Shallow breaths, the frozen air biting at his skin, eyes sunken and hollow, weak at the knees and shuddering constantly, repelled at the sight of them and yet unable to tear himself away. Each inhale felt like his lungs were filled with needles, the cold air like knives piercing outwards from inside his chest, and yet this sensation paled in comparison to the agony that was displayed all across his face, for the wound they had inflicted upon him was not one of the flesh, but one of the soul, the heart and the mind.
Their cavorting and blatant affection for one another was sickening to behold, their hands intertwined and eyes locked with one another as if the world around them had simply melted away. It was the same way she had looked in to his own eyes once upon a time, but those days seemed so far away now, as if the relationship they had built was simply just a fading memory of a dream. Still frozen in place watching as they passed by through the sparse crowd of unfamiliar faces, his vacant expression cut through and caught her eye.
“Oh my god…”
The words escaped her mouth but fell silent at this distance as her previously blissful expression vanished and was replaced with a flood of emotions; guilt, grief, sadness, anger, confusion, and finally regret. Her new man grasping her hand tighter as he noticed her shift in demeanour, looking over to see the shrivelled husk of her husband staring back at her, his head swaying side to side in disgust as he felt strength return to his limbs, using it to shamble away before she could attempt to rationalise her betrayal to him, hearing her faint cries over the symphony of idle chatter behind him, daring not look back for fear of seeing any glimpse of the woman he’d loved remaining inside her.
42
