Member-only story
Will You Still Love Me When I’m No Longer Young and Beautiful?
Being the perfect wife has its downsides.
The rays through the window cut through the shadows of the room. Her heels clacked against the floor, in time with the ticking of the grandfather clock against the nearest wall. Nerves sang through her, her anxiety like high winds on a stormy night, but the outside view bore no hint of anything smiting the calmness of the day.
No, she was the only wreck to be found. Even her nails, usually the epitome of grace with their pale pink tips, were torn as if she had just grappled with a beast of prey. If she had a mirror in the room, she would have seen the darkened skin under her eyes and blemishes where her make-up had worn away.
On cue at five after five, the front door opened. She lifted her head to see her husband Charles walk through, his briefcase still in hand and his navy blue tie askew. They just stared at each other across the expanse where the air felt too thick to breathe.
“Sarah, darling, what are you doing?” A laugh punctuated his words, but she could hear there was no true humor to the sound. It was just another perfect facade in a piece of this set-up they had staged for each other and all their friends as of late.
