Hell’s Oath: Kill the Heartless

My CEO girlfriend, Isabella, and I were finally at that agethe marrying kind.
But just as we started planning, she suddenly enacted a bizarre new company policy:
To be approved for wedding leave, an employee must first demonstrate their commitment with a full month of perfect attendance. No exceptions.
From that day on, Isabellaa woman who had a seven-year perfect attendance streakdeveloped a new catchphrase.
"Bob, I'm so sorry. I was just one minute late again this month. Next month. I promise, next month I'll marry you."
From my 29th birthday to my 32nd, in just three short years, she got into ten "accidental" car crashes that landed her in the hospital, suffered twenty-one bouts of food poisoning, and overslept five times.
In short, she never managed to get that perfect attendance.
At first, I was understanding, comforting. Then came the doubt, the anger. Finally, I started driving her to work myself, clearing every possible obstacle from our path. Yet, on the last day of one month, she fainted dead away just as she was stepping through the company's front doors.
Thats when a saying echoed in my mind: You can't wake someone who's only pretending to be asleep.
After getting her to the hospital, I turned to leave. But a sliver of hope held me back. What if she was really sick? What if I was being a monster for leaving her alone?
I hesitated, then turned back. And as I neared her hospital room, I heard her talking to a friend.
"Isabella, there's definitely something going on between you and that new intern, Caleb."
The casual words struck me like a bolt of lightning, knocking the air from my lungs.
Isabella's voice was laced with a nostalgic smile. "That kid's got something. It's been a long time since I felt that spark. Looking at Bob now is like looking at my dad. It's just exhausting."
"So you invented this whole perfect-attendance rule just to stall him? Aren't you afraid he'll find out and dump you?"
"Not a chance. He's waited for me from 24 to 32. I'm all he has. Besides," she added, her voice dropping with casual cruelty, "he literally gave me a kidney. He's not going anywhere. I can say a few sweet things and he'll be eating out of my hand again."
"True. We've all seen how devoted he is to you. The crazy schemes he comes up with just to get you to work on time its almost pathetic."
The sound of their laughter was a physical blow, a sharp, tearing pain in my chest. All my efforts, all my hopes for our future, were nothing but a joke to them.
Isabella's voice, feigning remorse, cut through my daze.
"Bob, today was the last day of the month. I really thought I was going to make it. I can't believe I failed again. I'm the worst. I swear, next month. Next month, I'll get that perfect attendance."
Hearing those words, a bitter laugh escaped my lips.
"Isabella, for three whole years, I have moved heaven and earth to help you, and you still couldn't do it. How can you promise you'll make it next month?"
My question stunned her into silence. Her hands clenched into fists. "I'll set my alarm earlier," she said, her voice firm. "Three in the morning. I'll get up at three. I can make it then."
"Bob, you have to believe me. Just one more month. I promise."
"Actually, Ms. Hayes might not be considered late today."
The sudden interruption from the HR representative silenced the room.
Isabella's face went rigid. "Not late?" Her tone wasn't joyful. It was pure terror.
Her eyes darted nervously to Caleb, the intern, who was watching from the sidelines.
"But she wasn't all the way through the door!" Caleb blurted out. "Can that really count?"
The HR rep looked conflicted. "Well, the security footage shows half her body was inside when the clock turned. But because she was falling, the sensor didn't register her entry. It's a tough call."
Suddenly, Caleb stumbled, knocking over a potted plant. He swayed, looking like he was about to faint himself.
Isabella rushed to his side, steadying him.
The moment their eyes met, fat tears rolled down his cheeks. I couldn't see Isabella's expression, but I saw her hand tighten on his arm.
"Honestly, Ms. Hayes," the HR rep continued, "we've all seen how hard you've tried these past three years. Maybe we can just call this one a"
"No," Isabella cut in, her voice sharp and decisive.
The office fell into a dead silence. I could feel the pity in my colleagues' eyes.
The HR rep blinked. "Ms. Hayes, are you sure?"
Isabella's expression was resolute. "As the CEO, I have to lead by example. Besides, I want to marry Bob with a clear conscience, knowing I earned it."
"Next month," she said, turning her warm gaze on me. "I'll definitely get it next month. I know Bob is understanding enough to wait for me."
I stared back, my face a mask of stone, and looked away.
As the crowd of onlookers dispersed, I saw Isabella catch up to Caleb.
"Stop crying," she whispered. "I didn't marry him, did I? Besides, you know he's just a responsibility to me. I don't even want to marry him."
Caleb's tears magically stopped, replaced by a sullen pout, waiting for her to coax him back into a good mood. I hadn't seen her use that kind of patience in years.
I couldn't stand to watch anymore. I walked back to my desk, pulled out my phone, and methodically cancelled the wedding venue we had on hold. Then I called off the wedding planner.
The event coordinator was incredulous. "Sir, if you cancel, the next availability is over a year away. Are you absolutely sure?"
I didn't blame her for being surprised. Three years ago, I'd booked that venue with unshakeable confidence, telling them to save the best ballroom for me. After one, two, ten, thirty postponements, here I was, not getting married, but canceling. It was enough to make anyone curious.
My eyes fell on the bouquet of flowers Isabella had sent to my desk as yet another apology.
"I'm sure," I said, my voice unwavering. "Cancel everything."
Before I overheard that conversation in the hospital, I'd had my doubts. I thought maybe we'd grown apart, that she had a simple fear of commitment. But I never, ever suspected betrayal. And I certainly never suspected it would be with Caleb, the "slow" and "annoying" intern she was always complaining about.
"That new intern is painfully stupid. It took him three days to sort a simple file."
"Did HR have a lobotomy? Why would they hire an idiot like that?"
Isabella, normally so composed, always seemed to fly into a rage whenever Caleb was mentioned.
After the hospital, I did some reading. A psychology book said that lashing out like that can be a defense mechanism when you're trying to deny a powerful attraction.
A powerful attraction. Just how powerful was it?
I thought back to when we first got together. She was incredible to me then. I once glanced at a watch on another guy's wrist, and she entered a street race and won it for me. When a summer storm flooded the city, she abandoned her multi-million dollar car and waded through the floodwaters from her mansion on the hill just to get to my apartment. She was a wreck when she found me, covered in mud, but her only concern was whether I was hurt.
I couldn't understand it. How could two people who were once so in love end up here?
When I got home, Isabella was already there. She threw her arms around me, pulling my cold body into a hug. "You're freezing! You always try to look cool and never wear enough layers."
I didn't answer. My gaze drifted to the coffee table, which was covered in trendy, greasy takeout food.
"I heard from the kids at the office that you like this stuff," she said. "I bought it all to say I'm sorry."
This was all the junk food Caleb always had at his desk. It was obvious who had "suggested" it.
When I didn't react, she tried another angle. "You know, we're already like a real married couple. A marriage certificate is just a piece of paper, a formality. I don't think we should be so conventional, right?"
Years ago, I'd fallen for those lines. I forced myself to be the "cool, understanding boyfriend." Now I saw that I had just let myself become a fool.
"Isabella," I started to say, but I saw her eyes were glued to her phone, a smile she couldn't suppress playing on her lips.
"Bob, something's come up at work. I have to go," she said, already grabbing her keys. "You go ahead and eat."
I watched her hurry out the door and then quietly scraped the entire table of greasy food into the trash.
After my kidney transplant, my doctor told me to avoid greasy food. She never remembers.
In the dead of night, my phone rang, jolting me awake. It was Isabella's mother.
The second I answered, her shrill voice pierced my ear. "Bob, you have three minutes. Get on every group chat and clear up this mess for Isabella. Now."
Confused, I opened my phone. It wasn't just our company chat; it was chats with our corporate partners, too. All of them were flooded with pictures of Isabella and Caleb at a bar earlier that night.
In the photos, her hand was on his thigh, their heads close together. It was damningly intimate. Isabella was the president of a major bank; her personal conduct and reputation were critical. No wonder her mother was panicking.
"Ma'am," I said coldly, "Isabella made her bed. Why is she afraid to lie in it?"
My words sent her into a rage. "Don't you take that tone with me, Bob! None of this would have happened if you weren't such a curse! Isabella never missed a day of work in her life until she decided to marry you! Then suddenly it's one 'accident' after another! Do you think that's a coincidence?"
"Honestly, a man whose own parents disowned him can't have good fortune. Only my foolish daughter would treat you like a treasure. Marrying a man with a missing kidney isn't a marriage, it's a liability! And you have the nerve to criticize her?"
She spat the words with such conviction, as if I were truly the one who had wronged her daughter.
The reason my parents disowned me was because I had defied them, giving up our family home and a high-paying job in a major city to follow Isabella here. At the time, looking at the woman who cared for me so completely, I thought she was worth the gamble.
It turned out I had bet on the wrong horse.
The thought was another sharp jab of pain.
Her mother was still ranting, listing all the ways I had brought misfortune to her daughter. I cut her off.
"I'm breaking up with Isabella," I said calmly. "You don't need to worry anymore."
I hung up, leaving her sputtering in shock on the other end of the line.
I had just lain back down when my phone rang again. It was my dad, from my hometown. We hadn't spoken in years.
I answered, bewildered. His voice was old and trembling. "Bob, you need to come home. Your mother she's not going to make it."
My mind went blank. The last time I saw her, she was strong enough to yell at me for leaving. How could she suddenly
My body moved before my brain could catch up. I threw on some clothes and ran for the door.
I yanked it open and ran straight into Isabella. Behind her stood Caleb, sobbing hysterically.
Before I could process what was happening, a sharp sting exploded across my cheek. Isabella had slapped me.
"Bob! Who gave you permission to follow me? And to slander me and Caleb? When did you become so twisted?"
I stumbled back, catching myself on a table. I touched my cheek, a bitter laugh rising in my throat. "Slander? Everyone at the office knows about you two. You don't need my help with that. And follow you? That's something someone who still loves you would do, Isabella. I'm done. I just want out."
My words clearly rattled her. A flicker of panic crossed her face.
Caleb's whiny voice cut in. "Bob, please don't misunderstand. Isabella was just helping me because I'm not very good at my job. Why would you spread those horrible pictures in the group chat? How am I supposed to face anyone?"
He clutched his chest, feigning a dramatic gasp. "You're just playing games to hurt her. I can't stand to see her upset." He started wheezing. "Isabella my asthma I can't breathe."
That was all it took. Isabella's heart melted. She turned back to me, her eyes hard and cruel.
"Break up? You think you can threaten me with a breakup to make me forgive what you did to Caleb? Not a chance, Bob. Get on your knees and apologize to him. Now."
I had to get to my mother. I didn't have time for this. Without a second thought, I dropped to my knees.
"I'm sorry," I said, my voice flat. "I shouldn't have spread false photos to slander you and Caleb. Are we done?"
My quick compliance seemed to surprise Isabella.
But Caleb clutched his chest again, gasping for air. "Why does the perpetrator get to be so arrogant? We, the victims, are just supposed to accept a hollow apology? What about the psychological damage he's caused?"
Isabella wrapped an arm around him. "What do you want, Caleb? What will make you feel better?"
"I can't show my face in public," he whimpered. "So let's make it so he can't either. Then we'll be even."
He pulled a small, wicked-looking knife from his pocket.
"I'll just carve a few little words into your face, Bob. You'll be ugly for a while, but once it heals, my anger will be gone. What you did could stain my reputation for life. This is just a small price to pay. You should be grateful."
My blood ran cold. I stared at the gleaming blade and looked to Isabella, begging her with my eyes. She turned her head away.
"You did this to yourself, Bob," she said. "Just take it."
I couldn't believe it. This was the woman I had loved for eleven years.
The next second, the blade bit into my cheek. I didn't know what was on it, but besides the slicing pain, there was a searing, chemical burn.
I screamed, thrashing, but Isabella held me down, her grip like iron.
"Just a little longer, Bob," she hissed in my ear, her voice demonic. "It'll be over soon."
The agony was blinding. A surge of adrenaline gave me a strength I didn't know I had. I broke free from her grasp and shoved Caleb to the ground.
He had only fallen to a sitting position, but he let out a blood-curdling shriek.
Isabella completely ignored my face, which was already starting to blister and swell. She rushed to Caleb's side, frantically checking him for injuries.
Once she was satisfied he was unharmed, she looked back at me, her face a mask of disgust. "Look at you, Bob. You've become a monster. He was just giving you a little punishment for what you did, and you attack him like that. If you keep this up, I really will never marry you."

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