Chapter 13: Why
Inna POV

“Don’t go to clubs anymore, they’re not the right place for you.”

What did he mean by that? He talked like he knew me. I bit my thump and unconsciously let out a sneer of frustration.

L.Joe glanced sideways and saw your annoyed expression through the reflection on the window.

“Is… everything alright?” he asked after reverting his eyes back onto the road.

“Yeah,” I replied curtly and went back to frowning.

L.Joe wanted to ask more, but he couldn’t open his mouth. Anything else coming out would seem like he was concerned and if there was one phrase to describe L.Joe, it would be that he didn’t care.

Sure once in a long time ago he did, once in a million years ago he was a cheerful and happy kid, just like Chunji had described, but that was the past. A beautiful past with a rough dent in it and everything after the dent became shattered, torn, and irreplaceable.

He had tried, a numerous number of times to “fix” himself but it seemed like the more he tried, the more messed up things get. He wasn’t supposed to have a wife, if anything, staying single was his one and only solace, at least he would be the only one ruined. The day you became his wife, his world came crashing down, his only self comfort was gone.

To him, you were nothing except a constant reminder of his own self destruction, a constant fear… of lost… when you find out his secret.

SHREECH

I shot forward and my head met the dashboard.

“What the!” I looked at L.Joe who just randomly slammed on the break.

“We’re here,” he spoke through clenched teeth.

I noticed that his knuckles went white around the steering wheel, “Are you…”

“Get OUT!” L.Joe ordered looking like he was ready to burn down a building if I didn’t obey.

And I thought we were past the old yelling and torture, I almost laughed at myself as I opened and closed the car door, not forgetting to give it an extra hard shove.

Still inside the car L.Joe took a deep breath. There, he had done it again, he snapped at you again, now you can run away, after all you will, sooner or later.

As he tried to refocus, he noticed a dark red splotch on his shinny dashboard. Blood? He wondered, but from where?

He then noticed you shivering in the cold outside of the car. The sudden image of you crashing forward flooded into his mind. He swore out loud and grabbed some tissues. L.Joe got out of the car and sure enough, there was a cut on the side of your forehead.
 

He sighed, I’ve hurt her again.

Quietly, he walked behind you and pressed the tissue on the wound.

I felt a light pressure on my head and was about to turn around when L.Joe’s voice came from behind, “Don’t move you’re bleeding.”

I’m what? I took the piece of tissue from L.Joe and sure enough, there was blood on it. Still processing this new discovering, L.Joe ripped open a band aid and gently placed it over the cut. He messed up your hair a bit to make the band aid less noticeable.

L.Joe looked down and was met by your big brown orbs, they never failed to make him feel guilty. He swallowed once and pushed his sunglasses up higher on his nose bridge, “Let’s go in.” His arm went up behind your waist but lingered in midair before dropping back to his side. He headed into the building without looking back.

I touched the band aid on my head finally aware of my injury, when I looked up again, L.Joe was already gone.

“Aish,” I huffed and went inside as well. Once I was inside I realised that we were at a fancy restaurant.

“Why are we here,” I muttered to no one in particular.

“To celebrate,” L.Joe spoke without looking at me, “C’mon, our room is this way.”

Celebrate? "For what?" I blurted.

"For you," L.Joe didn't bother to elaborate any further.

I trailed behind him, he looked back once, but those dang shades where covering his eyes.

Five minutes ago he slammed on the breaks and yelled at me to get out.

Three minutes ago, he gave me a band aid.

Currently he’s ignoring me.

I sighed. Just how many sides can a person have?

When will you finally take those stupid shades off and let me see the real you?

 

Narrator POV

He paced back and forth inside the room, stopping to reach out to his phone then retreating his arm, with a shake of his head he went back to walking.

This cycle repeated for over an hour before he finally gathered the courage and snatched his