Chapter Text
WEDDING DAY
10:03 AM, MAY 23RD
Weddings were supposed to be one of the happiest things one could ever experience in a lifetime.
Maybe it was the endearing looks exchanged by the guests from each row, or the flower girls running along the carpet as they scattered the prettiest petals around the venue with bridesmaids and best men following in careful steps…
Or maybe it could even be about the way newlyweds slid matching rings onto each other’s fingers after sharing their vows.
Whatever the reason would be, Mydei had always been in awe of them. He yearned for that unmatched euphoria—something far more enduring than the fleeting rush flings and one-night stands could ever bring.
What did they call people like him? Ah, hopeless romantics.
Not that it was a bad thing, of course. Mydei was simply one of the few who still yearned silently for sweet, genuine love in a world that had grown too comfortable with cheating and deception.
After years of imagining it, however… here he was, walking down the aisle of his own, right next to his mother, Gorgo.
The venue was exactly what he wanted: a beach closed off from the public eye, pale florals like white anemones and soft roses arranged along narrow aisles pressed into shore. The ocean in view was the cherry on top, its waves crashing gently on cue.
Their friends were all gathered together in a separate row, followed by acquaintances filling the rest of the seats. Mydei couldn’t help the flutter of anxiety as he felt their eyes on him, the cameras around lifting while he took slow steps toward the wooden altar.
Everything around him had been curated to look effortless.
After all, it was his big day. A dream come true.
Phainon, his soon-to-be husband, was already waiting right by the altar, his hands clasped together in front of him. His suit was tailored to perfection—almost as if he were just as excited to get married.
“You look…” Mydei murmured without thinking, a faint tint of warmth already creeping up his cheeks and ears. When Phainon noticed his expression, he couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.
“You look amazing yourself, Mydei,” he replied. “Please don’t sell yourself short.”
Could anything be as ethereal as this?
Truth be told, Mydei barely registered the priest’s words in his head—or even his own vows that he had practiced over and over again an hour before the event. All he could focus on was… Phainon.
He didn’t even need to say how smitten he was. The way his heart raced every time their eyes met said enough. There was no doubt in his mind that Phainon was his perfect match.
Phainon took Mydei’s hands in his:
“I promise to love you without condition, to honor you each and every day. I will laugh with you during the times you’re happy, and give my utmost support when you feel sad. I will be your guide when you’ve lost your way through, to challenge you in becoming a better person for our future family, and I trust you’ll do the same for me.”
Mydei swallowed hard as each word landed in his ears, Phainon’s gaze never leaving his as he says his vows. This was the exact feeling he had always yearned for.
“I’ll forever be your biggest fan,” Phainon continued softly, “and be your ever present listening audience.”
The priest smiled, nodding once right after the rings were exchanged. “You may now seal your vows with a kiss.”
Phainon stepped closer to Mydei, his hands settling on his waist as he pulled him into their first kiss. His lips moved against Mydei’s in pure fervor, and Mydei couldn’t help but melt into it. The applause and cheers behind them faded into background noise for a little while.
For a moment, Mydei didn’t want it to end just yet.
He cracked his eyes open out of curiosity, only to find Phainon already looking back at him with their lips still moving in perfect sync—
Before Phainon pulled away abruptly, blinking as he wiped his mouth as if he were disgusted with what he had done. “If you’ll excuse me…”
Mydei’s eyes were fixed on Phainon as he marched back toward their friends, his arms crossing over his chest as he exhaled slowly through his mouth. He wanted to call him back, steal another kiss as newlyweds—but what right did he have? They only married for a mere merger, hadn’t they?
For someone who was enamored with the idea of getting married, one would’ve expected Mydei to get wedded with someone his heart beats for. Someone who he wants to spend his future with.
Instead, it was just another act of deception—and while he had despised the idea of calling it a “fake” relationship, that’s all there is to it.
Poor Mydei.
“Mydei! Come over here!” Phainon called from the crowd, smiling brightly as he gestured for him.
I wonder if that “bright” smile of his was fake—just like their marriage.
Bouquet in hand, he joined the others who were preparing for the flower toss. Phainon’s eyes never left him, the same way they hadn’t when Mydei walked down the aisle just minutes ago.
And somehow, despite their fake relationship, Mydei still felt heat rush to his cheeks when he caught that gaze.
“Come here,” Phainon says, his arm slipping around his waist. “The photographers are hinting at us. Let’s pose for them first.”
Mydei’s breath hitched. Considering all these facts, Mydei did get married to someone he loved—or at least, someone he adored with his whole being.
He’d known Phainon ever since their parents introduced them when they were still pure kids, unaware that they had already decided their wedding plans and business arrangements under their noses. Maybe that’s enough to declare his love for the lad.
Phainon’s arm remained firm around his waist as they posed for the cameras. Mydei shivered, but not entirely from how uncomfortable all of this was.
It was from the terrifying thought that he might already want more.
°❀.ೃ࿔*
AFTER THE WEDDING
7:23 PM, MAY 23RD
For the first time in years, Mydei was finally living with someone who isn’t from his family tree. It may sound uncanny, but his mother loved him dearly—she never really gave him a reason to leave her, did she?
It was exactly the reason why Mydei kept pacing around in their bathroom for fifteen straight minutes, nervous about how the first night of their marriage would go.
He was already thinking about their firsts. How… cute.
“What do I even call him?” He asked his friends on video call, trying not to get frustrated as he put his hands on his hips with a sigh. “Do I wear less? Do I just wear my pajamas?”
On the other side, Castorice let out a small giggle. “You’re overthinking it. Just be yourself.”
Cipher, who was right next to her, snickered: “If you’re that worried, then just go naked at this point!”
Mydei sent her a sharp glare through his camera before peeking outside the bathroom door. Phainon still wasn’t inside of the room just yet, so he decided to ask his best friends for advice. The perks of having girls in your friend circle, perhaps.
He fiddled his fingers as he hears the front door close.
“I have to go,” he whispered. “Phainon’s here.”
“Not calling him husband just yet, Mydei?” Cipher teased lightly. He immediately rolled his eyes at them and left the group call abruptly.
But that made him wonder… should he even call him pet names?
Wouldn’t that be too uncanny… but if he were, what would he even use?
Baby? Darling? Sweetheart?
Mydei was conflicted about all this, to say the least. He knew both of them were in an arranged marriage. That meant he wasn’t exactly obliged to be sweet with him, call him names with a hint of tenderness in his voice, or even go out of his way to get him gifts for pleasure.
After all, the contract only wanted both of them to stay together—
But what does he do?
“What is all… this?”
Phainon spoke with a hint of disdain. He honestly didn’t expect to arrive home to a fully-cleaned unit, delicious food waiting to be devoured, and even some of his favorite chocolates and flowers arranged neatly next to the dishes…
Mydei blinks, his hands clasped together. “If I’m being honest, I didn’t know what to get you for our first night. I tried texting you but my messages were unread, as you can see.”
Wasn’t that enough of a hint for him?
He walks up to the table, his eyes immediately trailing over the savory dishes around the tabletop. “I don’t see why you’ve gone out of your way to do all this, Mydei. This is all too much for me— or rather, for the both of us.”
“Is this you saying that I need a reason to do things, Phainon?” An exasperated sigh escaped his lips, crossing his arms as Phainon refused to face his husband. “Don’t get me wrong, Mydei—we are married… but this was always just business for us, has it not?”
Ouch.
Well, he was right, wasn’t he? Aside from the robe clinging onto his body and the gifts he’d prepared without a single mistake shown, he didn’t exactly have a reason to do all these things when they’re simply just…
“Behind closed doors, we’re basically nothing, aren’t we?” Phainon finally got the courage to look at him with his eyes now full of scorn, like he had just made a mistake by caring about the both of them.
“And I don’t know about you, but I surely do plan on staying that way—unless you expect me to play the part of a loving, doting husband?”
Mydei looked down on his feet. “I’m sorry if I’ve offended you.”
Why can’t the marble flooring swallow him whole now?
Phainon headed for the door, grabbing onto his coat firmly. “Don’t wait on me anymore, alright? I’m heading back to my office. Just go to bed.”
Now that’s funny.
Did he really think he could escape conversations like these so easily?
“Phainon…” Mydei spoke in a tone that he could barely hear himself, choosing his words carefully. “When I get a second chance to marry someone that I love, do you think I’d be a great husband?”
That made the man stop in his tracks, his hand tightening around his coat. Was he seriously about to do all of this now when he needed to leave from how awkward all of this was?
“I really don’t have the time to chat, Mydei,” he spoke with a tinge of irritation. “You’re just tired from our wedding today. Go back to your room.”
Mydei didn’t want to listen—well, more like he refused to. His eyes were dead set on Phainon’s figure, taking a single step towards his direction.
He had completely forgotten about the nicely put gifts that he himself had arranged, the robe that was hanging loosely around his body, and the tint on his face that showed a sign of life.
Is self-respect even a thing at this point?
“Wouldn’t it be nice if I were to be someone’s father?”
Phainon had no other choice but to swallow his saliva firmly down his throat.
What could he possibly say to that? Should he apologize because he took Mydei’s chances of finding real love? Should he show remorse by remotely appreciating the gifts laid out for him?
He couldn’t say anything at the moment, letting a sigh escape his mouth.
“Just go to bed. Please,” with his voice hinting at a certain level of urgency. This is what Phainon got for fucking around and finding out, still standing in front of the door when he was supposed to be driving out to his office already.
A low laugh came out of Mydei’s lips, his hand securing the robe on his body. “I apologize for taking up too much of your time, Phainon. Drive safely.”
Phainon immediately used his words as an excuse to shut the conversation down. Mydei couldn’t help but bite his lip, the tears that threatened to leave his heavy eyelids already sliding down his cheeks.
“…It’s dark out.”
Frankly, Phainon had no idea why he had been so hostile either.
As he shrugged his coat over his shoulders, he found himself glancing back at the door once more, as if it might give him an answer—if only he could clearly remember what Mydei’s face had looked like before he stepped out.
What he did remember was the way he had bitten down on his lower lip, his fingers clenched tightly in the fabric of his robe. Was he embarrassed for showing affection so openly?
Or perhaps he was simply new to all of this, just as he was?
After all, weren’t arranged marriages always like this—forced down their throats by blood and obligation?
Still, Mydei’s small and thoughtful gesture had unsettled him more than he cared to admit. Phainon would be lying if he said it hadn’t left a bitter taste on his tongue. No one had been watching them inside of their unit, so why did it matter so much?
“This is annoying,” he muttered, his tone rougher than he intended it to be. “What was his problem, anyway?”
How ironic and tone-deaf for him to even ask such a question.
When the car he had parked downstairs finally drove away, a single tear slipped free from Mydei’s eye on the other side of the door. Their brief exchange felt like he had laid himself bare—purely naked in front of someone who had absolutely no desire to leave their eyes on him for a mere second.
“Did I look stupid?” Mydei couldn’t help but whisper, trying to save himself with his own words. “Maybe… maybe wearing only a robe on the first night made him leave early. Or maybe the food was too much.”
But really, even he couldn’t persuade himself that it was simply pure exhaustion from the wedding earlier. When Phainon had completely forgotten his face, Mydei hadn’t. He remembered the exact look he saw in his husband’s eyes… pure, cold contempt.
He wished for nothing more than to forget about the hatred he had witnessed.
And yet, a foolish part of him still hoped that Phainon would hop out of that cab, run back to him and apologize. To beg for forgiveness from the way he had treated his dearest husband. To maybe show that he actually cared and he wanted to work this marriage out the way he did—
Oh, but who was he deceiving?
“Behind closed doors,
we’re basically nothing,
aren’t we?”
Silly little boy, thinking the guy he had married for business purposes would ever take care of him. Even the mere thought of Phainon possibly caring about their current arrangement could made him laugh.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Being lost in thought, he had only noticed his phone ringing violently.
Of course it was his mother, probably calling to ask about how he and Phainon’s “first night of marriage” had gone. Mydei stopped pacing around, staring at its display as it continued to buzz.
Everyone close to the young man knew that he adored his mother greatly, and it was absolutely natural for a mother to miss her own child—but he would be lying if he hadn’t felt annoyed when he stared at her contact name flaring up the screen.
…Staying silent isn’t exactly lying, right?
It was the first time Mydei let her call go unanswered, the guilt immediately setting in his mind.
Deep down, he knew it would kill him inside if he had chosen to lie through his teeth, pretending that their absurd arrangement was just fine, that he had definitely enjoyed “making love” with his pretend husband.
The very least he could do to ease his thoughts was to send a message—or at least, that’s what he thought before he started messaging her.
Mydei
I’m a little worn out here, Mother.
Mydei
Let’s save our chats for another time.
Gorgo
As you wish, my dearest.
Gorgo
Just keep on making us happy.
Mydei wished he could answer with something mean, but that would mean hurting his mother in an indirect manner.
He had to blink a couple of times before his mother’s actual message fully rendered in view:
Gorgo
I am very much proud of you, my son.
That’s weird. Must be one of his hallucinations again.
Or was it really—maybe it was actually the parental pressure catching up onto him, knowing that both his mother and father were now watching over his actions again like hawks because of that stupid merger?
Mydei
Mother, what if I don’t want to be a
stranger’s husband anymore?
°❀.ೃ࿔*
1 MONTH MARRIED
11:02 AM, JUNE 23RD
“Three plates of golden honeycakes for Mydei?”
A month has finally passed from Phainon and Mydei’s wedding and if we’re being completely honest… no further progress was made between their relationship—not that Mydei wanted any in the first place, considering the fact that their first night kept replaying inside of his head.
Instead of choosing to dine with his husband, he chose to be with his own mother for breakfast, who was currently typing away in her own laptop for work. Like Phainon, she was also one busy individual.
“Our breakfast’s here, mother,” Mydei simply flashed a small smile, serving the plate next to her device before he takes a seat right across hers. “Is there any reason why you’ve called me out here?”
Gorgo couldn’t help but laugh. “Am I not allowed to miss my son?”
He couldn’t help but roll his eyes in mild annoyance as he starts to eat his food. “Also, I was going to tell you over phone that Phainon won’t be joining us today. He’s too busy preparing for an upcoming meeting.”
Was he really busy—or was he too distraught to even care where his husband’s whereabouts were?
Truth be told, Mydei couldn’t get ahold of Phainon properly ever since they’ve had their moment inside of their shared household. After their first (and only) night together, he barely came home, making sure he had everyone else’s paperwork in his office to keep him busy up ‘til midnight.
He couldn’t even be inside their unit to sleep either. If he was home, it was either him dropping off a few things from his job or just taking a quick nap. After that, Mydei would never see him again.
How sweet.
“Poor dear,” his mother finally looked up from her gadget. “Is he doing alright? Does he live up to your standards in being a good husband?”
That alone made Mydei nervous. What on Earth could he even reply to that without lying through his teeth?
To his own mother?
“…He’s good, mother,” he said quietly before taking a quick bite off his honeyed pancakes. Maybe to sugarcoat the bitterness on his tongue?
It wasn’t exactly a lie. Phainon wasn’t cheating on him, and he’d always stay up late at night in his office to drown himself in more responsibilities than he could already take.
Isn’t that what good husbands do?
“Well, just make sure you invite him over next time, okay? After all, isn’t today your first month being together as a married couple?” Gorgo smiled with a hint of sauciness before her eyes wander back to her own screen.
Ah, right. Mydei had forgotten about that.
1 new notification!
Your liquor order is on its way to you.
Please click for more details.
…Or maybe not. He wish he did, though.
After all, it really was hard to forget about the guy when all his friends and family babble about Phainon all the time, curious if he was the perfect husband—or if he’s good in his job just as much as he is in bed.
When in reality, the closest to them being next to each other was their “intimate” kiss on the altar, which lasted for less than thirty seconds. It still stuck in his mind regardless, making it little to no progress on desperately trying to get him out of his head.
“I bet you miss him very much,” his mother giggled.
Before Mydei was forced to say something stupid, his phone buzzed. Instead of a call, it was a simple text message from his lovely, doting husband.
Phainon
Meet me in my office later. I have
something to discuss with you.
Mydei
What do you want?
Phainon
I can’t say this over text. Just come over.
Who does he think he is?
Mydei couldn’t help but snicker at his screen. Seriously, after not willingly contacting him for weeks, he conveniently decided to greet him with his presence for something he could not simply relay over text?
He stood up, making his mother tear her eyes from her screen.
“Leaving so soon?”
“My husband needs me, mother,” he sighed, already distressed on what’s to come. “He just needs my help in… serious matters.”
Gorgo simply smiled at him. “Well, don’t let me keep you here. I’m sure your husband needs you there as soon as possible.”
A small part of Mydei wanted his mother to make him stay, keep him sat down on his chair while they both continue to work. He would do anything to avoid Phainon. He needed him to keep the pace he’d been going at for the past weeks.
So why…
Why did he rush to his office that
was just five minutes away from the
cafe they stayed at?
Mydei
I’m almost inside the building.
Seen
So much from the guy that practically begged to see him.
As Mydei’s steps clicked on the floor, he couldn’t help but notice his own employees looking at him, watching his every move. Some couldn’t help but whisper to the person next to them, shamelessly gossiping about God knows what.
Was it because of his new position from the merger? Was it because he’s now wedded to Phainon—in other terms, their new boss?
He stepped into the elevator, where he’s met with a blonde-haired woman right at the edge. He had seen her a couple of times when he went inside for work, but never had the chance to introduce himself to her.
“Good morning,” he simply greeted.
The woman nods, clutching her laptop. “You must be Sir Phainon’s husband. Congratulations on the wedding, if I may.”
It seemed like the whole world is out to get him today.
“Thank you,” Mydei tried to fake a smile, but even Aglaea’s eyes noticed how insincere it gave off. “And who might you be? You know my name but I don’t know yours.”
“My name’s Aglaea,” she smiled back, not noticing how he gritted his teeth from her view. “I’m Phainon’s assistant.”
The elevator moved up ahead, and Mydei tried his hardest not to feel sick.
Since when had the atmosphere gone so thick?
He hated every single second that passed by, every floor the elevator flew through. Dreading to see his dearest husband who obviously did not want his attention was an understatement.
Not that he had reached a point where he had already loathed him for all eternity, of course. Mydei still cherished the man—rightfully so, actually meaning what he vowed that day on the altar—but he couldn’t deny that his attitude for their arrangement is rather annoying.
Phainon was being weirdly selfish. It’s not like he was the only one forced to stomach everything in short notice.
Ding!
“After you,” Aglaea held her hand out, nodding for Mydei to enter first.
When he had finally stepped inside, he was greeted with the sight of his husband’s spacious office, almost as big enough as three of his childhood bedrooms. Isn’t that amazing?
Around the vast amount of paperwork, his office remained lavish: eye-pleasing colors of books in all the right places, maintaining its opulence—before his eyes had landed on his dear husband, talking to one of their many clients on a separate work phone.
Truth be told, Phainon looked like a mess. The dark circles under his eyes were evident from the amount of work he had put as the current CFO of the company, along with the rough scent of coffee swirling around his desk.
If Mydei didn’t know him that well, he’d assume this was his version of a desperate cry for help.
Phainon gently placed his gadget down, only realizing that Mydei was already inside with his assistant.
“Took you long enough,” Mydei tried to act shady, firmly hiding his eyes basking in his presence. “If you hadn’t realized just yet, you interrupted my time with my mother. What is it that you desperately needed my attention for?”
Phainon rolled his eyes, his face displaying pure grimace as he got straight to the point. “Your father had suggested for us to go on a honeymoon. Apparently, we aren’t convincing enough to the media.”
“It’s been a month, Phainon.” Mydei immediately presented, finally sitting down on the office’s couch right in front of him. “Don’t you think it’s already too late for one?”
And another act of artificiality would kill him inside if he was being honest—but the excited look smothered across his face says otherwise.
“For once, I agree with you,” a scoff left his lips. “But your father wouldn’t leave me alone about it and I doubt he’ll let you off the hook about it either—I’ve known you this long to know this, Mydei.”
Mydei couldn’t help but be offended.
“Maybe stop trying to act like you know me?”
“Can we not fight and actually plan around this?” Phainon disputed, the frustration growing on his face as he walked back to his chair. “Pick a place you find nice and cozy for the both of us and message me before the day ends, okay? Now get out,” his voice full of exasperation.
“Sir Mydei, do you need assistance going down?”
He shook his head at Phainon’s assistant. “I would like to be alone for the time being, Aglaea. Thank you for your utmost company and your loyalty to my husband. He’s no better from a fool if he doesn’t see you in the same light.”
Aglaea stopped in her tracks. “You can entrust me with things you cannot say to your husband, Sir. Every word stays between us.”
Didn’t they just meet an hour ago?
Mydei was intrigued—until his eyes trailed to the earpiece sitting snugly in the dip of her ear, making him connect the dots himself: even if she swears not to tell him, the speaker connected to this said device could easily do the talking in her own stead. What a pathetic trick.
“Come talk to me when my dear husband isn’t a scaredy-cat who deliberately listens to our conversations. Watch your ears next time, Miss Aglaea,” with his tone hinting at a potential threat—but it was unlike him to do so.
He never meant any harm or ill intentions. He just wanted…
“Your husband…” her voice creaked throughout the hallway. “Even with how he is most times, you do know that he cares for the both of you, right?”
A mocking scoff left his lips, almost as if Aglaea was joking around, sweet talking him as a convincing act that their circus of a marriage was worth staying for—when his husband couldn’t even physically stay inside of their co-living space, too disturbed at the sight of his own lover:
Or in other terms, a puppet.
A mere marionette restrained by separate threads, controlled by the both of his parents—being their last resort to strengthen the company even more. In return, his defenses had weakened: yet again following the orders that he never wanted to obey.
Maybe a pawn would be more fitting term for a person like him.
It wasn’t like he had any other choice either. He was meant to run as the Marketing VP anyway, so why not chain the prodigal son to his rightful cross with a wedlock with no more chances of finding love?
A conviction full of resentment and derision. Should he even be grateful?
Phainon
I’ll come home this evening
Phainon
Clean up around if you haven’t
Mydei
Another surprise coming from you?
Mydei
Anything you want, then
…Maybe just this once.
°❀.ೃ࿔*
1 MONTH MARRIED
7:45 PM, JUNE 23RD
“I’m home.”
Mydei had just finished cooking up yet another feast, the newly plated dishes with their aromatics flowing through the entire living space as his dearest had entered the living room, all weary from his work.
Ba-duhm. Ba-duhm. Ba-duhm.
The pounding pulse in his throat had started to kill him inside. If he hadn’t felt the slightest bit of discomfort from not seeing Phainon the weeks before, it definitely caught up to him as of the moment.
It’s not like he was scared of his husband… right?
“Mydei,” Phainon had called out, his voice as crisp as cut glass. “Have you decided on a location yet? Or have you decided to disappoint me with your lack of thinking once again?”
Okay, nevermind. Maybe a small, tiny bit.
He rolled his eyes, serving his spot a clean plate with his own share of utensils. “I actually have some options this time, my dear husband,” he proceeded to respond in a mocking tone. “We’ll discuss this over dinner like grown adults.”
Phainon had not refuted with anything, setting his phone inside of his pants’ pocket before he walks to where Mydei is.
“You know, I haven’t even told you that you should cook dinner.”
“Will you stop acting like a little kid that was raised to be a brat and actually discuss things with me?” Mydei responded, his head full of incredible frustration. “It’s hard to defend you when you’re not even around me anymore. Where do you even sleep nowadays?”
A scoff left his lips. “It’s none of your business,” before he sat on his chair.
The entire household felt peaceful the past few days—and now that his husband had come back into his life as a pending inconvenience, Mydei felt like they were at war once again.
A sharp ache slipped past his head—
But for his husband’s sake, he chooses to ignore it, sitting right across his spot.
“So…” Mydei started. “Would you want to go on a private island honeymoon? Not only would it make good press, it would also erase us from suspicion that we aren’t as loving as we should be.”
Phainon scoffed. “You’re kidding, right?”
Oh dear.
“A honeymoon like that is far too intimate—and when I get out of this fallacy of a marriage, I’d immediately take someone who I really like on that same honeymoon. I don’t want to make them feel like crap for experiencing what I already have—”
His sharp breath came through. “With someone like you.”
“So you think you have an out in this?”
The words just flew out of Mydei’s mouth before he could even register them himself. Even Phainon didn’t know what to say, considering that this was the first time he had ever lashed out on him for all the years he had known him.
Mydei.
His eyebrows had furrowed, “Do you think I’m as happy as you are? Why is it always about what you want. What you’re getting out of our arrangement. Why do you think that it’s only unfair for you when I haven’t wanted this either?”
Mydei.
“Do you think I wanted to be stuck inside of a marriage where I can’t even decide if I have any chances of becoming a child’s father? You couldn’t even give that to me, for Christ’s sake.”
Mydei?
He took a deep breath, standing up as his hands slammed the table’s surface.
“You don’t get to leave me just like that.”
“Mydei.”
Mydei’s trance had been snapped, with Phainon purposely slamming the table. He blinked a couple of times—before the revelation had sunken inside of his mind that he hadn’t said what he wanted to say to his dearest.
I don’t think he could ever say what he thinks about it. Not when Phainon’s smart mouth always had something to defend himself, along with his ears locked up inside of a deaf dimension.
So instead of spitting out his initial response, all his lips spout were:
“I’m sorry,” which earned him a filthy, unrighteous and winning smirk on Phainon’s lips. “You’re right, Phainon. We should choose other less affectionate honeymoon spots. How about a country we haven’t been to yet?”
As their conversation continued to go smoothly, Mydei’s head started reeling.
God, I could never win against him, can I?
Mydei had yearned to be with Phainon for quite some time. Every friend he made before the wedding knew how much his lips had spat about him over the past years, yearning for a future with the guy.
His friends were so so happy to find that everything he had wished for on a whim had come true. Everyone saw how devoted his eyes had looked whenever his dearest husband was around.
Almost as if Phainon was his God. The key to his very salvation.
But maybe he should’ve wished for a healthier relationship with him instead—because he didn’t like the reality he got from the very Gods he put his faith on.
And instead of indulging the wish that had come true from his small prayers, he knew how it was going to end. No one would be happy with one another, and they could only end this cycle of miserability if he lets go.
No amount of money could ever measure up to the amount of love he wants to give, and the amount of responsibility he wishes to bear as a father.
…Maybe it’s time for us to leave.
“Hey.”
A faint voice spoke over his phone. “Mydei, I could see you. Are the papers secured safely inside of that folder you’re holding?”
He nodded. “I’ll cross the road. Don’t make another move.”
The call receiver smiled. “I’m glad you’re finally getting a divorce. It’s fun seeing Mister Kremnos choosing himself over his workaholic… ex-husband.”
Perhaps someone should’ve taught
her to not get ahead of herself.
“Wait, Mydei—!”
The faint sound of rubber tires were screeching on the concrete, making the other vehicles stop in their tracks.
Before Mydei could even register the scene before his eyes, his feet had stopped their movements—and when the speeding car had tried to stop from causing more destruction, it was too late.
Phainon’s husband had laid lifeless on the ground, his head wound starting to bleed red. Some had snapped pictures of his position on the ground, while others had started to call for help.
“Mydei…”
For this my son was dead, and is alive again;
he was lost, and is found.