She left me for my brother

I walked in to find her seated alone in a corner. There was a glass of juice on the table, untouched. She looked up at me and gave me a sad smile, and I could see the effort it took her to smile. She looked pretty, as always, but there was a touch of surrender about her, as if she had finally given up.

We did not hug, we did not even shake hands. I sat down and cut straight to the chase with the only question I had, the only reason I had even agreed to come.

“What do you want?”, I asked her. She looked at me and I realised her eyes had turned red. She had been crying, and rubbing her eyes with a handkerchief. She sniffed once, took a small sip of juice and said, “I am happy you came. I do not know what I am going to do.” But I was impatient for her to get it over with.

This was dragging me to a life I had long put behind me, and tried with every ounce of my existence to forget. Then she said: “He left me, Eugene, he left me.” And it all came rushing back to me, as if it had happened just that morning.

She had told me she was leaving me that July evening, six years ago, and I was not surprised by this. I had long felt she no longer loved me, and possibly there was someone else in her life. I had never asked her if there was someone else, and I was not going to do it now.

I asked her if there was any hope left for us, and shaking her head, she said no. She stayed looking at me a little longer, as if there was something she wanted to tell me, then she turned and walked away, without saying goodbye.

Three years had just ended. I had so much to say to her, but I was in that state where you do not even know how to talk to her anymore, not even sure if she wanted to hear what I had to say. So, I sadly let her go, and for the next three months, woke up to the daily realisation that the woman I had planned to spend the rest of my life with was no longer in my life.

It was in the fourth month that I found out that she had left me for my brother.
I did not know if I would ever get over the betrayal I felt, from him yes, but unbelievably and illogically, from her. She could have done anything with anyone, but not with my brother, my only brother. When I met with him after learning of this, there was nothing to say about it.

It was over a year before I could get accustomed to seeing them together. Then slowly, I managed to move on, and after a while, I think I forgave him, but not her. Never her. Although she would always hold a special place in my heart.

Then one year ago, she called me. She had never called me ever since she left, although I run into her quite often. Surprised, and worried it was about my brother, I answered. And she told me he was cheating on her. She did not know what to do. I told her to leave me out of her life and hang up. Three months ago, she sent me a text, saying he was no longer even bothering to hide that he was cheating. I did not respond to the text.

Now today, she had called me 10 times, till I answered. And she was crying, asking me to go meet her, she was literally falling apart. She had to talk to me. And against my better judgment, I had gone to meet with her.

To be continued