Cheater!

"I found this." Part of me wished I could pretend I hadn't but I knew its presence would fester. I might even kill him.

"What's that?" he said, on his phone, sipping coffee.

"It's a letter. Someone called Matilda."

I'd told him I was going to do some sorting. If he had nothing to hide, why was it at the back of the wardrobe?

"She says she loves you. Wants you back."

He winced, put his cup down. His hands trembled. Good. He should be scared.

"Who is she, Ben?" I was so angry, I could feel it filtering down to my fists.

"No-one important," he stammered.

He glanced at me and I saw the lie. How dare he?

"Why keep it then, eh? Why hide it?"

I couldn't contain my anger. I knocked over his coffee, watching as the piping hot liquid spilled over his phone, into his lap.

He leapt up in shock and I punched him solidly in the face. He threw his hands up so I went for his gut.

"I hope that hurts, you fucking cheater!" I shouted. "Liar!"

"I'm not lying!" he gasped, winded, blood pumping from his nose, through his fingers. "I didn't tell you because I knew you'd react like this!"

I paused. I'm not proud of my violent side but when the red mist descends, I can't fight my way through it. I was brimming with heat and hurt. Volcanic. Dangerous. He should know this by now.

But he didn't throw the letter out.

I grabbed a knife from the counter, his pitiful pleading begging me to stop and plunged it into his leg.

I knelt down next to him where he was cowering, and said, "Every time you get a twinge, it'll be a reminder not to cheat, won't it?"

My anger receded in an instant and I immediately felt sorry. I shouldn't act like this.

"We'd better get you patched up now, hadn't we?"

He nodded vigorously, glad it was over.

"Oh, and Ben?"

Puppy-dog eyes looking up at me, my heart melting.

"You get any ideas to leave, remember I know where she lives."

And I will kill her, I thought, but didn't add.

***

366 words

Bit of a bleak one this. Not really sure where it came from. The mind of a storyteller...

Thanks for stopping by! If you do read this, please leave a comment as I love to interact with my readers.

217/366