As the sun began to set, the pregnant woman, Natalia Kapretti, emerged from her room and took a moment to admire herself in the mirror. She was a sight to behold - barely recognizable from the woman I had fallen in love with. Her makeup accentuated the bags under her eyes and dried remnants of tears that clung to her lashes. Her once immaculate dress was now stained and torn, revealing her once-hidden curves.
But it was the smile on her face that caught me off guard. It was a smile of pride and defiance, a twisted reflection of the happiness she once knew. She turned to me, her eyes gleaming in the candlelight, and let out a slow breath. "Today," she said, her voice hoarse from the cigarettes she'd been smoking, "I introduced you to my fiance."
My heart sank at the sound of those words. This woman, my Natalia, was engaged to someone else. "Congratulations," I managed to choke out. She looked at me, eyebrows arched. "Thank you, my love," she replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
I couldn't help but notice the stench that emanated from her. It was a nauseating blend of sweat, cigarette smoke, and something else. Fear gripped me as I realized what it was. Her dress was crumpled, dirty, and caked with shit. I swallowed hard, my gut churning at the thought of what she'd been through.
"Are you okay?" I asked, moving closer to her. She smirked and leaned into my touch, relishing the physical contact despite the circumstances. "I've never felt better," she replied, the lie evident in her tone. "Now," she continued, taking a step back, "let's go enjoy the fresh air on the balcony."
I followed her out onto the balcony, my mind racing with a mix of emotions. As we sat down together, she reached into her dress and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Without asking, she handed me one, and we smoked in silence, gazing out at the distant city lights.
After what felt like an eternity, she turned to me, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Do you want to know something funny?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "I was preparing for this moment all morning. I got all dressed up, put on makeup... and then I smeared it all with shit, knowing how much it would turn your stomach."
Her laugh was like nails on a chalkboard. It was a sound that used to make my heart flutter, but now it just filled me with dread. I stayed quiet, unsure of what to say or do. After a while, she leaned back against the railing, exhaling a long stream of smoke. "You know," she mused, "I think I'm going to enjoy this. I'm going to enjoy being your dirty, filthy, shitty princess bride."
I felt sick to my stomach at the thought of her with another man, of her exploring these dark desires while I was left behind. But even as I felt myself drifting apart from her, I couldn't bring myself to give up on her. She was my Natalia, and no matter how twisted things had become, I would always love her.
As he drifted off to sleep that night, he couldn't shake the feeling that everything was slipping away from him. But even in his darkest moments, he clung to the hope that somehow, someway, they could find their way back to each other.
