with the sleeve of my coat, something I had not done since I was ten. “Papa, if you were still here, you would have tried to beat Adrik into a pulp,” I mumbled while caressing his tombstone.

A watery laugh escaped my chest at the mental image of my dad attempting to hit Adrik. My husband is a huge wall of pure muscle—soon to be an ex-husband, I corrected myself. My dad would not have stood a chance, but I was sure he would have still tried

“I feel so alone,” I whispered to the sky, hoping someone up there was hearing me. “I thought I finally built a home. After all these years of pain, I thought I found my fairytale.”

Closing my eyes, I let out a gut wrenching scream that stabbed my throat on the way out. My arms wrapped around the tombstones, needing a hug even if it was from stone. I felt like my heart was about to stop…Can someone die from heartbreak? Because it felt like I would.

The betrayal cut so deep. I was not sure I would ever be able to form a bond with anyone ever again. But when I am ready, I sure as hell would try. This won’t taint me, it won’t harshen me to the world.

My thoughts gravitated to Adrik, how he was always so protective of me and ever so loving. I do not recall he once let me go to sleep feeling upset. He always lavished me with care and gifts, making me feel like I was the only woman in his life. I could not physically grasp how he did this to me. I trusted him blindly.

Come to think of it, I had never worried about other women since the first moment Adrik came into my life. I fascinated him from day one; he seemed enamored by me. He wanted me to own every inch of him, which is what he always told me. He would rasp in my ear at every turn of how he couldn’t fathom another woman’s touch. How I was the only one in the world he craved. Lies, all lies.

I should have known that he was too good to be true. He came into my life like a beacon of light and changed everything he touched for the better. And now, everything he touched is soiled with deceit. Did he love my sister like he claimed to love me? Since when has this been going? Why? Why? So many questions were in my head, and they were bound to be answered because deep down I just wanted to forget. I did not want to learn the details of their infidelity.

I went to straighten myself up and leave when something rustling in the nearby bushes caught my attention. I would have been paralyzed with fear had I not noticed the little fluffy tail peeking out. The fluffiest little brown kitten gingerly moved towards me, and I squealed as it let me pet it.

“What are you doing here, little guy? Are you all alone like me?” I softly uttered, and I swear it nodded at me, making me coo. After I got my fair share of love from the kitty, I started to leave. But the kitten just followed me, meowing all the way for my attention.

I couldn’t bring myself to leave him there. I scooped him up, putting his little shivering form in the pocket of my fleece coat for warmth. I melted at the fact that he was small enough to fit into it.

Maybe, just maybe, someone up in the sky was listening to me and did not want me to spend this night alone. I was fully aware of how delusional my thoughts were, but I desperately needed the solace.

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