The Montgomery family had their usual father-son disagreement, but M
remained oblivious to the drama as she slept.
Her sleep, however, was far from peaceful.
In the haze of a dream, she found herself transported back to her university days,
a time when both she and Lysander were brimming with youthful energy and hope.
Sunlight streamed through the stairwell windows, casting a warm glow over everything.
A young Lysander, dressed in casual athletic wear, stood bathed in that brilliant light, radiating an undeniable charm and confidence.
He leaned down, droplets of water from a recent ssh glistening in his dark hair, and with an enigmatic gaze, he addressed the shy, startled girl standing below him on the steps.
That girl was a younger version of M.
"Do you like me? Just how much?" he asked, his voice carrying a hint of youthful innocence, with a cool edge that nevertheless set M''s heart ame.
That moment, that feeling, defined her entire youth.
"I do, I really do," her younger self replied, and with that, the dream took a jarring
turn.
She was suddenly in a richly decorated room, the kind reserved for joyous celebrations.
Lysander hurled a red gift-wrapped robot at her, his eyes zing with anger, before storming out the door.
The robot''s mechanical voice, eerily synchronized with Lysander''s deep timbre, delivered a cutting message that pierced M''s heart.
"M, I will never love you!"
The tumultuous dream jolted her awake.
M opened her eyes, her head throbbing slightly, her vision still blurred. She saw a familiar silhouette in front of her.
Her mind, still foggy with sleep, couldn''t quite differentiate between dream and reality, and she spoke to the figure before her.
"Lysander, I don''t love you anymore," she murmured, as if confirming it to herself, she repeated, "I don''t love you anymore."
It dawned on her then how effortlessly the words came out, words that marked the end of her long-standing feelings for Lysander.
There was an inexplicable sense of relief.
As M was lost in these thoughts, the silhouette drew closer, bing clear. In an instant, she was pinned down on the bed.
The heat of Lysander''s body seeped through her thin nightgown.
The realness of his touch and warmth snapped M back to full awareness, just
as Lysander''s low, restrained voice sounded in her ear.
"What is my wife saying?"
Though fully awake, M was undeterred. Just as she was about to repeat herself, his lips descended on hers, fierce and unyielding, as if he meant to consume her whole. His hands roamed with unabashed intent.
M, still weak from sleep, found herself dizzy from his kiss, unable to muster any resistance.
When he finally released her, she was breathless and perspiring, her chest heaving as she gasped for air, nearly fainting fromck of oxygen.
Lysander watched her, captivated by her beauty and vulnerability. His eyes, with their usual sly glint, softened.
He reveled in seeing M so lost and affected by him, savoring the power he held over her emotions, a power he had ignited and fueled himself.
He cherished this feeling.
And it was only in these moments that his wife was the most pliant, devoid of her usual fiery defenses, allowing him free rein.
M finally regained herposure and seized the wandering hand.
"Enough!" she dered.
Even if her heart no longer fluttered for Lysander, she couldn''t deny the physical reaction his touch elicited.
Firmly holding hisrge hand in ce, M, still weak and shaky, managed to get off the bed, her bare feet sinking into the carpet. She shed the disheveled nightgown, revealing the bruises on her back and right calf.
Years of marriage had rendered them indifferent to each other''s bodies, especially in such circumstances.
Standing naked before Lysander, her face still etched with deep fatigue, she spoke, "Lysander, I truly don''t want to continue this. Whatever you''re hating, whatever you''re avenging, seven years should be enough. Let''s just let each other go."
She was too weary to dredge up the tangled history between them, too tired to recount the endless rights and wrongs of their past.