A Moment in Destiny

“Let’s call a truce!” Vincent said after a long pause. After Leila’s outburst, his voice was a bit hoarse even as he said this.

What!?

Leila was dumbfounded.

“Let’s call a truce!” He repeated.

Leila was still frozen in her tracks. She didn’t respond at all.

From his tone, he sounded very sincere yet indifferent. “I’m really tired!”

Leila’s heart continued to tighten until it felt as though it was about to burst and jump out of her chest. This was the first time she ever heard him speak in such a tone, and she was beyond belief.

“Cut it out already!” He said.

“You’re the one making a ruckus, not me!” Leila said in a low voice, filled with a sense of being treated unfairly, “I just don’t want to be a pawn in someone’s game, I’m really tired too.”

... Vincent opened his mouth but nothing came out.

Leila continued softly, “When I was young, I always imagined how wonderful marriage would be. Just like the songs, I always thought it’d be incredibly romantic, growing old with you together. Even when we’re old and can’t go anywhere, I’d like to think that you’d still treat me with love and respect. But this marriage is nothing like that. Keeping this marriage is pointless; we just keep hurting each other. Besides, even your mom said so, we’re going to get divorced sooner or later. We might as well get it over with now, right?”

“Since the day I married you, my entire life was ruined; I won’t ever get happiness in this life. I never naively believed in fairy tales like love lasting for a lifetime. I don’t want to fight and bicker with you to no end. I don’t want to argue with you or endure your verbal abuse. I always hoped that you’d be the same Mr. White as before, who could smile leisurely and isn’t filled with hate. Just you being you? Even if we get divorced, I can still call you Mr. White!”

“But, I don’t know how much longer we’re going to continue hurting each other like this. I don’t know if I will still have the strength to call you Mr. White! Now, you’re standing before me, saying how tired you are. I just want to say, being someone filled with so much hate, how can you not be tired? Your heart is enduring pain and suffering every day, right? If I guessed correctly, you married me just to shame my family, right? So why do you have a face like that, as though you’re suffering so much?”

Leila carefully observed Vincent and noted the pain in his eyes. She noted the bags under his eyes, as though he hadn’t slept all night. Looking at the blood traces on his bandaged hands, she felt a hint of pain. She pulled his hand over and redid the bandage. The second their hands touched together, Vincent felt as though an electric shock ran through his body.

She continued to speak, “I don’t want to continue like this, Mr. White, I’m really depressed, really!”

She looked at him with a worried expression; he could see the kindness on her face as well as the tears that were about to come out. She was about to let him go, when he suddenly grabbed her and held her tightly.

“Leila, what if you’re not just a pawn?” His shoulders were shaking a bit, and there was a strange tone mixed with uncertainty.

Leila felt as though something was amiss; it felt as though he was a bit fragile. Did he ever had this side to him?

hate me. I don’t know what happened for you to hate my father, but I know you

suddenly became

him, “I don’t want to make your mom constantly unhappy,

stood still, his eyebrows knit closely together. He was quiet for a long time. It was as though time froze at this moment. His entire being was deep

face with his other hand. Her face instantly became hot from his warm hand, and the warmth spread quickly to the rest of her body.

his hand slid to the side. His eyes had an unspeakable pain, “What if I don't want

did he mean?

it felt as though no words could get through to him. Just what did she have to do to get through to him?

don’t want to continue like this; what can we do?” Leila shed all her

in a deep voice with such sadness

However-

he suddenly behave so weak? It made her heart tighten. It was as though he was going

she quickly swallowed

he possibly

of women around him all the time. She has even seen him change women plenty of times. If she were to ask, it’d only make

your father?” His words

then spoke in a soft voice, “It’s because he has something to do with my father’s death. If

“Didn’t your father commit

“It was suicide!”

got to do with

“He was a prideful man. At the age of 35, he became F City’s mayor. Yet, due to his delay in issuing a document, 120 workers were trapped in a well due to a

breath as

that time, 543 individuals were recorded to have gone down the well. After the incident, 423 were accounted for, 120 were missing. At that time, the province issued a document addressing safety issues. But that document was sitting on my father’s desk. Your father wrote an anonymous letter to the province to report my father’s negligence at work. My

“But it was his responsibility, of course he had to issue the report! That concerned the lives of 120 miners. My father’s

true on the

“What do you mean?”

investigating. Someone intentionally withheld notice of that document from my father, which caused that incident; he was

“What do you mean?”

took care of everything in an airtight manner. The only thing that could get to him were accidents, and out of all the accidents, the well mining was the most severe. If something were to happen, the top brass would definitely get punished. This was the only way to get my father to resign!” Vincent lit a cigarette. “Tell me, should

document?” Leila felt a knot

that man became the mayor of F City, to this day!”