Sweet Seduction

I would agree that every human on this planet has a moment they can pinpoint in their lives as the unforgettable something.

This unforgettable something has to be so memorable that no one can instinctively know from the second when it starts happening that who we really are when this great events starts will be irrevocably redesigned, wether for the better or for worse.

Standing exactly as she was in the bedroom, Daphne knew this moment was her unforgettable something, her greatest era.

"I don't think I can do this anymore"

Daphne stomach clenched, nervous pin pricks travelled across every inch of her body, her limbs felt like they were literally vibrating with electricity, her heart dropped to the floor when the only man she had ever loved made that statement.

The atmosphere around them was very tense to the extent that she could feel her instant increasing body temperature.

"Wwhat do you mean?"

Manuel sat on the edge of their bed, hands folded into one another, he let out a shaky breath of remorse, " Daphne I think we need a break from each other"

"Break? What break? Is it break like having a breakfast or going for a break dance class?" Daphne laugh but quickly realized how dry her humor was when the man in question didn't respond, neither did he laugh or smile.

"I will be staying with a friend tonight, and then tomorrow I will be leaving for Spain for two weeks"

"What?" Shock twisted Daphne's stomach into uncomfortable knots, " when did all that happen?"

Daphne knew Manuel always tell her of his intending plans either for work, for himself or for them both, she watched him, her feet growing numb the longer she stood there as he went over to their closet and pull out a suitcase.

"I booked it few weeks ago?"

"Weeks??!....."

"I need to go on a break, on a vacation" Manuel said in a cold time, tossing the pillow that was arranged on his side of the bed.

Daphne nodded, " So, are you going by yourself?"

Manuel paused for just the slight second and Daphne felt everything inside of her collapse within that silent beat.

"No, iam going with Liam"

Relief swept in swift and hard, surprising Daphne by how worried she had actually been that he might be going to this impromptu vacation with another companion in mind.

Yes it's! It's cool if he is going to Spain with Liam, after all they have been childhood friends. Daphne knew Manuel wasn't perfect, she believed no one is and over the last years of their relationship he had developed some less than pleasant qualities to be around.

Manuel might have been the corky type but he has never for once be unfaithful to her, that was the promise he made four years ago and Daphne trust him with all her heart, that no matter how Rocky things gets between them they will always overcome it no matter what.

"Okay..." She let out the breath she was holding, different thoughts kept coming to her brain, each one trying to make sense of what exactly was happening, ".... Well, uh that is good....yeah, every couple needs space every now and then to miss each other and remember the promises they made to each other, so yeah it's a good idea"

Manuel looked at her, his Bright eyes telling the thought his lip were too weak to speak out.

"What?"

His silence combined with his hardened expression that brewed up an uneasy terror inside her, " Ii don't think you get it Daphne, I...."

"No Manuel, I do...." she pushed her determination harder past the terror inducing word he had just said.

Daphne felt bolts of adrenaline pulse through her vein, "....We have been in a rough patch before, remember? And anytime we take some break it makes us reflect on our last and help us become stronger and better for each other, so when your vacation is over you can come home for us to start to get back on track"

Manuel shook his head slowly, " I think I need more than two weeks"

"Okay, how long?"

He kept a sealed lip, uncertainty showing in his stare which refused to meet hers, " I don't know, I can't put a time limit"

The need to reach out and touch him was desperate, so Daphne did not fight it, touching Manuel had always calmed her down even in their worst days, well that is how they fell in love after all.

Her heartbeat erratically inside her chest that the constant vibration was painful, but she hoped Manuel could hear it, Daphne hoped Manuel could hear how loudly and profound her heart beats for him and him alone.

Sliding her hand up his fabrics, revealing his defined pecs, Daphne was pleased to find that his heart was just out of control as hers.

"Baby, all that matter right now is how much I love you and your love for me too, we will get through this together okay?"

Every couple had their scary moments no doubt, the thought of losing a baby, a partner, divorce, cheating is no doubt the scary moments of every couple, statically it take more than one or two years for any couple to seek for a divorce.

Daphne and Manuel no doubt was having their scary moments earlier than expected and no doubt she was very sure they will overcome it.

Manuel face was just above hers, now holding back the tears that shine through the thick lashes Daphne always gets jealous of, his tears gave her the courage to reach up to his face, his eyes automatically shut as she touched his face, but not a single tear slipped through.

"I don't think I love you thesame way anymore"

Shock travelled up from her heart to her hand making her jump, an immediate wash of humiliation drained the blood from her face.

Daphne has never being humiliated in her entire life, " Yyou always tell me you love me!"

Manuel let out a smile she had never seen before, he had this curel but unintentional smile on his face.

" I have tried Daphne, you have no idea how long I have been forcing myself to say those words to you just to make you feel happy"

"Excuse me?....."

Twenty one years of her life, Daphne has never been punched in the stomach before but now she imagine this is exactly what it feels like.

She backed away from him like his body was fire and she was gasoline, if they were to touch.....

"....so, you are saying you have been lying about loving me?"

"Daphne, I thought about my life, and about how people have made me see life the way it really is, and even what you've said to me most times when we have few misunderstandings, wether that decision of me wanting to be out of any entanglements or wanting not to live just a simple boring life makes me an awful boyfriend or an amazing human, I don't know but you are right and I will do anything to achieve such, I could go out of the way for anyone except you, I don't think I can"

The realization of what was really happening began to sink with an emerged panic, it crawled up to Daphne's throat, it's nail punching through her soft flesh leaving hole for the agony to pour out, " well, then....then tell me what I can do to make it better?" She began in quick, uneven breath, ".... Tell me what you need me to do and I will start fixing it"

Daphne had given five years of her life to this relationship and she could not start all over again, not now! The thought of dating again Nauseated her, making her want to climb on Manuel more.

"I don't want you to do anything Daphne...." he drugged her name out like it was a stain on his tongue, ".... We want different things in life, we always have and you maybe happy with settling but iam not"

"Settling??"

"Wait you think being with me is....... settling?"

"No!....." Manuel cut himself off himself off, clenching his finger together as if all his furstration was contained in that fists and his eyes made contact with Daphne, " ..... Don't twist my word like that"

"No, iam not meaning to, OMG!" The last thing Daphne wanted was to make him get mad and that is what she is already on the verge of doing, " Iam sorry Manuel, I didn't mean to twist your word, iam just trying to understand what I can do"

He stood quiet for a moment, Daphne grabbed onto the solace his silence brought, his silence was an indication that he was thinking..... Considering, and that was all she needed, a simple consideration of what the last four years of their lives together meant to him.

"Dammit!" Manuel exploded, slamming the suitcase on the floor, that action raised alarm through Daphne chest and a gasp came out of her lip, he turned away from her that all she could only see was his back rising and falling with each labored breath.

"Daphne iam trying to do this nicely as I can but you are not making it easy" Manuel turned and faced her again, and when he did she began to shake, his eyes were dark, void of any emotions, his lips thinned and Daphne's heart suddenly became very scared.

Manuel pulled his lip back and began cutting the shreds.

" Being with you is like a chores! I wake up in the morning and I can't wait to get out of the house, I do whatever I can to stay out late at night....."

The panic in her throat had begun to squeeze out tears that flowed down her face, Manuel looked as the tears flowed but didn't stop talking.

"I drink way too much and now it's because of you, I had to drink in other for you to be happy having me sleep in bed with you"

"Tthat is not true" Daphne tried to protest but her voice failed but came out as a whisper, Daphne had to stop herself from cursing, knowing how much it disgusted him whenever she did, there were just so many overpowering emotions building up in her that she did not know which one to latch onto.

In the midst of the turmoil around her heart, her eyes fell on the suitcase opened across the floor.

"Did you pack already?"

Manuel nodded and Daphne felt her heart was crushed in on itself like it was crumbling to pieces with no intention of ever being put back whole again.

He had planned this!

He had planned out when and how he would leave her Tonight!

The entire time during the day, every kisses, caress, filrtarious remarks was just a lie packed with hearbreak waiting to explode.

Daphne swallowed hard, " Hhow long.....? A soft sob ripped through her word laced with embarrassment, "....how long have you known you were going to leave me?"

Manuel swallowed hard and sniffled, locking his eyes right into hers, Daphne could feel the detriment of his word even before he spoke them.

"I have thought about breaking up with you after the first three months of our relationship"

"Bullshit!"

Manuel had the audacity to roll his eyes at her, "you can think whatever you want Daphne"

Daphne scoffed, " this isn't me thinking anything! You are the one who didn't know what you are talking about" with fire in her vein she ransacked through their closet and brought out the big pink book Manuel made for her during their one year anniversary.

"You can't say you Don't love me anymore and wanted to breakup with me back then when you wrote all thses to me in our one year" she flipped the book and opened the back revealing pictures of their happy and smiling moments where his love letters were also kept.

" Manuel you can't say you don't love me when you wrote all these because I will never believe you" she pushed the book towards him.

"Iam not sure I ever really loved you...." Manuel said, knocking the air out of

Daphne tried to gasp for air but there was none, the book fell off he hand.

"...Iam going to get going now"

Her heart lurched her body forward towards him, desperation where screaming in her blood to lock the door, toss the key somewhere else, cry, plead and do whatever it takes to make Manuel stay.

"No!...." Her arms shoot out to him and just as her finger graze his arm he shook her off, rejection expanded across her whole chest coupled with misery and shame.

Manuel walked out of their bedroom and down the hallway, walking past the pictures of their lives together hung across the walls.

He ignored every single one of them, did not spare a glance at any as if they were not hung on the wall in the first place

"Manuel wait!..." Daphne ran after him without a single thought in her head, only love in her heart.

"My ride is already outside, I can't wait anymore"

The double meaning in his final word pierced right through her heart and her feet quickened towards him.

"Where are you staying tonight?"

"With a friend".

"Which friend?"

"It doesn't matter, does it?"

Daphne was able to use that moment he halted to answer her, to quickly stand right in his front, " it does matter to me, it's not Rhemy , is it?" Daphne wasn't sure why she asked him and by the look of expression in his eyes she could see that he was not expecting her to ask him that either.

Rhemy was his colleague where he worked in a law firm, Manuel had always been a fine ass lawayer, handsome and well built and rhemy was a close friend and co-worker, most times whenever Daphne stop by at his workplace either to take him out for lunch or bring his already prepared lunch she would meet them discussing and laughing, on few occasions rhemy had accompanied them to the restaurant, and Daphne knew quite well that Manuel does not have any interest in her even though her woman instinct was saying otherwise.

Sometimes Daphne had noticed rhemy flirting with Manuel in her presence and then in the next second try to be friends with her.

One thing Daphne was grateful for was that Manuel never had any interest in any of his colleague and she was happy, nevertheless Daphne wanted to be sure the friend Manuel was talking about was not rhemy.

" can you text me when you get to Spain?" Desperation etched in her voice as she begged for this one last favor, just a simple click of his finger across his phone, that is all she asked for.

Manuel gaze burned into the ground, he stood there with one hand on the door lock and the other holding his suitcase.

Daphne stood there anticipating with bleeding heart, dried tears on her cheek and fresh ones sitting in her eyes, the anticipation surrounding them was forceful, Daphne needed him to hold her up like he always promise he would.