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“I’m cheating on you.”
The words echo through his head as he grips tight onto the leather armchair, knuckles white while crescent-moon indents are left from his hold. Harry stares at him, eyes wide and heart pounding. Stares at the man he married not two years ago, at the man he promised to love forever in sickness and in health and who promised to do just same. And yet, here they find themselves.
“I’m cheating on you.”
His eyes are wide, watering-blue eyes that at one point Harry could have gotten lost in but now he can’t stand to look at- with tears dripping down his face as his lips quiver. He doesn’t have a right to cry, not now. Not because of this. He tightens his grip. He’s pleading with him, the words “I’m sorry” streaming from his mouth in broken sobs. If it had been a day ago, heck even an hour ago he would of grabbed him and pulled him into a tight embrace, calming him down and whispering “I love you” but now all he wants to do is scream “I hate you” because he gave him everything. Harry loved this man and he cheated on him.
“I’m cheating on you.”
Shoving away from the armchair, Harry marches across the room towards the bedroom door. He needs to leave, needs to get away because every time he looks at him all he sees is red. Anger pulses through his veins, red hot furry so startling he has to clasp onto the doorway for several seconds. He cheated on him. The one thing he promised he’d never do. And with who?
“I-that’s…Harry please. Telling you won’t do any good.” he pleads. Did he say that aloud? Harry glares over at him, “you have to understand I never meant for this to happen, please it was an accident!”
“An accident?!” he scoffs. “How do you accidently cheat on me? Huh, please inform me because I would really like to know!”
“Harry,” a broken sob slips free. “I’m so sorry, please, I’m so sorry.”
He yanks open the dresser and grabs whatever he can reach, throwing it all into the gym bag. Next he grabs his keys and his wallet.
“W-where are you going?” he demands.“Harry, you can’t leave.”
“I can’t leave? I can’t leave!” Harry whirls around. He’s staring up at him, eyes pleading with him to stay and listen but he can’t. Not now. Not tonight. He knows they’ll have to talk but every time he looks at him all he pictures is him with another man, being held by another man, kissed by another man. And with each nightmarish thought, his anger spikes. Harry needs to get out before he breaks down and starts saying things he knows he’ll regret. “I’m leaving and you have no say in the matter, you lost that right when you decided to fuck someone else.”
“Harry-”
“-no, Niall I’m leaving.” He swings the strap of the gym bag over his shoulder and heads for the front door. With each step, the fury within him simmers until it’s a low boil in the pit of his stomach. There is nothing he can do to change what his husband has done, no way to turn back time or wipe his mind of the past thirty minutes. Niall has cheated on him. “I’ll send Liam by tomorrow to pick up whatever else I need for work on Monday.”
“Will you be coming back?”
Harry, with one hand on the front doorknob, stares at Niall. At the man he loved-still loves-no matter how much he hates him at this moment. He sees the tears slipping down his cheeks and the regret shinning in his eyes. He sees early Sunday mornings in bed and late Friday nights curled up on the couch watching a movie. He remembers words of love, whispered promises; he remembers every reason he fell in love with him. But now those memories are tainted with four words instead of strengthened by three.
“I don’t know.”
He closes the front door behind him.