Finn's wife.
The words kept ringing in Clarke's ears in cold finality. She supposed that she should feel something. Anger, hurt, rejection, anything. Instead, as she rushed through the parking lot to the terminal doors, her suitcase lugging behind her, all she could feel was numb.
Finn was married.
Through the haze in her mind, Clarke could make out the sound of Finn calling her name, pleading for her to give him a chance to explain. Clarke stubbornly shook her head, the memory of Finn's mortified expression burned in her mind. She had wanted to believe Maya was lying, wanted to believe that Finn would never cheat on her, had wanted to believe Finn was hers. But when she turned around and looked at his face, she knew that Maya was telling the truth. One glance was all she needed. Inhaling sharply, she walked over to the luggage Finn had been trying to tie together and grabbed her suitcase's handle. It had taken every bit of strength Clarke had to not break-down right then and there. Instead, Clarke closed her eyes and faced the man who had shattered her heart with one blow. "Goodbye, Finn," Clarke let out before she turned and dashed across the parking lot to the ticketing counter.
Now, as Clarke heard Finn's yells, she wished he had stayed behind at the car. The numb feeling that had spread through her veins at Maya's words was now fading, and a white-hot anger was steadily taking its place.
"Clarke! Clarke please, just wait a second!" Finn called.
"Why, so you can come up with a fresh new lie?" Clarke retorted over her shoulder.
Clarke heard Finn sigh. "Alright, I deserved that. But please, can we just talk about this? Give me a chance to explain!"
The anger Clarke felt rising in her chest exploded. Whirling violently to face Finn she hissed, "Talk? We cannot just talk about this! I trusted you, Finn. I was taking you to meet my family!"
Finn's eyes reflected remorse at Clarke's words. "Clarke please. Keenan and I are pretty much separated. It didn't matter."
Clarke's mouth dropped at his words. "Pretty much separated? Didn't matter?! Finn, she's your wife. It matters!" Dejected, she continued, "Why couldn't you have just told me the truth?"
Finn reached out and gripped her shoulders, eyes burning with intensity. "Keenan and I don't love each other anymore. We've both known that for a while. We're getting divorced. But Clarke, I love you. I'm in love with you. I want to be with you, spend the rest of my life with you. And I want it to start right now, regardless of my marital status, because I love you. Please Clarke."
Despite Clarke's better judgment, she felt her heart soften to his words. Finn made her feel special and cherished. He brought her flowers, made her laugh, hugged her when she was upset, came to her art galleries, held her while she cried when her dog died. He was everything she wanted in a future spouse. Kind, gentle, caring, strong, supportive, and loving. But as Clarke mulled this over in her head, she realized there was one virtue was not on that list. Honesty. Clarke cherished honesty almost above all else. If Finn couldn't be honest with her about his marriage, what else has he not been truthful with? Hardening her resolve, she pushed his hands of her shoulders. "Goodbye Finn," she whispered, as she turned away.
"Clarke…" Finn pleaded.
Clarke felt the rage rise in her chest once again. Furious, she turned and, fisting his shirt in her left hand, she raised her right fist and swung it straight into Finn's cheekbone. Finn's cry of shock and pain giving her a sliver of satisfaction. Gritting her teeth, she spat out, "I said 'goodbye!'" before spinning on her heel and rushing into the terminal, glancing back only once to see Finn covering his eye and blood drip from his nose. In spite of the situation, Clarke grinned. Then, stealing her emotions, she walked to the ticketing counter to check in her bags.
Today was the shitiest day of Clarke's life. Not only had she found out her boyfriend had been cheating on her with his wife, but her flight that would carry her to her mom's wedding has been delayed three hours. Instead of flying into Columbus at midnight, she was now going to be landing at three in the morning. But to top off everything that had happened, somehow the wires in Clarke's bra had set off the security scanner, resulting in her being patted down by an airport security official. Clarke had never felt so violated in her life. How the hell did her bra set off the scanner?! Clarke was sure there is no way this day could possibly get any worse.
Clarke walked through the terminal to her gate, wishing she was already in Columbus. There was nothing she wanted more that to feel her mom's arms around her, comforting her just like she had when Clarke was in highschool. Well, her mom wasn't here, so a phone call would have to do. But as Clarke pulled up Abby's number on her phone, her eyes welled with tears. Even though Clarke hadn't told Abby much about her boyfriend, the things she had had been enough to show how much she loved him. Clarke had genuinely thought that Finn was the One, and had told her mother as much. No, a phone call to her mom would not cut it. Her break up with Finn was a conversation she wanted to have with Abby face-to-face. Instead, Clarke dialed Octavia. If anyone would understand, it would be her.
"Hello?"
"O?" was all Clarke managed before a strangled cry escaped her throat.
"Oh, Clarke," Octavia said softly, "what happened?"
The next thing Clarke knew, she was leaning against a wall in a virtually empty hallway, sobbing into her phone. She didn't know what was more pathetic; the fact that she was leaning against a wall for support or that she had become one of those girls—the ones who loose themselves after a breakup.
Octavia listened patiently, her heart breaking for her friend. It was moments like these that she cursed the day she ever decided to get her Master's degree in fine arts. Once Clarke's sobs lessened and she began to compose herself, Octavia spoke, "Do you want me to hunt down his dipshit ass? I'll make him wish he never set foot in San Diego."
"No." Clarke sniffed, "No, don't bother. He's not worth it."
"Like hell he's not! Come on, at the very least, I'll make an example out of him for anyone to see what happens when you mess with my best friend's heart. I'm calling Monroe and Harper. We're going to town on him tonight. What's his address?"
Clarke laughed in spite of her tears. "Thanks O. But I'd rather you didn't. Whatever Finn was to me, he isn't any longer. I want to put him behind me. And I don't want him to have the satisfaction of knowing I had someone enact revenge."
Octavia scoffed. "Oh, please. What's he gonna do? Retaliate? He really has no idea who he's messing with. You're going to be in Columbus for a week, and when you get back you'll have Harper, Monroe, and myself as your wingwomen. If he knows what's good for him, he'll stay away."
"I really hate you, you know that right? Why'd you have to have midterms the week of my mom's wedding?" Clarke sighed. "I really wish you were here with me."
"Me too. And no you don't. But look at it this way: you're going out of town for your mom's wedding, sans two-timing ex, and you are going to see one of your best friends in the whole world. Carve it up, have fun, and forget about that bastard you dated."
Clarke laughed. "Thanks O." Realizing her need for a tissue, she stood up. "I've got to go. I'll talk to you later. Love you."
"Love you too. Bye."
Clarke was about to end the call, but a split second later, she hurried to say, "Octavia?."
"Hmm?" Octavia hummed over the line.
Clarke took a deep breath. "6046 Fellmar Avenue."
Octavia chortled. "Yes!"
"Bye, O." Clarke rolled her eyes before ending the call and heading off in search of a restroom. She had just found one and was about to enter, when she stopped and saw a couple standing together just outside of the bathrooms. As she watched, she saw the guy wrap his arms around the girl's waist and lean in to kiss her temple, causing the girl to smile and lean into the kiss. All the sorrow Clarke had thought she had shed in her conversation with Octavia came rushing back in a flood, and she rushed into the restroom, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't believe how emotional she had become. She'd experienced breakups before and she was no stranger to exes. But she had never been so torn up over a boyfriend before. She supposed that she was overly emotional because her mother was getting married in two days, leaving her the last unmarried female in her family. Just the thought of her mom's wedding brought a new rush of tears that quickly escalate into hiccuping sobs.
"You alright in there?" a motherly voice asked, knocking lightly on the stall door.
Clarke looked up and tried to control her breathing. "Yes. I'm fine." She said before reaching for some tissue to blow her nose. Exiting the stall, she walked to the sinks where a middle aged woman was freshening up her makeup. Meeting her concerned gaze, Clarke halfheartedly said, "I'm okay. I just get a little emotional around my period."
The woman—whom Clarke assumed to be a flight attendant due to her outfit—cracked an amused smile. "Tell me about it. Try starting your cycle while working first class on a 14 hour flight to Tokyo."
Clarke nodded back, grateful the woman didn't press the issue further. Turning to the sinks, she grimaced at her appearance. She quickly set about washing her face, not caring for etiquette anymore. Once she had finished, she stared at herself for a moment before she let out a sigh. She looked pathetic. Red face, swollen eyes, mascara forming raccoon eyes on her face. Clarke's stare-off with herself was interrupted by the appearance of a makeup remover wipe entering her line of vision. The woman was looking sympathetically at her in the mirror. "Here. No sense running around an airport with coon eyes, now is there?" the woman asked kindly.
Clarke accepted the wipe gratefully and started wiping the makeup off her face. "Thank you." she said. She wiped the remnants of her makeup off before rummaging through her purse for her concealer. After searching in vain for several minutes, Clarke let out a frustrated groan as she slammed her purse on the counter.
"Honey, why don't you take one of these." the flight attendant said, placing a small capsule on the counter next to Clarke's purse.
Clarke eyed the pill warily before asking, "What is it?"
"A flight attendant's best friend," the woman responded. Seeing Clarke's skeptical look, she continued, "In my line of work you have to smile no matter what your hormones are doing." With a friendly smile, the flight attendant left the restroom.
Clarke stared at the pill. It could be anything and Clarke did not want to end up strung out in a terminal two days before her mom's wedding. Abby would have an aneurysm if she found out her daughter took an unnamed drug from a stranger. In the end, Clarke threw caution into the wind and downed the pill with some tap water from the sink.
A/N: I'm not entirely sure what to think about this chapter. I've never had a messy breakup like that, so I'm not sure if I did it justice or not. And I'm sorry no Bellamy in this chapter. He'll be in the next one, don't worry. I just felt that this chapter should be all about Clarke. It's a bit longer than the last ones, so I hope you all enjoy it. Remember to R&R!