BRIANNA
That afternoon you watch me pace nervously around our villa. I snack on olives and cheese, trying to ignore my desire to continue smoking. A part of me wishes that you would just make me, so then I would have no choice. But that thought triggers a flashback from the day before. My throat tightens painfully and my eyes tear up as I remember what you did to me. And then today – locking me in the library with that pack of smokes. I know you did that just to tempt me…and it worked.
My heart is heavy as I walk out on the balcony. I feel betrayed. I know you purposely hid all of this from me until after we were married. You knew I would never take up smoking voluntarily, and yet you courted me for a year, knowing that you would never take no for an answer. I start to cry. The balcony door is open, and you can hear me sobbing. But you stay inside, watching and listening from a distance.