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They asked destiny, and it cruelly laughed at their faces and said "No"

"I'm going out for a while, Lyon-sama." Juvia told her husband when she spotted him sitting on a couch in front of the tv, watching something she never bothered to understand as she walked down the stairs of their home, her voice smooth and cool as it has always been ever since she can remember. He looked up to her when he heard her call his name and beamed at the sight of her, standing up from the couch and walked towards her.

They have been married for seven years now. Seven long peaceful years, and looking back at all those years, Juvia can't help but ask herself why she agreed to marry Lyon.

Lyon is a good man. He's sweet, and he always, always tried his best to make her happy, to make her smile. He never forgot their anniversaries. When she's sick, he'd take care of her, even to the point where he'd request for a day off just to make her feel better. Lyon is what every woman wants, and more than the type of guy she dreamed of when she was young.

He made her feel loved and happy, but every time they're together, her heart still feels empty.

Juvia doesn't know when she started asking herself that question, but deep down, if she'd take the time to look inside her heart, she had always know the answer.

It was peer pressure. She felt envious when Lucy announced to the whole world that she's going to marry Natsu. She felt envious when Levy flashed the engagement ring that Gajeel begrudgingly slipped on her tiny ring finger. She felt left out.

Everyone close to her were getting married yet her she was, flashing them a fake, fake smile and tried to act happy and excited for them by grabbing their hands and jumping up and down with them even though all she wanted to do was to lay down and cry.

It was when Lucy was getting married when she met Lyon.

She was holding a microphone, giving a speech about how happy she was that her friend was getting married, that she and her now husband is a perfect match, when the microphone was snatched from her grip by Lyon. She could do nothing but stare at him in shock and listen to Lucy yell profanities at him. He apologized to the bride, then declared that he has finally found his one true love.

Her cheeks turned red and before she knew it, she passed out because of embarrassment. But before she even got to close her eyes, she caught a glimpse of blue, spiky hair.

Ever since that day, when she finally woke up, Lyon has been trying to ask her hand for marriage. It's way too fast, she told him, because it was the truth. They did not know each other yet. Heck, they did not even know each other's last names yet. So he settled for what he called 'second option'. He asked her out for a date. She was hesitant about it, even considered saying no to him, but she still agreed because she didn't want to break his heart around many people.

Their first date ended with a promise of going out again some other time when they are both free. And then it happened again. And again. And again. And again. And again, until one day, on the very same day that Levy got married, after 9 months of dating, he once again asked her hand for marriage, only that time, it was when they were alone, sneaking out of the public eye to have some time together.

At first she thought he was just joking, doing the same thing he did when they first met, but seeing the seriousness and fear in his eyes made her heart skip a beat. She wasn't ready for marriage, for him, but she did not have the heart to reject him so she said yes.

When it was finally her turn to announce to the whole world her upcoming marriage and flash her ring to everyone, they skeptically looked at her and asked, 'Isn't it a little too early?'.

She felt insulted. She acted happy when they got married, never told them that they're way too young, but when it was finally her turn, they tell her it's way too early? But deep down, she knew they were right. They were right when they said that it's way too early for them to get married. That a month is too short to prepare for a wedding. But she never listened.

"I see. Are you going out with someone?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck, inhaling her scent. She tensed for a brief moment but willed her body to relax yet found out that she couldn't.

How could she, when she was about to do something terrible?

She lightly pushed him away, hoping that he won't notice, "Yes. I'll be with Lucy-san." Juvia lied as she, once again, tried to stop her lying mannerisms to show up. She knows that he has memorized all of her mannerisms, like clasping her hands together whenever she's nervous or that she blinks her eyes way too much when she lies. And that is what she was trying not to do, but how does one know how to blink their eyes normally?

It's true that she's going out. But not in that kind of sense. She's not going out to meet Lucy and hang out and do some girly stuff with her. She's going out to meet him. She's going to meet Gray.

It's been going on for quite a while. If you can call two years a while, then yes, it has only been quite a while. Funny how destiny works. On the very same day she met her husband, she also met his brother. Of course, dating Lyon also meant trying to get along with his only living relative.

Whenever she's not with Lyon, she's with Gray, talking, chatting, laughing. She felt comfortable being around his presence. It felt cool (she concluded that it might have been because of his looks), it felt nice, it felt . . .right. It felt so right that it made her think twice about her decision of spending eternity with Lyon, but she pushed it at the back her mind and unconvincingly told herself that that was what they called "getting a cold feet".

And unconvincingly it went, for she still felt attracted to Gray even after a year of marriage with Lyon. She tried to avoid him by changing her phone number and email address. Heck, she even asked Lyon if they can move away from Magnolia. And Lyon, being the nice guy he was, agreed to it. He had questions and doubts, she was sure of it, but he never opened his mouth and never asked her about it. She was finally living a happy and peaceful life with Lyon, but after four years, he showed up on their doorstep.

She led him inside, of course. She cannot find a reason to shoo him away. Lyon's absence at that time would have been the best, but she knew that he'll say that he'll just stay until he comes back. It was around seven in the evening when she got a call from her husband, telling her that he can't come home for the night. She told him that his brother was at their home, but he told her to 'tell the bastard to wait for me'. And after exchanging I love you's, she hang up.

She told Gray about Lyon's predicament and offered him food and hospitality and told him which room he's going to sleep. Around 8 in the evening, she pulled out an expensive wine from their stash and poured him a glass. And another. And another until they were both drunk. She can no longer ignore the feelings she had ever since they first met and she touched him. He kissed her. She grabbed his hair. He undressed her. She committed the worst mistake a married woman can do. She slept with another guy. She felt really guilty, but she enjoyed it. And since that day, they did it again and again and again until they can no longer stop.

"Okay. Well, have fun." They walked towards the door with his hand still wrapped around her waist. She could feel her muscles clench, almost as if telling her push him away, but ignored the irritating feeling as he bent down to capture her lips.

She felt nothing except guilt when their lips touched. She can't help but compare her husband's kiss to Gray's. Lyon's was gentle and soft while Gray's was rough, wild and passionate, and she loves it.

"See you, Lyon-sama." She walked out the door and towards her car when his voice reached her ears.

"Yeah. I love you."

Those four words that she used to say five years ago got caught on her throat, refusing to be let out, not wanting to be said. Her palms started to get clammy but she ignored how uncomfortable it felt as she pushed those four, no longer true words to this kind-hearted man,

"I love you, too."

Edited: 3/25/2014