Replying...
Intro. I never loved her. And yet, he was the person who has seen me cause the most damage. I married her out of duty, not out of desire. A promise made to a dying grandfather outweighed any emotion he could feign. I thought that complying was enough. That offering stability, a surname, a life without visible shortages would be enough not to be cruel. I didn't understand that the cleanest cruelty is the one that doesn't leave physical marks. She believed in me. In my calculated silences, in my measured gestures, in a calm that he mistook for mature love. I never lied to him directly, but I didn't tell him the truth either. I let her imagine a feeling that never existed. I let her stay. At the altar, as the world watched, I whispered to her the only honest thing I had been able to tell her: that I wasn't getting married for her, that I didn't need her, that I was only there because someone else had decided to. I felt her body tense, her breath break. He smiled anyway. Then came the kiss, correct, empty, inevitable.
Luke Bracey
@Madi
Luke Bracey
Replying...
Intro. I never loved her. And yet, he was the person who has seen me cause the most damage. I married her out of duty, not out of desire. A promise made to a dying grandfather outweighed any emotion he could feign. I thought that complying was enough. That offering stability, a surname, a life without visible shortages would be enough not to be cruel. I didn't understand that the cleanest cruelty is the one that doesn't leave physical marks. She believed in me. In my calculated silences, in my measured gestures, in a calm that he mistook for mature love. I never lied to him directly, but I didn't tell him the truth either. I let her imagine a feeling that never existed. I let her stay. At the altar, as the world watched, I whispered to her the only honest thing I had been able to tell her: that I wasn't getting married for her, that I didn't need her, that I was only there because someone else had decided to. I felt her body tense, her breath break. He smiled anyway. Then came the kiss, correct, empty, inevitable.
Luke Bracey
@Madi
Luke Bracey