SUFFERING

Alexander stared at the bald man before him who was sweating and looked like he was seconds from running away no matter the consequences. "I am s- sorry I didn't mean to disrespect her. I won't ever do it again. Please forgive me Sir!" He pleaded. Alexander's expression didn't change. It was still the same cold mask he always wore in front of the world. "Who gave you the right to talk about my wife?" Even though Alexander looked calm he was anything but calm. He was filled with so much rage that he had to hold his hands back so that he doesn't accidentally slam the pig's face into the table. That pig had the audacity to insult his wife! His wife! His Aurora.

"I am sorry sir!" The man pleaded again but Alexander held a hand up to stop him. "You are fired." He said in a calm and calculated tone and turned around, a clear sign of dismissal to the man who ran away out of the office as if a demon was chasing him. He called his secretary next.

"Good Evening Mr. King." His secretary Lisa answered. "Good Evening Lisa." He greeted her trying to keep his voice under control to prevent snapping at her. "Sir you have a meeting with a technology company at 6 pm and then a meeting with the board of directors at 7:15 pm. That's all." She said formally. It was already 5:30 and all the employees were about to leave if they already hadn't except for Lisa. She went home the exact time he did because she needed the extra money her boss gave to her for her overtime hours. "Thank you Lisa. I want you to prepare a resignation letter for Mr. Carl Smith and make sure he signs it." He said. "I will, Sir." She replied. After cutting the call Alexander sighed and cracked his knuckles trying to dissipate the anger bubbling inside him. But it didn't work. So he thought about the only person who had the power to bring him to his knees. Aurora. His Aurora. Her eyes were like the ocean, so deep that he had often got lost in them. Her easy smile, her kind eyes and the softness of her skin had made him fall for her. He had spent so many nights thinking about her. Her innocence was the most interesting quality of her and he had spent months with her basking in the aura of her innocence then just why didn't he believe her? The answer was very clear. He had feared for months that a day will come when she will leave him for someone better than him. And when his mother and his wife's best friend laid a trap for him he had fallen straight into it. Everyone had left him and the fear of losing his love had caused him their marriage. He had loved her and he trusted her but his fear clouded his judgment . The betrayed and hurt expression on his wife's face haunted him at nights even before he had found out the truth. He had suffered for eight months thinking that his wife cheated on him until his mother and Xander told him the truth. That was a day he would never forget. Past (two months before) Alexander entered the living room of the mansion where his mother sat in an armchair with wine glass in her hand. Alexander saw her but ignored her and took a glass before pouring wine into it from the bar and turned around to walk into his wing which was situated at the left side of the mansion. "Did you finalize your engagement with Kristina?" His mother asked, her voice sweet.

He stopped but didn't turn around to face her. "No." Just one word. But it rang with such finality that there wasn't a need for any other words.

The shattering of glass made him turn around and his eyes went to the spilled wine on the furnished floor and then flitted to his mother, who stood in front of him, her chest heaving and her eyes ablaze.

Still his expression didn't change. Was he supposed to feel something? Because if he did, he was just not capable of feeling anything. Since the day he had kicked out his wife he had stopped feeling. There was just a constant state of numbness that took hold of him. He would eat, go to work, act like usual and then return home. To anyone else it would seem like he was perfectly fine but from inside he was empty. The place where his heart was present before was empty. Instead there was a gaping hole which refused to close.

"Just how many days would you spend like this? Why can't you let that bitch go? She cheated Alex! She did! Why are you suffering for that where's mistake? Do you know how embarrassing it is that you are still hung upon her?" She screamed and Alexander for once felt something— anger. Raw hot anger. She didn't have any right to insult his wife! But he kept his calm because that was expected of him.

Suddenly his mother's expression changed. It did a complete one eighty. When she opened her mouth her voice was dripping with honey.

"Son, Kristina is a good woman. She is beautiful, rich and powerful. And her status is quite high although it doesn't even touch ours but her parents are quite influential. We will have a very powerful ally. And you will finally be able to move on with Kristina. She will be the model wife." This time it wasn't possible for Alexander to keep his cool. Rage flooded his veins and his mask cracked giving away the anger he felt. His feelings were too intense and he didn't think about the effect of his next words.

"Mom have ever thought about me? About what your son wants? Have you ever thought about my happiness? You haven't! Everything's about what you want and how it benefits you! Did you ever ask me if I was okay? No, you didn't. You knew how much I loved Aurora and instead of offering me support like any other parent would, you are talking about Status! What the fuck would I do of status when the person I live isn't with me? You know I always knew Aurora would leave me! When my own mother is using me to fulfill her selfish desires, why wouldn't some other woman?" He snapped, his whole body shaking with the force of his rage.

He continued. "You were like this even when I was small. Every time I was work this, work that. Did you ever think about your son who was waiting for you at home so that when you come you will read him a bedtime story. I spent nights waiting for you while you were having fun with your friends. That was when I understood that you will never love me! So I changed. I stopped caring about what you wanted and worked hard to be like dad. Dad was the only one who cared. He lived me and he cared for me. The only reason I came home from boarding school was to meet dad. And then he died and I was all alone again! You were too busy to notice because you were I your own grief that he didn't leave you anything and named me the heir who will inherit everything. The only reason you are living in this house is because you are still my mother!"

Tears streamed down Cynthia's face as she looked at her son who gave her a last look of disgust before leaving and slamming the door shut. Silence entailed and the only sound she could hear were her own sobs and sniffles.

What had she done? How could she not see her own son's pain? Why didn't she think about her son's happiness? Had she really been so engrossed in achieving her goals that she didn't notice how much she was hurting others? What was wrong with her? It really shouldn't even have been a question. She knew what was wrong. She was greedy. Plain and simple. All her life she had imagined living as a billionaire and when her dream came true as she married Alexander's father, she was so fascinated by the business world that she ignored her responsibilities— ignored her son. She even ruined his marriage. She snatched the person he loved the most. How will she ever look into the mirror without seeing the wicked, awful person she had become? Shame and disgust washed over her and she fell to her knees as she recalled the pain in her son's eyes. A new determination filled her mind. She will make it right. Every mistake she had ever made, she will fix them all. She will beg if she has to. For her son and for herself. Starting from giving her son the love of his life back. At that exact moment her phone rang and she stands up and walks over to the phone to pick it up but when she sees the name on the screen. She pauses. Xander. Why is he calling now? The thought fills her mind and she picks up the call out of curiosity.

His voice filters through the phone but it sounded somewhat different. Filled with grief and honesty. The thing that surprises her more are his words.

"We need to tell Alex everything."