by N. T. Smith
Nobody came for her at the moment. She didn’t know what to do, so she just looked out. She didn’t understand why the two people she loved the most could hurt her like this. She gave Nancy a chance to live her life, a chance to have a better job, a chance to succeed. She knew that Nancy had a hard life this entire time, and she wanted to make her best friend feel better in a sense. But now, she regretted every choice that she made, every decision that had come about. She started to feel the tears come back once again, a feeling of choking taking over her body.
She stood up, crying and crying, unsure of what to do. She walked around, her legs feeling wobbly and numb. The only thing that she could do at the moment was cry, and in her mind that was the only useful thing that she had. She could just whine, cry, and be this fake princess, but not even her prince wanted this terrible person. She was awful, and every single feeling that she had at that moment was replaced with the feeling of numbness.
She continued to cry, and soon a woman who was nearby noticed. She walked over to Cindy, but then, Cindy started to sway. Cindy couldn’t help it, the dizziness taking over her. Suddenly, she collapsed, falling to the ground. The woman raced over, but Cindy fainted at that moment. The woman called the hospital, and soon she was rushed over there. The last thing Cindy remembered before blacking out was the feeling of hurt, pain, and insecurity that came with the moment, and the fact that everything was about to change for her as soon as she woke up.
Chapter 5
For a long time, Cindy was out cold. Apparently she slept for about eight hours as well. She had a very minor concussion because of it, and her body felt frail. Apparently, her mental state seemed a bit off. She was mulling over everything though, unsure of what to do.
About a day later, she woke up, and immediately she saw her brother there. The only things that she could think about however, were Tommy and what to do about everything. Of course, she didn’t want to tell her brother that he was right, and that she would need to eat crow when it came to her words.
“Hey there,” he said.
“Hey. How are things,” Cindy asked.
“Well, you certainly worried all of us. The doctors were surprised it took you this long to wake up,” he told her.
Cindy smiled. “After everything that happened, I wanted to sleep,” she told him.
“I can only imagine. I can’t believe that” he said to her.
“You and me both. He did it on his birthday. Did he stop on by?” she asked him. Her voice was a bit garbled, but Joe shook his head.
“Not at all. And I’m trying my best not to go over there and beat the snot out of him. I can’t believe that he made you cry. He’s going to pay,” he said to Cindy.
“Don’t do it Joe. I don’t want you to get punished for anything. This was my fault, but now I don’t know what to do. I really don’t know,” she said.
“To be honest, I don’t know what to do either. I’m going to tell you right now that you should divorce him and start over. I don’t know why you haven’t yet,” Joe said.
“Because I feel scared. I don’t want to do it. I don’t know how my life will continue on,” she moaned.
“Listen Cindy, you’re a big girl. Heck, you’re a woman. Look at yourself, and see that your life isn’t going well right now. You turned down an offer to work with the company because of some silly fairy tale. I know that it sucks, but the truth is, you have to look at the reality of this situation. He’s a scumbag, and I’m trying very hard not to go over there and beat him up. I’m also very disappointed in Nancy. She knows better than that. They both do, and they screwed you over. I hate them both to be honest,” he spat.
“I hate them too. I don’t know though. Maybe it’s worth it to try to change him,” she said.
“You’re being a fool here. I’m sorry, but I’m calling it like it is. You think that a man who was cold to you because he screwed up, who didn’t even come to the hospital to make sure that you were okay, is fine and everything is going to be okay. Listen, get out of the fairy tale world that you’re in, and start to see the world for what it is. I’m sorry if this is something that you need to figure out for yourself, but I’m going to tell you that starting over is going to be best for you. I know that you’re going to probably struggle, but you’re a beautiful woman, and if that guy thinks that it’s okay to treat you like dirt, then he’s not worth your time. Just listen to me for once” he said to her.
She listened to him, but she didn’t know what to say to him. They had only been married for a little while. She thought that it was going to be the perfect marriage. She existed to take care of him, to be the princess who would be swept off her feet by a prince. Why was this happening to her? She honestly didn’t know, and to be honest, she didn’t feel secure about it.
“I guess you’re right. I’m still shaken up and worried though. What if he does want to stay together?” she asked him.
“Well you would be an idiot for doing so. He treated you like dirt, and the fact that he hadn’t shown his face at all here says a lot to me. It tells me that he doesn’t care, that he just wanted to emotionally abuse you, and that he’s just about the same level of importance as the dirt that is present beneath my shoes,” he said to her.
She listened to him. Was he even paying the hospital bill?
“Is he paying the bill here?” she asked.
“Nope. He told us that we should take care of it since it’s not his problem. It is, and if he doesn’t realize that, he’s a bigger idiot than I imagined and more of a heartless person than I ever expected,” Joe replied.
She took all of this in, wondering what to do about him. She would need to talk with her parents first.
“Let’s see what mom and dad have to say about it,” she replied.
Joe sighed, turning to her and nodding.
“Fine. But I’m just trying to give you a reasonable explanation for everything,” he replied.
Cindy nodded, trying to determine what to do next. Her parents came over as well, and when they got to the ward they saw her awake and talking.
“Oh thank goodness you’re okay,” David said.
“We were worried about you. So what happened?” Kelly asked.
Cindy blushed, wondering how she could break this to them. She knew that her mother was head over heels for Tommy and was happy that she found someone with money, but at the same time, she wondered if her mother would feel for her in this scenario.
“Well, I found out that Tommy cheated on me,” Cindy said.
Then, there was silence. David was in shock, and Kelly felt amazed by that.
“Are you serious?” David asked.
“Yeah. I caught him with Nancy,” Cindy said, her lip trembling.
“I knew I shouldn’t have trusted that woman. I never liked her, and not because of her status,” Kelly said.
“It’s not just the status though dear, this is awful. This is something more than that,” David said. He gave Cindy a hug, feeling bad for his daughter.
“Yeah. I was in such shock I went to the park, and I cried there. I then felt dizzy, and soon I fainted. When I woke up, I was here,” she said.
“Yeah, they said that it was exhaustion combined with shock. I’m so sorry sweetie,” David said.
“It’s fine dad. But now I don’t know what to do with myself. We’re still married. He hasn’t shown up here whatsoever. I know that Joe is this close to going over there and beating him up, but I want to figure out the ultimatum. Should I stay, or should I leave?” she asked them.
There was a pause, and even her mother didn’t know what to do about this situation.
“Well, I know for a fact that he’s hurt you. He’s made you think that you’re a princess and you’ve been helping him out. This is the thanks that you get because of it. If I were you, I would’ve divorced him by now. I don’t think you should stay with him,” David said.
“But I love him,” Cindy cried out.
“Did he come to comfort you aft
er what he did? I mean, it says a lot if he did,” her father stated.
She thought about it, realizing that he didn’t even bother to check up on her at all.
“He didn’t. He was cold, and he blamed it on me. I don’t know, I just feel terrible about it,” Cindy said.
“Well you’re better than this. You don’t have to be with someone that doesn’t love you for who you are. It’s honestly pathetic that he did that to you,” David said.
“I agree. I mean, I’m happy that he’s rich, but if he can’t take care of you, then I don’t care. I married a rich man, but your father is the light of my life. I know that I’m doing the right thing right now, and I think it’s best if you end things off with him. Tommy hurt you, and if you end it off, you can start all over,” Kelly replied.
Cindy was shocked by that. Even her mother agreed that Tommy was a scumbag and that she should let things go. She was scared about that, especially since she had never felt so unconfident about herself before. She felt like she was a mess, and it bothered her to no end that she felt this way.
“I don’t know. I’ll think about it. I’ll talk to him when I get released,” Cindy said.
“Okay. Just do what makes you happy,” her mother said.
“Yeah. We both love you, and we care about you. If you do so decide to leave him, just remember that you’re able to come to our company and work for us. I still have that position there for you if you want it,” David replied.
Cindy nodded, feeling happy that her parents weren’t too judgmental. She spent another two days in the hospital to make sure that everything was okay, but it was getting hard for her. When she got released, she went back home, but when she got there, she saw Tommy at the table, looking at her with a glance.
“You’re back,” he said with a cold tone.
“Thanks for not visiting me,” Cindy spat back. If he was going to be rude, then two of them could play that game together.
“Well I didn’t think I needed to visit you, especially with what we need to talk about,” he said to her.
What were they going to talk about? What was going on? She then glanced at him with a questioning look.
“What in the world are you talking about?” she asked him.
“Sit down, and I’ll speak,” he replied in a cold manner.
She did so, glancing at him and trying to read this man. It was hard though, especially since he seemed like he was working to shut off all his emotions.
“Okay,” she replied, sitting down across from him. What did he want from her? What was going on?
“Well, I hope you know that I don’t believe we’re going to work out,” he said.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
He looked at her, a glare plastered on his face.
“I want a divorce. I can’t do this anymore,” he said to her.
Cindy felt completely shocked, but at the same time, she also felt like this was going to come eventually.
“Why is that?” she asked.
“Because, to be honest I don’t feel the love anymore. I don’t feel like you’re the right person for me, and it took a lot to see it, but now that I do see it, I realize I’m an idiot for taking this so fast,” he said.
“But I want to be there for you. I want to take care of you,” she said. She couldn’t believe that this was happening. She really couldn’t believe it.
“Well I’m sorry, but I know that it’s going to be hard for both of us. After a while though, I realized that you weren’t the right one for me. At first, I loved the fact that you doted me. But then, I heard that you were passing up an opportunity to work with your family. I was thinking that you wanted to help with my business, to work with me on the same terms. But then, you never did that. Instead you became this dainty little housewife who basically lived for me. I can’t do that Cindy, I really can’t,” he said.
“Then what did you want from me? I thought you already knew that. I thought you agreed to have me as a woman who did that,” she told him.
“I thought that after a while you would realize that I didn’t want someone who would be like this all the time. Sure I love to spoil you, but I wanted someone who was strong. I didn’t want a woman who was weak and fragile, but rather a strong woman who could think for herself. That’s another thing that I thought I would get with you. Independence. You seemed like the perfect person for that initially, even though you were bent on being doted by a man because I was your Prince Charming. To be honest, you never reached the expectations that I had. Instead, I got a woman who was weak, fragile to the touch. I wanted a women who could help me with the business, I didn’t want a housewife. I don’t want a person like that, and I’m sorry, but I can’t deal with this anymore.” he said.
“But I thought you loved that I was like that. You’re my Prince Charming, the man that I would love to please,” she said.
“Can you stop calling me that? I’m so sick of hearing it!” he said.
That scared Cindy, and she realized that he never really liked it.
“So you never liked that I called you that?” she asked him.
“I honestly thought it was cute at first, but I imagined you would grow out of it.” he replied.
“But I can change. I swear I can!” she replied.
There was a pause, but then he shook his head.
“No. You can’t change Cindy. I would’ve expected it by now, but then I realized that it’s impossible for you to do this. You think that everything is perfect in your little bubble, that you’re able to act like a princess. You’ve never escaped to the real world, but instead you’ve developed emotionally in an immature way. You don’t care about anything out here. You don’t know anything about how the real world works. To be honest, I’m shocked you didn’t figure this out yet. Cindy, you’re a woman that won’t help me. We’re not compatible, because you haven’t realized that you’re not princess, but you’re a real woman. This isn’t some sort of fairy tale, and this isn’t a happily ever after that will be handed to you on a silver platter. This is the real life, this isn’t a fantasy, and you’re going to have to work for it.” he said to her.
The words cut like a knife, and soon she started to cry once again. He glanced at her, then he walked away, and Cindy felt ashamed. She didn’t feel comfortable in this house, and after grabbing some of her things she went to her parent’s place. She didn’t say anything to them, but rather she hid out in her room from back in the day, remembering her old life.
She was trying to come to terms with what he said. She didn’t know what to think about at this point, but the words hurt her, and she felt like she had been punched in the gut multiple times. It scared her to think about it, and she didn’t know what to do about anything that was going on. It bothered her to no end that things were like this, but she needed to figure out what was going on.
After a couple of moments, she started to grab a piece of paper. She started to draw herself, dressed as a princess and looking out at the castle that she had. As she did this, she started to realize something.
“They were right,” she said.
When she realized that, she felt the wave of shock start to go through her body once again. She hated that she was realizing this now. She definitely realized that she messed everything up, and now she was paying for it.
“I was an idiot. A fool for thinking that this was the reason for loving someone,” she said. When she looked at it now, she realized just how bad Tommy really was. He was a handsome man, who was also rich like no other, but she didn’t think he had other qualities besides that after looking at it hard. Instead, she realized the type of person that the man was, and to be honest, she was disgusted with herself.
He was a cold man, who didn’t really show her affection after a while. He was also very demanding, overpowering, and his words hurt her like no other. She never realized it until now, but the love that they had was superficial, and she only based that love on a few dates, some holding hands, kissing,
and some passionate encounters. She thought that it was love, and she realized that she had the concept of love wrong all along.
The Prince Charming that she was looking for wasn’t there for her. When she looked at it, she realized that the right person had been there at one point, but the truth of the matter was, she left that man for a fake prince, one who seemed like the perfect man initially, but in reality, he was nothing but a piece of scum. He was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but the perfect man that she had desired in the past was actually the one that she passed up.
When she started to scribble out the princess lifestyle that she donned in the past, she realized how naïve and stupid she really was. She was an idiot, and her family was right. She made the biggest mistake of her life, and it was right there. The one person that she should’ve married and stayed with was gone. Sure, Peter was going through a lot, and he might not spend every waking moment with her, but he did love and understand her. He did care for her, and he was there when she needed to lend an ear. Even if it was over the phone, even if it was through a text message, he was always there for her. That’s what made her realize that the Prince Charming wasn’t just some man who could wine and dine with her, not just a man who was all over her, kissing her and treating her like a princess but it was someone that did care about her. Sure Peter was a bit awkward with romance, and although they did do things together, he was more interested in just talking and being around her in a sense. She realized that it was the way he showed love. Maybe he wasn’t comfortable with being all over a girl and doting the snot out of her, but rather he wanted a woman who would be there for her when needed, and someone that she could rely on when they were needing it. She realized as well that although he wasn’t romantic or handsome, he was someone that she could talk about that bad grade with, or the stress of being in a certain social class, or even what her mother and father thought of her at times.
“Wow. I really screwed up,” she said to herself. She didn’t realize the damage until just now, but then, when she realized that he was a person who did love, who did understand her in his own way, who she could turn to in thick and thin, and someone who could spend days with her and the rest of their lives together, she then felt the pressure of the situation hit home.
