~ warnings: cheating,swearing and the n word
You know heâs cheating. You donât need proof your intuitionâs been too loud to ignore. One night, he stumbles in late again, barely looks at you, drops a half-assed âIâm tired,â and turns away, he comes home late past 12 damn near every night and he always comes up with an excuse to not touch you and to run from confrontation but youâre done playing games with him.
The clock hits 2:47AM. Youâve been staring at it so long your eyes hurt.
The key in the door hits like a jump scare.
Riki walks in, hoodie half-zipped, hair messy in a way you know isnât from dance practice. He doesnât even look at you when he mumbles, âIâm home.â
Your whole body screams liar.
âWhere were you?â you ask. Calm. Too calm.
âPractice ran late,â he says, brushing past you.
Thatâs when you smell it. A soft, floral perfume that isnât yours.
Your heartbeat beats faster by the second. âRiki,â you say, voice shaking, âlook at me.â
He sits on the couch instead, scrolling, pretending everythingâs normal.
Thatâs when inside you rips.
The plate in your hand hits the wall before you even realize you threw it. It shatters like a gunshot.
Riki jumps, eyes flying to you. âWhat the hellâ?!â
âOh NOW you wanna look at me?â you scream, grabbing another dish.
âSTOP? YOU WANT ME TO STOP? HOW ABOUT YOU STOP FUCKINâ LYING TO ME!â
âYou think Iâm stupid?â Youâre crying now, stepping toward him, hitting his chest with your fists. âYou come home late every night, you wonât touch me, you wonât even look at me and then you come home smelling like some other bitch?!, and you wanna tell me Iâm crazy? REALLY?â
âY/NâŠâ his voice cracks.
He doesnât say anything.
And the silence is everything you needed to know.
Rikiâs shoulders tense, eyes glued to the floor. And thatâs it. Thatâs all you need. No denial. No excuses. Not even a soft âbaby, itâs not what you think.â
Heâs guilty, and heâs too much of a coward to even dress it up.
Your laugh comes out almost manic. âOh my god,â you whisper, wiping your tears with your shaking hand. âYou really did it.â
âNo. No, donât âpleaseâ me now.â You point at him with trembling fingers. âEvery time I said you was acting weird? That something was off? That I didnât feel like you was mine anymore? You made me feel delusional as hell.â
Riki finally looks up. His eyes are red like heâs been crying somewhere else, for someone else, before even coming home.
That sends a fresh burst of rage through you.
âYou couldnât even give me the fuckinâ respect to LIE properly,â you spit, grabbing another plate off the counter. âYou cheated and came home smelling like her. Like I wasnât gonâ notice.â
He stands now, hands up but not coming closer. âY/N, stop throwing thingsââ
You chuck the plate so hard it cracks the cabinet door. âNO FUCK YOU!â
âSay something!â you scream. âSAY IT! SAY YOU CHEATED!â
You shove him, palms hitting his chest. Hard. Over and over. âSay it, Riki! Stop looking at me likeâ like Iâm some problem youâre scared of! You werenât scared when you were out fucking another bitch, right?â
âY/N, Iââ His voice breaks. âI messed up.â
Just long enough for those three words to slice through you.
Itâs real now. Too real.
Your knees go weak but anger catches you before grief can. âHow many times?â you whisper, but your whisper carries more danger than all your yelling. âWas it one time? Was it multiple? Was it someone you know? Someone who knows about us?â
âOh my god,â you whisper again. âItâs someone you KNOW.â
Rikiâs voice is tiny. âIt wasnât supposed to happenââ
âDONâT,â you snap, stepping closer, âdonât give me that bullshit.â
Heâs crying now, silent, embarrassed, shaking.
The tears piss you off even more.
âOh, YOUâRE crying? Fuck is you crying for?â you yell. âYouâre crying like I didnât spend WEEKS thinking I was the problem. Thinking I was unlovable. Thinking you were bored with me.â
You shove him again and he lets you cuz he knows heâs wrong.
âYou made me feel like I was crazy,â you choke out. âAnd the whole time? You really was cheating.â
âNo. Do not say youâre sorry unless you mean it. Or unless youâre ready to tell the truth. All of it.â
He squeezes his eyes shut. âIt happened last month. And then again a few nights ago.â
Everything in you just stops.
When you move again, itâs instinct â pure heartbreak dressed in rage.
You grab the entire stack of plates and throw them to the floor. They explode like fireworks, pieces skittering across the tile.
Riki jumps back, but he doesnât leave. He just watches you break everything because he knows he caused this.
âI hate you,â you whisper, clutching the counter so hard. âI hate what you did to me. I hate that I still love you. I hate that you made me feel like I wasnât enough.â
Riki steps forward slowly, voice barely there. âPlease⊠donât say that.â
You look up at him, tears streaming, chest heaving. âWhy? Why shouldnât I? Give me one reason.â
Heâs destroyed â mascara from your earlier crying smudged on his hoodie, red eyes, trembling hands.
âBecause I love you,â he whispers.
Your laugh is hollow. âYou love me?! Nigga No you donât. Not the way I love you. If you did, you wouldnât have fucked her.â
He breaks down fully. Shoulders shaking, breath hitching, tears falling messy and fast. He reaches toward you, but you step back.
âDonât,â you whisper. âYou donât get to hold me. You donât get comfort.â
âThen what do I do?â he chokes out. âTell me. Tell me how to fix this.â
âYou donâtâ you say, voice steady for the first time. âYou live with it, ainât no fixing this.â
He crumples at your words. literally sinks down to the floor, hand over his mouth, crying harder than youâve ever seen.
And you stand there, surrounded by shattered dishes, shattered trust, and a shattered heart. breathing like someone learning how to breathe again.
Finally you turn toward the bedroom.
âWhere are you going?â Riki asks, panicked.