Sweet and Sour Love

==OPHELIA==

My thumb hesitated above the 'Record' button on my phone, while my fingers shook, unwilling to calm down. I saw a reflection on the screen of a face that looked pale, hollow, and nearly unrecognizable. When did I turn into this unfamiliar person? The faint silhouette of a person I once recognised, now obscured and smudged by suffering. 

A part of me desired to halt, to cast the phone away, and simply bring everything to an end. However, the words in my throat fought to be let out. I struggled to even murmur, "Owen, my husband..." Feeling his name in my chest like a sharp knife that wouldn't come out, causing a silent, lingering ache. I could still perceive his icy gaze, the manner in which he would stare at me, as though he preferred my absence, as though I was only a hindrance in his existence. 

"It has been five months." I spoke in a trembling voice, barely louder than a whisper. "Five months spent attempting to understand the cause of the problem. The reason he transformed into a monster. How he turned into this hollow husk, a person I can't even identify anymore." I tried to force a fake smile, but it faltered and turned into a bitter chuckle instead.

"My parents also acted like they didn't notice anything," I whispered wearily, my voice heavy with tiredness and bitterness. For them, this marriage was like a fairy tale, an ideal situation that restored their previous social standing. I experienced a scorching sensation in my throat-the discomfort of tears I had suppressed for too long. "They believed I had at last discovered joy." 

"I made an attempt. I made a great effort to meet expectations, to fulfill my father's wishes, to satisfy Owen's desires, in the hope that he might eventually acknowledge me." I struggled to control my shaky voice and clenched my teeth, determined to stay calm as I tightly squeezed my fists, feeling my nails digging into my palms to steady myself. "No matter what effort I exerted, it was always inadequate. I had disappeared from my own life."

"I simply desire for this agony to cease... I wish for everything to come to a halt." 

I clicked 'Upload' quickly, unable to stop myself, observing as the video vanished into the vastness of the internet, taking all the hidden parts of myself with it. I was unsure if it would be noticed or if anyone would show interest. It didn't matter.

I glanced over at the rope resting on the table. I sensed a lack of feeling, like all emotions had flowed out, leaving a serene, vacant exterior. Almost without thinking, I grabbed the rope and felt its texture anchor me as I wrapped it around the beam, securing it with an unfamiliar sense of calm. I got on the chair and stared at the ground below me. This marked the conclusion of the suffering, the hopes, and the constant pursuit of a life that never belonged to me. 

I let out a final, brief breath before kicking the chair away.

===============

I slowly emerged, feeling cold and confusion creeping through my mind like fog. My eyes were too burdened to lift, my fatigue pulling my body down, along with a mysterious heaviness, as if I were suspended in a state of half-sleep and half-wakefulness. 

Intense fluorescent lights seared my eyes as they blinked open, cutting through the fog. Everything surrounding me felt sanitised, remote, and overly illuminated. I felt a shadow next to me, and gentle fingers delicately covered my hand. 

"Where...am I?" My voice was barely audible, hoarse, and rough, each word causing discomfort in my sore throat. 

A nurse's face appeared, showing a soft expression filled with sympathy. "You're in a safe place," she whispered, gently squeezing my hand for reassurance. "It has been 48 hours since you were admitted while unconscious. You are now better."