A bittersweet lie

After Liam had left the villa, Carmen pulled out a chair at the dining table and sat down.

Then she low-spiritedly looked at her Eggo Waffle Sandwich and frowned at it, feeling like Liam refusing her food means that he had rejected her too.

With every stare she gave her food, Carmen could feel this piercing ache in her chest.

In frustration, she angrily stood up, grabbed the plate, and approached the trash bin.

After opening the lid, Carmen couldn't bring herself to toss the Eggo Waffle Sandwich into the bin because in her mind, if she did, then just like you can't eat food from a dumpster, she and Liam's marriage will not have a chance for love.

With such a thought on Carmen's mind, she withdrew from the trash bin, headed back to the table, and she set the plate on the dining table. Then she sat down and began to eat the Eggo Waffle Sandwich angrily while sniffing.

Two minutes into her breakfast, her phone began to buzz, and she recklessly dropped the fork out of her hand and picked up the phone.

Staring at the screen, Carmen realized who was calling, and her pinkish lips curved into a cute smile.

After giving herself a couple of seconds to get her emotions under control, she finally answered the call and said, “Hey, Ali."

Hearing her best friend's voice made Carmen suddenly feel less depressed and a little better in her spirit.

It was no secret to Carmen that Ali's friendship meant everything to her like Liam's love did because they had known each other since kindergarten after Ali's family moved a few blocks down their street from her house. And over the years, Carmen was able to treat Ali as her sister.

“Hi, Carm! How was your first night as a married woman?” Ali's voice echoed through the phone with excitement in her tone.

Not responding to her friend's question, Carmen's heart began to ache again, and she felt a bit annoyed.

Then she picked up the fork and began stabbing it countless times in her Eggo Waffle Sandwich as a way to distract herself from tearing up again.

“It was fine,” Carmen mumbled beneath her breath.

As the lie rolled off her tongue, Carmen felt a warm liquid rolling from her eyes, and she knew she couldn't suppress her emotions anymore.

The fork trembled in Carmen's hand as her grip became too weak to hold on to it, and at last, it dropped out of her hand, falling on the table.

“Carmen, your voice and words are contradicting each other. What's going on?” Ali's concerned voice echoed through the phone speaker.

Keeping silent, Carmen bit her lip in fear, and the old wound on her mouth reopened as blood rushed out of it.

From the very beginning, Carmen had told Ali every little thing about her life. She kept nothing from her best friend. But at that moment, Carmen felt like the truth was not something a wife should be giving the morning after her wedding.

“Everything is okay. Liam is gentle and sweet. I made breakfast for him, and he ate it before going to work. I am happy.” Carmen calmly said with wet eyes.

After telling such a lie to her best friend, Carmen broke down and cried silently as her heart suffered in pain.

All that she had said was something she dreamed about for her marriage life with Liam. Now it has become a lie she's telling to make her marital life seem like the dream she had craved since she started dating Liam years back.

“Okay. I have to go to class, but I love you.” Ali replied, but Carmen could sense doubt in her words.

“I can't wait for you to graduate so we can meet again. I love you too.” Carmen said with sincerity before she cut off the call.

The moment the line got dropped, Carmen rested her head on the table and cried her heart out, realizing that she wanted more than this for Liam and her and that she wanted to feel his love so desperately, a love that Carmen thought she had but finally realized that she didn't even own it.

A few minutes into her emotional sobbing, her tears were interrupted by another call, and she raised her head, frustratingly grabbed her phone, and answered the call.

“Hello, mom,” Carmen said, striving her best to keep her voice stable.

“Are you crying, Carmen?” Mrs. Smith's calm, yet annoyed voice flowed into Carmen's ear.

“No, mom. Why would you assume such a thing?” 

“Because I am your mother, and I know when you are not okay! Where is Liam?”

“UMM, he's at work.” 

Knowing that her mother knew her better than anyone, Carmen understood that her mother wouldn't let the matter go as Ali did.

"Why is he at work on the morning after his wedding? Does he want to make my daughter the laughingstock of the entire city? Was the disgrace he brought to our family at your wedding, not enough?" Mrs. Smith lashed out.

Immediately, Carmen withdrew the phone away from her ear, not wanting to listen to her mother's outrageous outbursts.

Then she kept silent after resting the phone back against her ear, feeling like there was no need for her to explain herself since her mother would still find the crack in her words.

A couple of seconds passed, then Carmen heard her mother say, "I am coming over to keep you company since your husband won't!" 

'Deborah Smith, can you please allow me to breathe and stop nagging about my life!' Carmen screamed in her head out of rage.

Her mother's every word felt like a knife stabbing against her already injured heart, and all she wanted was to make her stop, but Carmen did not have the strength to say those words to her mother.

"Please don't come over, mom," Carmen mumbled in frustration.

There was silence on the other side of the line, and she waited impatiently for her mother to say something.

"Fine, then come over and have brunch with me at our favorite restaurant." Mrs. Smith finally said from the other end of the call.

Feeling hesitant, Carmen gazed at her burnt finger and the bite marks on her skin, guessing that the cut on her lips might look terrible by now.

"I am sorry, mother. I can't join you today." Carmen softly stated.

"If you don't arrive at 'Butter café' within the next twenty minutes, I will take it as an invitation to come to your house." Mrs. Smith's voice echoed in her ear, causing her to frown.

Sighing faintly as a few more tears rolled from the corners of her eyes, Carmen felt the urge to scream out loud and cry nonstop until her heart stopped aching.

But she buried her emotions and gently replied, "I will be there," 

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