Reyona realised in a split second that she might have judged Toria's temper too fast because of the fury she felt regarding the bastard that stood in front of her at that moment, as he calmly told her that it was her fault that he smashed her TV screen, which was unlike any she had felt recently.
Her fault? He thought it was her fault that he damaged their property? Did he think it was her fault too that he cheated on her?
It was her fault that he decided to damage their marriage.
It was her fault that he chose to deny her the joy of motherhood by giving what should have been her exclusive right to someone else.
It was her fault that...
Reyona realised that the more she thought about it, the more likely it was for her to blow off, so she simply put a stop to her spiralling thoughts and gave him a demeaning look as he stood there, weaving a little on his feet as he looked back at her belligerently with no iota of remorse whatsoever.
"You broke the screen, and it is my fault?" she asked as calmly as she could, spacing her words carefully when she wanted to reach out and punch the face that had once been so dear to her. A face attached to all of her grievances at the moment.
She wanted badly to rail, to shout, to throw things, and maybe break what was remaining of the TV screen that the bastard had unremorsefully massacred, but she knew she wouldn't do it. She envied Toria badly at that moment, as her sister was known for acting exactly as she felt. When Toria was happy, those around her would feel it, and when she was not, everyone would know that her dear sister had something going on with her.
A mad Toria would vent immediately without overthinking things. She could picture her sister at that moment already joining her friends in the fun they were having as she forgot about the bastard she hit and her sister, who was always keeping things under the lid because she believed in dealing with things rationally.
"Well, ain't nothing rational about what you have done recently," she thought to herself acerbically before she shook her head at her husband, who had turned away from her at that moment to pick up the discarded bottle of whiskey that he had been guzzling about before she got home.
He picked up the bottle and shook it as if to confirm that the little content in it was still truly there before he put the bottle to his mouth and drank the remaining content in one long pull.
Reyona shook her head as the anger she felt faded as abruptly as it had come up in the first place. She decided to ignore it, as it was doubtful that he would make any sense now that he was drunk anyway.
She had not taken more than two steps when he lurched towards her so suddenly that she yelped involuntarily when he held her arm tightly.
"What is wrong with you? Let go of me!" Reyona said this in disgust as his beer breath bathed her face when he belched right in her face.
"I am not letting you go, you bitch. Where do you think you are going? I was talking to you!" Thomas yelled at her.
Even though Reyona was getting pissed at his utterances, she decided to chalk it up to his drunken state. Thomas wouldn't talk to her in this manner in a sober mood, would he?
"Alcohol only brings out what was already there," her subconscious contributed.
"Let go of my arm," Reyona said again, refusing to believe that this was truly how Thomas thought of her.
He wouldn't let go, though; he only tightened his hand as he shook her. "You don't tell me what to do! You hear me?! I am your husband, and I will be the only one to tell you when I don't want you anymore! Not the other way around! I am..." he belched again, and the stink almost made Reyona gag. "You will do as I say and stop this nonsense talk about divorce, you hear me? I am your husband, and I am the only one who has the right to tell you when I don't want you anymore! You are not…"
"Let go of me!" Reyona shouted, more annoyed by his insensitivity than anything else at that moment.
"I will not! Are you going to lock me out again tonight? You will make me sleep in the guest room again? You care about our damn TV screen more than you care about me, don't you? It was all your fault! If you did not lie about coming to the hospital and make me wait out here for you before that bastard came along with his smart mouth and... that bast..."
Reyona shoved him hard at that moment, not unlike what her sister had done earlier, only that this time around, he seemed to have been ready for it; it was just a mere coincidence because he held her, and by the time he staggered back, it was too late for her to quickly break her fall, and they went down together.
She probably would have been pleased with the way his backside collided with the floor, but she was too pissed at the way her shin hit the floor hard when her limbs twisted at an uncomfortable angle atop him. The rug cushioned her fall, but she would rather have done it without the pain that raced up her limb.
When he immediately turned her over and pinned her to the floor as if he were oblivious to the pain she was sure he would be feeling at the moment, Reyona knew that she had had it.
"Gotcha!" he said with a drunken grin. "Now, I have you where you belong. Right under me," he added with a lascivious smile as he ground his waist against her and leaned closer to give her a sloppy kiss.
"What has gotten into you?! Get off me! Thomas!" Reyona spittered in anger as she tried to avoid his wet lips.
"I am your husband, and you will listen to me!" he said, his smile gone as he tried instead to grope her breast when she wouldn't let him kiss her. "Is there someone else out there that you are giving it to now? Is that why you wanted to divorce me so that you could have this house to yourselves for the both of you to fuck yourself? Not if I have anything to say about it!"
Reyona was beyond disgusted at this point, and she blamed herself totally for not accepting Toria's suggestion of following her to have a night out with her friends. Anything, anything at all, would be better than this. She thought in revulsion as she tried to fight him off when his clumsy hands tried to undo her big decorative button.
"Let go of me, Thomas! You need to sober up."
"I told you to shut the fuck up! You bitch!" he said suddenly as he reared back.
And it happened so fast that Reyona had not even seen it coming, not to mention trying to dodge it.
Thomas Lanoth bunched his hand into a fist, and he punched Reyona!
Right on her face!