A man sitting on the candle-lit table looked at a lady sitting in front of him. The lady was a vision of elegance and grace, whose beauty was truly captivating. Her eyes sparkled with an inner light, reflecting her warmth. Her hair, a rich chestnut brown, cascaded in soft waves down to her shoulders, framing her delicate features. Her lips, with a natural coral shade, were soft and inviting. She picked up a glass and poured wine into it.
A small cake with a candle in it sat untouched at the center of the table. The lady drank wine as Daniel watched her. She gently stopped and looked up.
Daniel said, "Jessica, I think that's enough wine for the day."
"Don't you tell me what to do," Jessica said in a rude tone.
"You don't have to be rude, darling. You have been continuously drinking for the last half an hour."
Jessica didn't say anything and continued drinking. Daniel thought for a few seconds, stood up, went toward her, and kept a gift box in front of Jessica, "Here's your gift, my love. I am sure that you will love it."
He drew her close, his eyes locked onto hers with affection. With affection, he lodged her face in his hands, his fingers tracing the contours of her cheeks. Their breaths synchronized in the intimate moment. He leaned in, his lips inching closer to hers, and then, in a gesture filled with deep affection and desire, their lips met. Their lips moved together in a slow, passionate dance, conveying emotions.
Jessica pushed Daniel away. Daniel asked, "What happened?"
"Nothing. I am not in the mood for this today."
"Not in the mood? It's our anniversary night. Tonight is the night of celebration," Daniel argued, "At least open this gift."
"This gift? Without opening it, I can tell what's inside it. Tell me if I am wrong in guessing that it's a purse," Jessica said in a disappointing tone.
"Yes, it is a purse," Daniel said with a pause.
"On every occasion, you grab a purse from our shop and give it to me as a gift." Jessica disputed.
"I thought you loved purses. You can use different purses for different occasions."
"I expect something different or unique, every time you come with a purse that is not even bought from another shop," Jessica said in a lower tone.
"Don't worry, darling. I will give you something different on our next anniversary," Daniel said while faking out a smile.
"Next anniversary? Do you even know how to love?" Jessica took a sip of wine.
"What are you saying? Of course, I love you," Daniel comes closer to Jessica to kiss her but she stops him.
"Why are you doing this? Just because of the gift? Don't see what the gift is, instead see the emotions with which the person is giving the gift," Daniel said.
"I thought it was just my overthinking but now I have realized recently that you never loved me," Jessica cried.
"That's not true. Do you think I am heartless? Today, we have completed three years of our marriage. All these years, you just complain and do nothing. It seems as if you never loved me," Daniel argued.
"Me and complain? I always compromised. What did you do?"
"So, that's what you think? Please say more. I want to know what you think about me," Daniel shouted.
In the dimly lit room, the air was heavy and tension crackled like electricity between them. Husband and wife found themselves locked in a battle of emotions. The lines inscribed on Daniel's face spoke of frustration and weariness. Jessica's arms were folded tightly across her chest, a clear sign of her defenses being up. Her eyes, usually warm, were now narrowed with a mixture of anger and hurt.
"How dare you! I did everything for you but you never did anything for me. Did you ever think about what I needed? What were my dreams or needs? You and your male ego ruined our relationship," Jessica said in sorrow.
"Your dreams? Your needs? I did everything that I could do with the money I made."
"What money do you make? I make more money than you. Even the household expenses are paid by me and tell me how many people talk to you?" Jessica wiped her face.
The candle blew off with the wind coming from the window. The window got shut due to the storm raging outside.
"That's enough. I am tired of you having a superiority complex just because you earn more or you have more people to talk to. You never respected me and you never loved me," Daniel threw his wine glass on the floor.
Jessica interrupted, "Oh please, stop your melodrama. I would have never married a man like you. It was because of my foolish parents that we got married. I should have taken divorce from you earlier."
Daniel giggled, "So, that's the truth. You wanna get rid of me."
"Just shut up."
Daniel didn't say anything. He closed his eyes and whispered, "Please God kill me now. I don't wanna live this life.
"Here we go again. Whenever we fight, you say this crap or break things. Who wants to live with a person like you," Jessica shouted.
They kept arguing for what felt like hours, their voices rising and falling like a turbulent sea. Accusations had been hurled, and wounds from the past had been reopened. As there was silence after the arguments and fighting, Daniel stood up and walked toward the kitchen as Jessica continued drinking.
Daniel came with a drink and kept it in front of Jessica, "I prepared us a drink for you on today's special occasion. I'm in no mood to drink but here's your drink as it looks like for you, the drink is more important than me."
Daniel walked toward the room and closed the door. In the dining room, Jessica sat alone and kept drinking. She looked at her wedding photograph on the wall in front of her and started sobbing.
She looked at the drink Daniel prepared for her. She picked up the glass and drank it. After a few minutes, she started feeling dizzy and her eyes closed.
After some hours, her eyes opened. Everything was blurring to her so she rubbed her eyes and looked around.
"I think that should be enough for the day. I need to rest but I won't sleep with him," she whispered.
She got up and hobbled toward the other bedroom. Her vision was still blurry. She reached the bed with difficulty and fell on it.
ns 172.70.175.4da2
