A/N: Hey, everybody! Sorry for the long wait! Reasons on my blog – I refuse to babble here, because that takes time, and you've already waited long enough.
Thank you all for your reviews, your patience and support! I love you!
Enjoy this chapter!
Incomplete
By The Terrorist
Chapter twenty-nine
Not Worth It
The following morning, Sakura woke to the sound of the phone shrieking loudly on her bedside table, shattering the silence that had previously blanketed the room. With a small groan of discontentment at being awakened so brutally after what seemed like the most peaceful night of sleep she had gotten in quite a while, she rolled over, and with sleepy eyes only half-opened, struggled to reach the annoying machine.
It was not the first time she woke up to find herself on her husband's side of the bed after he left for work in the morning, but it certainly was the first time she found that to be inconvenient (seeing as his pillow was always softer and fluffier – and smelled like him more than her own).
Spread horizontally across the mattress, her fingers finally grasped the phone, and she carelessly pressed the accept button, bringing it to her ear as her head fell tiredly on her now-cool pillow.
"Hello?" she mumbled, not having the necessary strength to even care about who was on the other line.
The familiar, cheerful voice that greeted her, however, made her perk up in an instant, all traces of sleep dissipating from her system. "Hey, Sakura!"
"Naruto!" she exclaimed, a happy smile lighting up her features as she raised her head off the pillow, letting her elbows support her weight. "Where have you been? You haven't called me in forever! You have no idea how much I've missed you!"
"Of course you're missed me," Naruto laughed, "But I haven't really had much time to do anything lately. I've been really busy."
"Yeah, right," she scoffed, the words escaping her mouth before her brain could process them, "Too busy to call me? Me? I'm like your sister, for God's sake!"
The blond kept quiet for a moment. "Err… Sakura, are you alright?" he asked, slightly hesitant.
The pinkette heaved a sigh upon hearing him, one hand coming up to massage her forehead. Over the past few days, she had discovered that one of the downsides of being pregnant – aside from morning sickness, fatigue, and irritating back-aches – was the fact that her emotions seemed to be on a constant roller-coaster.
She had been snappy and easily annoyed the entire time she wasn't crying or tormenting herself with worst case scenarios, so she could now clearly see where her best friend was coming from. After all, she had never been the kind of person to get mad at somebody simply because they didn't check on her for a period of time; she didn't demand attention – she earned it.
"I'm sorry, Naruto," she apologized. "It's just that…well, I'm in a rather delicate period of my life right now, and every single little thing affects me."
"A rather delicate period of your life?" he repeated, and she could easily picture the frown that marred his features. "What are you talking about, Sakura? Don't tell me you're sick!"
"No, Naruto," she laughed, "I'm not sick. In fact…" Rolling over onto her back, she stared dreamily at the ceiling as one of her hands came to caress her still-flat stomach. "This is the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me. Naruto…" She paused for a second, unsure of how to break the news to him, before quickly deciding that – at least in his case – the simple approach was best. "I'm pregnant."
A moment of silence followed her unexpected declaration, which was soon shattered by a loud screech. "What?"
Sakura laughed. "Yeah," she confirmed.
"B – but you and the bastard, Sakura?" he stammered, shocked.
"Yeah." She smiled, biting her lip. "Me and the bastard. Who would have thought, right?"
"Yeah, well…poor kid, Sakura," he said, and she laughed once more at the seriousness in his voice. "With such a father…"
"Don't be mean," she chided softly. "Sasuke is…well, I think I'm just beginning to know the real him, you know? And he's pretty amazing."
"Riiight," he scoffed, but thankfully, stopped pressing the matter before her already out-of-control emotions caused her to lose her temper and start yelling at him. "What did he say about the kid?"
"I…" she started, but ended up trailing off, unable to find her words. A soft sigh pushed its way past her lips as she realized she was once again confronted with the same old problem. "I haven't told him yet," she finally confessed. "It's…not as easy as I'd initially thought. Only you and TenTen know."
"Sak, you know I love you and that I'd do anything for you, right?" he asked.
Sakura frowned, confused at the sudden change of subjects. "I know," she replied. "I love you, too."
"If he hurts you again…I will kill him," he warned, speaking slowly, as though wanting to make sure she understood that he meant every word that came out of his mouth. "No matter the circumstances – or your feelings for him – I will kill him this time."
"Don't be like that," she murmured disapprovingly. "Things are getting better between us. Soon, you won't have to worry about him anymore. I promise."
A deep sigh resounded through the phone. "Well, I hope you keep that promise, Sakura."
"I always do," she reminded him.
"Good," he said, and with another sigh, let the matter go. "Have dinner with me tonight?"
Sakura chewed on her lower lip as she thought about her answer. "I don't know," she said, uncertainty tainting her voice. "Sasuke might see us – and you know how he gets."
"Come to my apartment," he answered, easily finding a solution. "We have a lot to talk about."
"Okay, then," she agreed – albeit a bit hesitantly – with a smile. "I'll see you tonight. Bye!"
"Bye! Ohh, and turn on your cell-phone for me, will you?" he added hurriedly, before ending their conversation.
With a soft sigh and a slight shake of her head, still not completely convinced that accepting her best friend's invitation had been a good idea, the pinkette rolled over onto her stomach, her eyes fixed on the small screen of the phone as she punched in TenTen's already memorized number.
There was nothing stopping her from telling Sasuke the truth that night – and since she had some time on her hands, she figured she could use some 'inspiration'.
~•~
"Sasuke-kun!" an all too familiar screech resounded through the mansion, nearly startling him, the sound of high-heels clipping against the hardwood floor that followed breaking the silence that had peacefully encompassed his surroundings.
The young Uchiha, who had closed himself into his office soon after having breakfast, sighed and dropped his pen on the desk, his hands coming to cover his face as he fought back the urge to groan – or rather, whine – helplessly. Where in the world this woman found so much determination and perseverance was beyond him, really.
But then again, her father had put the world to her feet the moment she was born, so he supposed she had supplies – tons of supplies – readily waiting to be used.
Leaning back into his comfortable leather chair, he watched as she appeared in the doorway, clad in the shortest, tightest red dress he had ever seen, and a pair of black pumps.
He had decided to stay at home that morning and wait for his wife to wake up, wanting to give her the chance to say what she had been meaning to the night before, when he had so unceremoniously cut her off – not that he believed anyone could blame him – but with the redhead's unexpected appearance, he found himself dangerously close to regretting that decision.
"Sasuke-kun!" she exclaimed again, her voice more toned down, now that she had found him.
Sasuke looked at her blankly. How was he supposed to phrase his sentences so that Yuki understood that he did not want this woman wandering through his house anymore?
"What are you doing here?" he asked, exasperated. "Are you really unable to take a hint – and disappear?"
It was hard to admit, but he was getting desperate. It seemed like she was always there, breathing down his neck, ready to spout off insults about his wife every time he turned around. Sasuke was by no means a person with a weak personality, one that could not adhere to an opinion of his own, but the doubt that she daily infused into his system…it was too much, even for him.
There were two plausible options: either she had a very active imagination, or she was speaking the truth, and although he wanted nothing more than to believe that the latter was just a result of his sick mind and paranoid, untrusting self, he could not be sure – he could not. His way of being flat-out impeded him, and he was afraid that, soon, he would snap – and not at Karin, but at his wife. And that was the last thing they needed at his point. He had enough with her mood swings, her sudden sickness, her strange, mysterious behavior…with everything that was currently happening in their relationship.
"Yes!" she exclaimed, slightly annoyed. "I'm unable to just disappear! You want to know why? Because I care about you, Sasuke-kun, and because I can't let you do this to yourself any longer. If you continue to stay with her and believe her lies, you're going to end up hurt, and I don't want that!"
"Karin," he hissed lowly, "no one will hurt me – and even if they did, it wouldn't be your problem in the very least. Mind your own business and fuck off!"
"She's cheating on you, Sasuke-kun," she continued as though he had not even spoken, slowly advancing into the room.
Sasuke resisted the urge to stand up, grab her arm, drag her out of his office – his personal space – and throw her out of the house, choosing instead to clench his jaw and glare dangerously, warningly at her.
Unfortunately, she didn't seem to notice. "You're being so nice to her, and all she wants is revenge! All this time, she kept by your side because of your looks and money, and because of those goddamn appearances you all care so much about! But she doesn't love you. She's just a little whore that likes to have her way with every man that is unfortunate enough to cross her path. And of course, at night, she comes back to you. You know what they say: save the best for last." She came to a stop in front of his desk and bit her lip as she gave him a thorough once-over, the look in her eyes turning from caring – fake caring, but caring, nonetheless – to feral, almost predatory. "I guess she isn't that stupid after all, huh?" she added, seemingly to herself.
"Karin," he started, his voice calm and steady, betraying none of the anger that surged through his system after hearing her speech, "I'm going to ask you – very nicely – to get the fuck out of my sight before I snap and throw you out myself." His onyx eyes bore into her dark-brown ones as he spoke. "Are you sure you want to go through such an experience again?"
The redhead rolled her eyes, a pout on her features. "Fine, Sasuke-kun," she relented. "I will leave. But I was not kidding. When you finally realize what kind of woman they forced you to marry, come to me. I'll be waiting…" And with that, she was gone, leaving behind a trail of expensive perfume and words that hung into the air long after the house was cleared of her presence.
Clenching his jaw, Sasuke covered his eyes with his hand and tried to fight back the anger that surged through his veins, not wanting to suddenly snap and start throwing things around. No, that would be unacceptable. Especially since Sakura was still sleeping peacefully upstairs. Because she now liked to sleep in late, he reminded himself. She was tired and sick and she needed to rest.
The past week had been hectic for both of them, and when he saw her the night before, laughing in such a carefree manner, showing that childish side of her that he secretly loved so much, her eyes shining like glittering gemstones, like he was used to seeing them shine…when he saw her the night before, sitting there, with a bowl of ice-cream in her hands, and with no signs of the illness that had attacked her system in the morning…well, he might have been a little too happy, a little too eager to show her just how much she had come to mean to him – an aspect that even he had underestimated.
So of course she was exhausted; it was only normal, he told himself.
But even so, he could not deny the lingering feeling that something was wrong, that something – and he had no idea how important, how dangerous that something might be – was not quite right about the fact that she had changed her sleeping and eating habits so easily and so suddenly. And to think that was only one of the strange things that seemed to surround her nowadays.
With a soft sigh and a slight shake of his head, the young Uchiha tried to turn his attention back to the contract he had been studying. Much to his displeasure – and already adding to the bad mood the redhead had forced him in – he soon found that to be impossible. Thoughts of his wife continuously invaded his mind and retained his attention, and although seeing her smiling face calmed the angry dragon inside him, thinking about the past few days did not – it only served to make him even more confused. And when Sasuke was confused, he thought – and thought and thought, until he reached some conclusions that, admittedly, proved to be wrong more often than not. But she had been acting so strange… and damn Karin and her stupid, stupid ideas!
Sasuke had once thought that that woman was harmless. He had never considered her stupid, but he had never thought that she could harm him – or the family he was trying to build with Sakura. Only now did he realize just how wrong he had been. Because now he couldn't help but think: what if she was right? What if Sakura really wasn't what he thought she was? What if she was only trying to get back at him for all the years of pain he had put her though? There were many, many things he had yet to know about her, thing he ought to have found out before he married her – which was obviously not the case.
It pained him to even consider the redhead's words, but his nature of over-thinking and over-analyzing things rendered him helpless against the constant onslaught of doubts that she kept dropping on him. His eyes narrowed into a glare as he realized that the bitch probably knew that, that that was the reason why she did everything, in the first place.
But Sasuke was not one to allow others to manipulate him in any shape or form. The thin wire that held his patience snapping, he reached for the phone, fully intending on calling his lawyer and filling a restraining order against her; exaggerated or not, he did not want her around anymore – and if she could not understand that nicely and willingly, then there was nothing else he could do about it.
Too late did he realize that the line was actually busy – Sakura was talking to somebody. His first instinct was to place the phone back on its charger, since he had no intention – or interest, for that matter – of getting involved in her personal business, in her life. But then he heard her voice, and everything was lost.
"I… I haven't told him yet. It's…not as easy as I'd initially thought. Only you and TenTen know."
"Sak, you know I love you and that I'd do anything for you, right?"
"I know. I love you, too."
"If he hurts you again…I will kill him. No matter the circumstances – or your feelings for him – I will kill him this time."
"Don't be like that. Things are getting better between us. Soon, you won't have to worry about him anymore. I promise."
"Well, I hope you keep that promise, Sakura."
"I always do."
"Good. Have dinner with me tonight?"
"…I don't know. Sasuke might see us – and you know how he gets."
"Come to my apartment. We have a lot to talk about."
"Okay, then. I'll see you tonight. Bye!"
"Bye! Ohh, and turn on your cell-phone for me, will you?"
His vision blurred as the conversation replayed in his mind long after the dial tone had chimed in. "I love you, too," she had said. And she had not said it to him. No, never to him. His thoughts clouded by anger, Karin's voice rang in his head – "She's just a little whore that likes to have her way with every man that is unfortunate enough to cross her path." She had been right. All this time, he had been defending the wrong person – and he had done it like he had never defended anyone before, with a fierceness and a passion that he had not believed himself to be capable of.
He was storming out of his office before his brain could even register the action, before it could make sense of what had happened – before it could analyze the situation and reach other, less harmful, more logical conclusions. He could not know for sure how much time he had spent closed off in his office, letting his anger mount, but realized, from the amount that had gathered, that it had been quite a while.
She met him at the base of the stairs, dressed in a pair of tight, black pants, high heels, and a loose tank-top. Under any other circumstances, he would have noticed the way her eyes sparkled when they fell on him, or the beautiful smile that spread on her features as her lips formed his name. He would have noticed just how happy she was to see him, and would have reached the conclusion that staying home longer in the mornings, so that she could find him there when she woke up, was a suitable alternative to his already boring routine – anything, if it made her glow like that.
But these were not normal circumstances, so all he saw when he looked at her was her lips forming those three words – "I love you" – and all he remembered was how she had not said them to him, but to some man she had talked to on his phone, in his house, after having shared the bed with him for an entire night.
"Sasuke," she breathed, surprised. A wide smile on her features, she moved to wrap her arms around his neck, only to have him stop her, his hands wrapping tightly around her wrists as he held her at distance.
"Who were you talking to?" he hissed, his voice low and dangerous, his black eyes piercing right through her.
Sakura frowned, her smile long gone. "What…?" she trailed off, unsure of what to make out of his behavior.
What was he doing here? Why was he treating her like this? And what in the world was he talking about? What was it that he wanted to know so desperately?
"No, don't tell me!" he mocked, an almost evil sneer pulling at his lips as anger continued to crackle in his eyes. "With that lucky man you love so much?"
Her frown deepened, and a brief moment of recollection flashed through his mind, reminding him of a time – not so long ago – when he would have done anything to replace that crease between her eyebrows with a brilliant smile. But he quickly pushed the thought aside, before it had the chance to develop into something more. That was in the past. He had opened his eyes now.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, sounding genuinely confused.
But Sasuke refused to let himself be fooled by her innocent façade anymore. "Stop acting!" he snapped, allowing her to yank her hands from his tight grip as she winced at his angry tone and took a step back. "I heard you, Sakura! I heard you talking to him! I heard you telling him how much you love him! Now tell me: where have you been yesterday, all day long?"
"Sasuke…" she murmured his name, her eyes flooded with disappointment.
"You were with him, weren't you?" he demanded.
"No," she said, shaking her head. "No, Sasuke. Yesterday, I was…I was – "
"Stop lying, goddamn it!" he cut her off, grabbing her upper arms and abruptly forcing her closer. "Why do you keep acting? Why, when I'm right here, giving you the chance to fucking speak up?"
"I'm not lying, motherfucker!" she snapped back, forcefully freeing herself from his grip, her green eyes ablaze with renewed anger. "You don't get it!" she accused. "You never did, and you probably never will! I'm sick of you!"
"Well, I'm sick of you!" His black eyes ran over the length of her body, contempt flowing through his veins. "Only now do I realize," he said, "I've had by my side a very good actress. But your play is over."
And with that, he turned his back on her and stormed out of the room, the front door slamming behind him, rattling the walls, leaving the pinkette to stare at it with a dazed mixture of confusion, disbelief, and hurt swimming in her eyes. The large mahogany door opened again only a moment later, and her best friend entered the house, her confused, chocolate-brown orbs searching the room until they fell on her.
"Honey," she whispered, distress flooding her eyes when she noticed the expression etched on her features, "What happened?" Carelessly abandoning her bag and jacket on the floor, she quickly made her way towards where she stood at the foot of the stairs. "Did you tell him?"
"No!" she snapped, her answer harsher than she intended, as she stumbled back to sit on the stairs. Her hands buried in her hair, and a heavy sigh escaped her lips as the events that took place less than a minute ago completely sunk into her mind. "I didn't get a chance to."
"Then what the hell just happened?" the brunette demanded, taking a seat next to her. "He was furious! I don't think I've ever seen him so angry!"
"What do you think happened?" she hissed, unreasonably angry with her prodding, as she turned to glare at her, her hands still tangled in her hair, elbows resting on her knees. "He began yelling at me again! He probably heard me talking to Naruto and flipped out, as usual!" Her voice broke, and she cursed. "I can't take this anymore, goddamn it!"
"Honey, calm down," TenTen advised, running a soothing hand over her back. "Remember what the doctor told you. I know it hurts, but think about it this way," she offered. "He may be a little too possessive for your tastes, but everything he does or says is because he's jealous. And what better proof of his love than his jealousy?"
"I don't need his fucking jealousy, TenTen," the pinkette spat. "I need him. And even after all this time, I haven't managed to get a glimpse of what's underneath that stupid façade of his. I go around telling people that he's sweet and amazing and everything I could possibly want, but he's not! He shows worry for a moment, and then suddenly it's gone, and he's back to being his cold, aloof self. He doesn't make any sense, TenTen! I can't understand him – and sometimes, I feel like he doesn't even want me to understand him! He's constantly pushing me away, never letting me in…"
"Sakura, he's trying," she reminded her, "He really is. Neji told me he's never seen him so involved in a relationship before, so keen on doing things the right way. He just… He just doesn't know how to deal with this kind of situations…he's completely clueless."
"Well, I am, too!" she cried, distressed. "Just because I'm used to showing affection more openly doesn't mean I have much experience with relationships! But I'm trying, TenTen; I'm trying, and you know damn well I'm dealing with much more than he is. Besides, if there's anybody between the two of us who has the right to be jealous, that person is me. Because he's been my first and only, and he's been with numerous other woman before me. How do I know he's not in bed with one of them while he claims to be at work? How do I know he's not doing the exact same things he was when we weren't together?
How can I manage not to think of that? How is it that it has never even crossed my mind? How can I trust him so much?" Her voice softened as her eyes filled with tears, her throat closing up. "And what's missing for him to do the same…?"
"Sakura…" She paused for a moment, struggling to find her words. "Men are idiots – Sasuke more than the average. But you've known that from the very beginning. You've known what you were getting yourself into. Now you have to suck it up and deal with it. The truth is… You both have some problems of your own to work out before you even think of having a flawless relationship. One of yours is clearly the trust that you have in your marriage, that lack of confidence that has been plaguing you for days. I know the current conditions are not ideal, but have you stopped to think how the past week has seemed like to him?"
Sakura sniffled and shook her head, seeing her point. She had been so engrossed in her own problems, that even when she saw worry written all over her husband's face, she had not stopped to consider, if only for a moment, the effects her behavior must have had on him, on them. And despite the fact that a part of her claimed that her pregnancy was a viable excuse, Sakura knew that, in reality, she had none of those. They were in this together – she was supposed to care about him, about how he felt and what he thought. And lately, she had done very little of that.
"You've been so secretive, so mysterious… and Sasuke is like that – he doesn't trust people easily; one has to work really hard to earn his trust and respect. This is probably the first time he's opened up to somebody just because – just because he thought that somebody might deserve it, might eventually prove to be worth the effort. He may seem cold and unfeeling, but I could bet on anything that this is really hard for him – and your behavior has not made it any easier."
Tearing her gaze away from her friend, the pinkette looked down at her feet, her mind working to process her words.
"And I think that… I think it's time for you to clear things up," she continued, one of her hands coming to rest on her stomach, "to tell him the truth."
~•~
By the time he reached his office, Sasuke was livid. One would think that tearing through the city in the fastest car he owned would somewhat cool his anger; he had believed that, as well, when he grabbed her keys to his Aston Martin. He had obviously been wrong, though, because all he managed to do was ignite even more rage within him. He was not just angry – he was furious!
How could she? No, scratch that. How could he? How could he have trusted her? How could he have been so damn stupid, so blind? How could he have thought that, after everything he had done to her, she would manage to find it within her to forgive him, to give him another chance, to want to spend the rest of her life with him? It was impossible – and he should have listened to his gut when it told him that.
Storming through the hallways, the world around him completely ignored, people knowing better than to stand in his way, he entered his office and slammed the door behind him, his anger failing to cool even when he impulsively swap his arm over the surface of his desk, sending various items crashing to the floor.
All this time, he had believed in her. Opened up upon seeing her vulnerable and disappointed. Gotten worked up because some man or another hugged her at the wedding, and then apologized for the scene, because she claimed he was being stupid – and because he felt like an ass for disappointing her. Ever since they had gotten together, everything – absolutely everything – had been about her, and only now did he realize just how big of a mistake that had been.
He should have never gotten involved with her. He should have known it was a bad idea, should have known it would only complicate his life. He should have known it would never work. He should have stayed away from her, just like he had done from the very beginning.
A growl built up in his throat as he flopped down on his chair, his hands tugging at his hair. How could he have been so fucking stupid? Trusting her like that – her, of all the people, and with the history they had?
The door to his office creaked open, stopping him from sending the rest of the objects that resided on the desk to the floor. A single glance in the right direction told him that Katya had just entered the room, but he didn't bother to throw her out. She would leave when she was done with what she had to do or say – she never questioned, never demanded his attention. She somehow understood when he would rather be left alone – and that, to Sasuke, mattered more than anything.
The muted sound of her heels padding across the carpet reached his ears, but he refused to turn around to look at her again; leaning back into his leather chair, gazing out on the floor-to-ceiling windows, he didn't react to her presence until he felt her small hands on his shoulders. Instantly, his body stiffened, his muscles coiling at the unexpected action.
Katya had seemed willing and ready to show him everything she had to show, but she had never been bold enough to touch him.
It seemed like she, too, knew perfectly well when to act, he reflected bitterly.
"You know…" her sultry voice whispered in his ear, her hot breath fanning against the skin of his neck. "You seem a little tense."
But why would he care about that? Why would it matter? They were all the same – she was the same.
Her hands traveled down his chest, unfastening the top buttons of his shirt, sensually caressing the revealed skin. Her mouth pressed gently against his neck, her teeth scraping the surface of his skin.
"Do you want me to help you relax?"
This time, Sasuke did not refuse her. It had been months since she started tempting him, started wearing the skimpiest outfits, giving him sultry looks and indecent views – and all this time, he had kept away because of her, because of Sakura. But she was out of the picture now, and he forced himself to forget about her, to let himself feel.
It proved to be harder than he had initially estimated.
His body instinctively relaxed as her hands continued their exploration of his chest. They were soft and small, with long, manicured nails, but they weren't the right hands.
Full lips pressed against his cheek, then further down, against the corner of his mouth, so close that if he titled his head just slightly to the side, he would be kissing her. But when he did, he felt nothing. The spark that he had become accustomed to was not there, and his heart did not start to suddenly beat faster; no emotions manifested inside him, and there was something in the back of his mind that told him to stop, not to allow a repeat of this to happen. But he did, anyway, even though it drove him crazy.
Abruptly turning around, he grasped her hips and roughly pulled her to him, his mouth slashing against hers, his actions fueled by the pure anger streaming through his veins, clouding his judgment.
He closed his eyes, and he saw her – saw her gorgeous smile, her brilliant green eyes. His nails dug into Katya's hips, his hands gripping them so tightly that he was sure they were going to bruise later, but he did not care, because those were not her hips – that was not her skin, not her flesh. His lips moved violently on hers, his hands releasing her hips only to move up and fist her hair. But the strands were not as soft as the ones he was used to, and when he opened his eyes, he discovered that they were not the right color, either.
Growling deeply, Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut and tore his mouth away from hers, swiftly attacking her neck. Katya clung to him, half-sitting on his lap, hands in his hair, heard thrown back in pleasure. The top buttons of her silk blouse were already opened, revealing the top of her lacy bra, her breasts practically spilling over the cups, and the Uchiha found it easy to focus on that as he tore open the rest of the garment, sending expensive-looking buttons flying, and rendering the woman on top of him to a quivering mess.
For a moment, the image of his smiling wife disappeared from his head. But then he buried his face into her neck, and caught a whiff of her scent. It was not the one he had expected.
Squeezing his eyes shut, Sasuke kissed her again, furiously, trying to release all the pent up frustration, all the anger, trying to get her out of his head, to forget all about her lips, her scent, her touch, her voice, and those goddamn eyes of hers that seemed to haunt him.
~•~
Sakura forced a smile to her face as her eyes caught Neji's in the hallway that – she had been told – led to her husband's office. TenTen had managed to convince her that the best thing she could do in this situation was to give him an explanation for the conversation he had obviously overheard, and tell him the real reason behind her strange behavior. She had come all the way to his workplace on an impulse, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible, and although the words 'the sooner, the better' rang over and over into her mind, the pinkette was seriously starting to regret her rash decision.
There was no doubt that Sasuke was still livid at this point, and she was afraid that seeing her would only make things worse. Not to mention the fact that there was a high possibility that the news she had to share with him would only further fuel his anger. She briefly wondered whether she should just turn around and patiently wait for him to come home in the evening, but she shook the thought off with as much determination as she could muster. She had made it this far, and she would not give up now – not again. She was going to tell him.
TenTen was right – with Sasuke, there was no keeping secrets, and breaking that rule was her own fault. She should have more trust in him, in them, or else, their relationship would never work. His reaction and the possible consequences suddenly didn't seem so important anymore. What truly mattered was for her to make this step, to finally open her mouth and tell him what she had to say. Then the ball would be in his court, and she would be rid of this responsibility, of this terrible burden that she had been carrying for so long. So if anything, she told herself, if she was still somewhat mad at him for being such an idiot and saying all those things to her, then this was something she had to do for herself, and not for him – not to prove him wrong, or to provoke him further.
Her heart in her throat, beating so frantically that she was afraid it might burst, she willed her feet to keep moving until she reached the elegant, wooden door that separated them. Taking a deep breath – and sending a quick prayer above to fuel the courage that seemed to have long since died within her – she grasped the doorknob and twisted it, pushing the door open.
"Sasuke – " she immediately started to speak, but the words died in her throat as her gaze fell on the scene unfolding before her. He was sitting behind his desk, his white shirt half-opened, a brunette she could not recognize on his lap, in the same state of undress as him. They had separated upon hearing her speak, but there was no denying what had been going on.
Sasuke's lips were red and swollen as he gaped at her, but she could have sworn the woman in his arms was smirking at her. She couldn't be sure, though, because her eyes were locked with her husband's dark orbs. For a moment, she thought about screaming, about making a scene – about beating her up and giving him what he deserved. But then tears filled her eyes, and she realized that there would be no point in that. With or without a reaction from her part, things were never going to change. She knew that now.
"Never-mind," she whispered, waving her hand in a weak, dismissive gesture, before walking away. She did not look back to see Sasuke shoving the woman off him, did not hear him call out her name, and did not turn around to see him exit his office, desperately trying to catch up with her.
She did not remember how she got to the parking lot. Everything was hazy. She had taken the elevator; people had swum in and out, some even nodding at her in acknowledgment, but it was as though she had been in a trance all along. Her hand ran through her hair as she made her way through the rows of cars, her green eyes lost as she tried to make sense of what she had just witnessed. For how long had that been going on? Had he been lying to her all along, or was this just a reaction to the wrong conclusions he had reached?
"Sakura!" her name resounded through the parking-lot, and she realized that it did not matter.
This – this Sasuke – was not the father she wanted for her child. She had long since understood that things were not just about her anymore; she was no longer alone in this, and if she had put up with all of his bullshit in the past, she would not submit her child to the same torture. He would not live for a second in the same environment that she had.
Glancing briefly behind her, not really searching for him, she quickened her pace, slipping inside her car as soon as she reached it; her hands shook as she turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of her parking spot, never glancing in the rearview mirror as she exited the underground facility.
She should be angry, she knew, but surprisingly, she found that she was not. Years of heartbreak had made her immune to this type of situations, it seemed. In some sick, painful way, she realized that she had been expecting that – expecting him to betray her, to let her down.
Her brain continued to work at a sluggish pace to process what had happened as the car wove its way through the noon traffic. Vaguely, she noticed a familiar looking Aston Martin behind her; the idea of what that could mean, though, failed to register into her mind. Wave after wave of questions flooded her already throbbing head, her brain having trouble grasping the reality of the situation.
What was she doing? What would she do next? Would she have the power to leave him after everything that had transpired between them? Would he accept that so easily? Where would she go? What would she do? Would her child ever meet his father? Nothing made sense anymore. The world around her had been reduced to a big jumble of words, images, and sounds.
The image of him behind his desk, with that woman on his lap haunted her, but so did that of his face, of his sexy, relaxed smirk, or the genuine smile he only scarcely offered her.
What was going on? When had the situation become so complicated? When had everything taken a turn for the worse? Just this morning, she was making plans on how to tell him that he was going to be a father, that they were going to have a family. When had all this happened? And why? What had she done wrong?
A loud horn snapped her out of her thoughts, bringing her back to reality. She looked behind, certain that the sound had come from that direction, before whipping around to face the road once again.
The next few seconds were nothing more than a blur to her. The dreadful, familiar sound of metal colliding with metal resounded in her ears like a broken record. Horns blared, people screamed, the sounds adding to the chaotic background. Her hands grasped the steering wheel tightly as a scream of her own escaped her mouth, her instincts taking over as she pushed the brake pedal to the floor.
A bright light she vaguely remembered having seen before enveloped her side of the car, making her squeeze her eyes shut in irritation.
Then there was nothing.
A/N: …How many of you hate me right now? I know, I know. I'm evil! Muhahaha.
Anyway. Sorry, but this was one of those things that I knew would happen from the moment I started typing the first chapter, and I never thought about giving it up, even though I knew most of you would not like it. As I said on my blog, this will be the last drama installment. Then we move on to end-of-story fluff.
You probably also hated the Sasuke—Katya scene. Bleah, it wasn't easy for me to write, either. Things changed when I had him focusing on Sakura, though. That hadn't been part of the plan, but the words flowed when I wrote the first draft, and then I realized that it was better this way.
Anyway, I hope I'll be able to post the next chapter soon. I really do want to finish this story, so don't be shy – BUG ME! I never tried that one before, but who knows? It might work.
Pictures on my profile. Cookies for reviewers.
So, please review!
