She held his large fist in both hands, holding him in place. If there was one thing she knew, it was her husband. He wouldn't yank away when she was holding him like this for fear of harming her. Gazing up at his torn expression, it was all she could do to prevent the onslaught of emotions pouring out of him from affecting her. Guilt, want, and hurt rolled off of him in large waves.
Keeping his hand in hers she took a small step towards him, releasing his tensed and balled up first to wrap her arms around his midsection, laying her head on his broad chest. Even standing slouched, her husband towered over her, surrounding her in his warmth and comforting her with his scent. Tipping her head back, she rested her chin on his chest, looking up at him.
His charcoal colored eyes bore into her with pain and regret, causing a lump to form in her throat and her heart to skip a few beats. Why did he alway look at her like that? Clenching her teeth she pulled back from him, keeping her arms around him as much as she could and glared into those eyes.
"Does being in my presence cause you so much discomfort that you won't even hold eye contact with me?" She demanded, her small hands clenching at the fabric of his dingy shirt.
She always knew what to say to rile him up. She saw the flash in his eyes, a mix of irritation and the other emotions he had been holding back.
"You know that's not what the problem is, wife" he nearly sneered on the word, venom dripping from his voice.
This shocked her. Hephaestus had been irritated with her before, but she had never felt such seething anger in him before. Perhaps her previous actions had gone too far?
His large hands reached up, prying her fingers off of him. "I think it's time we stopped lying to ourselves, Aphrodite. You only ever come home if you need something from me, be it weapons for your chosen heroes, a trinket, or comfort when you aren't feeling it. I'm tired, Aphrodite. Too tired to deal with this. I think…" his hand gripped hers, she could see the tremble in them, and feel the pain filling his heart. "I think it's best that you stop coming back. You never liked it here anyway."
Dread filled her stomach as his eyes finally met hers. This wasn't a spontaneous decision. He had been planning on telling her for a long time. Yanking her hand back from his, she stared up at his nearly soulless gaze. Choking back a pained cry, she span on her heel, and ran into the dawn.