He's watching her. Again. Looking at her doing what she does everyday. Like nothing happened. Like she didn't confront him. Like she didn't walk away from him. Like their marriage wasn't falling apart – hasn't fallen apart. She's there, cleaning, picking up things, putting them away. Going through the motions of daily life in normalcy.
Is it over? He wants to ask her, but every time he opens his mouth to ask that question, his voice won't come out.
She feels him watching her. She hardens her heart. She will not show him she is in pain. She goes on as if that day never happened … that in itself is strange – they both know she hates that, but that is what she is doing. She goes through the motions of everyday life – goes to work, comes home, does chores, goes to bed … repeat. She hears him take a breath, but hears him say nothing. She hears him take a step, then stops. She looks up at him, offers him a small smile, then walks away. She was done with what she was doing and moving on to the next chore.
Is it over? She asks herself the same question over and over again.
Once, a long time ago, they talked. She said she would not stand for infidelity. She took his infidelity. She said that if he cheats, she would not make a scene. She didn't make a scene. She said that the moment he cheats – whether she knows of it or not, it would be over. Is it over?
He follows her into the kitchen where she prepares their lunch. Why am I following her like a lost puppy? Isn't this what I wanted – for her to leave me alone?
She looks up at him with a questioning gaze when she hears him enter the kitchen. When he says nothing, she furrows her brows in confusion. "Was there something you needed?" He shakes his head no. She just shrugs and goes back to what she was doing.
Feeling like a fool standing there doing nothing, he goes into the living room and watches TV, not really seeing the show in front of him. Deep in thought with this new development with his wife.
Why is she doing this? Why is she acting like this? Why is she still here?
Over and over again these thoughts and questions running in his head. The only person to be able to answer is her, but he can't get himself to ask these questions. It's been a week, and they have yet to talk about the incident again. It's been just as long that his mind has been plagued with these thoughts.
Silence reigns over dinner that night – just as it has the past dinners, and lunches, and breakfasts since the incident. He watches her, she concentrates on her food. She will look up every so often, give him a small smile, then resumes eating, avoiding eye contact.
A week. A week of silence, unless directly asked or spoken to, they do not converse. Silence. Neither comfortable nor uncomfortable. Its just there. Silence reigning.
And he can't take anymore.
"Why are you doing this?" he asks her.
She jerks from the sudden outburst, surprise and confusion evident in her face. "Why am I doing what?"
"Why are you being civil? Why are you pretending like nothing happened? Why are you still HERE?" he rattles off his questions, his voice getting more ragged as he speaks.
"Draco …" she whispers his name, her voice breaking. It hurts just to even speak his name. She closes her eyes and regains her composure.
She looks up at him, and asks "Why are you asking me this? I told you before, I wouldn't make a scene or throw tantrums or … or … or have a violent reaction. I'm keeping to my word."
"You also said you wouldn't stand for infidelity'" he spat at her – anger bubbling up in him because of the frustration he suddenly feels.
She closes her eyes at that and turns her head away. "I wouldn't'" she begins in a soft voice "but I didn't think that it would actually happen. When it did, I thought that maybe you just made a mistake and it was a one-time thing. When I caught you with her the first time – when I came home for lunch the same first day you said you were going to be in the warehouse and couldn't be reached," he gasps at this, "I thought that. I believed it. I made myself believe that it was a one-time thing. Then a week later, I rushed out of the house and left my lunch … I came home to eat, and you were there with her again."
He takes a breath at this. She looks at him and says "I've been coming home for lunch since that day. That's why I know you have her every time during lunch."
They were quiet for a few minutes. She got up and started to put the dishes into the sink to be washed. As she reaches for his plate, he grabs her wrist and tells her he'll do the dishes tonight. She shakes her head "No need. I was going to clean it up with magic tonight anyway. I'm too exhausted to do it the muggle way."
She pulls her wrist free and finishes cleaning with magic. She turns and was a little surprised to still find him sitting there. Still watching her. She gives him another small smile and bids him "Goodnight" as she walks past him to go to bed.