The Intense Red Rose

The first time I saw James Nordling after our divorce was at a college reunion, three years later.
He was the center of attention, holding court with a confident smile that froze the moment our eyes met across the room.
A few of his loyal friends, drinks in hand, immediately turned on me, their voices dripping with sarcasm.
This is a reunion for Kingston University alumni. Whats someone who graduated from a no-name state school doing here?
Well, look what the cat dragged in. Isnt this Jamess dark past, Misty Hayes? He wrote Misty-minism instead of determinism all over his philosophy final for you. Nearly gave the professor an aneurysm.
Have you no shame? He was your stepbrother. You crawled into his bed and forced him to marry you. Now Jamess a married man, and youre still chasing him! His new wife is a certified genius, not a dimwit like you.
James still wore the watch wed bought together on his wrist, but a new wedding band now gleamed on his ring finger.
Suddenly, every gaze in the room sharpened, turning speculative and cruel.
I idly stroked the diamond on my own ring finger and answered with a faint smile.
Im here to pick up my husband.
James finally looked up, his brow furrowed. Misty, we divorced three years ago.
I know.
But I never said I was here for him.
1
Shameless. Married, and still desperate enough to be the other woman.
Evan Scott lit a cigarette, his eyes lazily drifting over me.
Evan had been my best friend in high school, along with James. He used to be the second-best person to me in the entire world.
But when James and I were going through our divorce, hed sided with James without a moments hesitation.
Because the girl he was in love with was the third party in my marriage.
And he had been helping James hide their affair all along.
I was the only one who had been played for a fool from start to finish.
Evan, thats enough, James said, his lips a thin line, his voice a cold reprimand.
Evan just scoffed, stubbing out his cigarette with an impatient flick. Whats the big deal? A moron like Misty Hayes is nothing compared to a brilliant woman like Vivian. You were the only one who could ever stand a simpleton like her, letting her drag you down for all those years.
Jamess eyes met mine. Misty isnt a moron, he said quietly.
Misty isnt a moron.
Coming from a genius like James, it sounded almost comical.
But the sixteen-year-old me would have believed him.
The year I finished middle school, my mother married Jamess father, and our two families merged into one.
James and I were the same age, and we ended up in the same public high school. Same class, even. He was ranked last, and I was solidly average.
He hated me, so he never spoke a word to me.
Id often see him getting into fights, which always ended with him being disciplined. And that always ended with my mother being called to the school, where she would stand, head bowed, and endure the staffs rebukes.
One night, I went to get a glass of water and found her crying on the sofa in the dark.
Misty, she whispered, what can I do to make James accept me?
I didnt know. All I knew was that after that night, our placid coexistence erupted into all-out war.
I laced his drinks with wasabi, poured dirty water into his backpack, and spiked his lunch with laxatives.
James finally snapped. Is that all youve got? Im telling you, Misty, if you cant take me down, Ill take down your mother!
We were locked in that standoff for over six months.
I thought I would hate James Nordling for the rest of my life.
But in the end, he became the only person in the world who still loved me.
2
Our conflict came to an abrupt end after an act of domestic violence.
Jamess father beat my mother so badly she ended up in the hospital. As she was being loaded into the ambulance, his father was still shouting vile things at her.
I chased you for two years, and for what? Youre pretty, but youre completely useless. You have no skills, nothing!
My mother was nearly forty. Her whole life, my own father had spoiled her rotten, so of course she didnt know how to do anything.
When James heard those words, his mask of cold indifference shattered. He stared at me in shock, muttering to himself.
So it wasnt your mom who seduced my dad
He had always hated my mother, believing she was the homewrecker who had driven his own mother away.
None of it mattered anymore. Because after that day, I didnt have a mother, either.
When I went to the hospital with a bouquet of her favorite white freesias, I learned she had run away.
She hadnt taken anything with her.
Not even me.
Suddenly, Misty Hayes was homeless.
I didnt know where to go. I was wandering the streets late at night when James found me.
He looked furious, his eyes red-rimmed. I was terrified he was going to hit me, so I flinched, curling into a tight ball.
But then a warm embrace enveloped me, and I heard his voice, softer than Id ever heard it before.
Misty, come home with me.
He looked right at me. From now on, Ill be your whole world.
I took his outstretched hand and held on tight.
And so, from the age of sixteen, my entire world became James Nordling.
3
After my mother left, Jamess father became even more volatile.
Afraid I would get hurt, James moved us out into a small apartment of our own.
Life went on, but it was different.
I stopped my pranks, and the harsh lines around his eyes softened.
He started spending more and more time studying. I couldnt help but ask him about it.
You used to hate reading. You hated class.
He looked at me seriously, then sighed and gently pinched my cheek. Misty, I want to give you a better life.
I saw the tips of his ears turn pink, and I nodded fiercely.
I decided then and there that I would never be the one to hold James Nordling back.
I threw myself into my studies, but while James skyrocketed from the bottom of the class to the very top, I remained stuck in the middle.
Hed come home and tutor me until midnight. Id stare at calculus problems until my head spun.
Youre so dense, Misty, hed say with a soft laugh.
But I love how dense you are. Its infuriatingly cute.
Drowsiness would overwhelm me, the pen slipping from my fingers as I mumbled.
James, cant you slow down? I cant keep up.
He told me I would never have to chase him. He would always wait for me.
He didnt.
In the end, my denseness became the thing he hated most about me. The thing that annoyed him to no end.
4
Not a moron? You tutored her for years, and she still only got into some second-rate state school, right?
Evan flicked his lighter open and shut, picking up where he left off.
I scanned the room again but saw no sign of my husband, Caleb.
Caleb had gone to Kingston, same as James, but they were in different departments. It was unlikely theyd be at the same reunion. He must have sent me the wrong address.
I had no energy to rehash the past.
My apologies for the intrusion, I said, and turned to leave.
I sent Caleb a text, but he didnt reply. My calls went straight to voicemail. I decided to just head home.
Just as I reached for my car door, a hand shot out and grabbed my wrist.
Misty forgive me, please? James murmured, his gaze lowered, his eyes filled with an emotion I couldnt decipher.
That nickname.
It used to make me blush, a secret, playful weapon against his usually stoic demeanor.
But later, that same dynamic, brother and sister, became my personal hell.
Have you gotten addicted to acting, James? I said, yanking my hand away. My face was a blank mask. I dont have a brother.
The air grew thick with tension, broken by a sudden, sharp laugh.
Misty Hayes. Fancy seeing you here. Vivian Marsh strode toward us on sharp heels, as arrogant and ostentatious as ever.
The old me would have been intimidated by her presence, filled with a mix of envy and admiration that curdled into insecurity.
But now, after that excruciating past had been burned and purged from my soul, all that was left was a calm emptiness.
Misty, why dont you come home with James and me? Your mother misses you, you know.
I never thought that, three years later, I would be able to say the words so calmly.
I dont have a mother.
My brother, my mother.
They had both chosen her. Vivian.
And I had let them go a long time ago.
Vivian grabbed my wrist, deliberately revealing the jade bracelet she wore.
It was the heirloom Jamess mother had left him.
I wore that bracelet for ten years.
Our relationship had also lasted only ten years.
5
Evan was right. I really was dense.
Even with James pouring all his energy into tutoring me, I only managed to get into a state college.
He, on the other hand, became the top scorer in the country on the entrance exams and went to Kingston University.
We were both in the same city, not too far from each other.
We couldnt see each other every day, but our lives were sweetly intertwined.
It was a simple happiness, a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life.
James was handsome and brilliant, and women constantly pursued him.
But he always made me feel secure.
During college, I often visited him on campus. He was so well-known that every little thing he did caused a stir.
Soon, threads started appearing on the school forums saying I wasnt good enough for him.
That besides my face, I had nothing. No talent, no background. A simpleton unworthy of a campus legend.
James had already made our relationship public. When he found out about the forums, he was furious. He said they just didn't know how wonderful I was.
So, on one of his final exams in a political philosophy class, for every instance of the word determinism, he wrote Misty-minism.
He almost failed the course and was publicly reprimanded by the department for being "lovestruck," but the story became an campus-wide sensation.
He wanted the entire world to know I was his girlfriend.
But when it came time for us to get married, he said something else.
Misty, lets keep our marriage a secret.
Just give me a few more years. When Ive made a name for myself, Ill give you the grand wedding you deserve.
I agreed.
Four years into our marriage, James was already incredibly successful.
But the wedding I had dreamed of never came.
Instead, his infidelity did.
6
On our fourth wedding anniversary, James flew into a rage.
It was because I had lost the jade bracelet hed given me.
He stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him. It was the first time in his life he had ever spoken to me so harshly.
It was pouring rain that night, but I searched every place I could think of.
Then I remembered the little apartment we lived in during high school. James had bought it later.
The walls inside were covered with the thousands of photos we had taken over three years.
The moment I pushed open the door, my world shattered.
The first thing I saw was James pressing another woman beneath him on the floor.
The sound of their bodies colliding.
My scalp tingled, and the air left my lungs in a silent scream.
I knew her. Vivian.
James had mentioned her, but only briefly. At first, hed said her father had forced her into his company and that she was probably going to be a nuisance.
But later, he started saying she was incredibly capable, brilliant.
And it was around that time that James started calling me dense.
We had less and less to talk about. Hed often say things like, Can you just stop asking? You wouldnt understand even if I explained it.
Misty, youre so dense.
But I was genuinely happy that he had found a partner who was on his level.
But now, Vivian was wearing the bracelet, her eyes filled with undisguised provocation.
The object I had been tearing myself apart with guilt over, searching for like a stray dog.
It turned out I hadnt lost it at all.
James had given it to another woman with his own two hands.
She slowly stood up, leaning against Jamess chest.
Why so surprised? she purred.
Your bed in the city, the shower, the floor-to-ceiling windows weve done it everywhere you two have. Today, we just wanted to try the place where you had your first time.
A roaring filled my ears, and my legs gave out.
Acting on pure instinct, I grabbed a photo frame from the table and hurled it at them.
James shielded her with his body, his eyes blazing red. Misty, are you insane?!
The man who had promised to be my whole world shoved me to the ground.
My hand was covered in shards of glass. The photo it was the first one we ever took together. He had his arm around me, a proud, possessive grin on his face.
Now, it was shattered. And the look in his eyes was pure, unadulterated annoyance.
Before I could even process it, another bomb dropped.
Misty, can you stop making a scene? Youre so suffocating! No wonder your own mother didnt want you!
It turned out my mother had remarried.
She had married Vivians father and had spent the last ten years doting on Vivian.
The fantasy I had clung to for a decade had just become a nightmare.
Soon after, James asked for a divorce.
I didnt want to give them the satisfaction, but I was no match for them.
Everyone I had ever loved had turned against me.
My lover. My best friend.
And my mother.
7
James locked me in our villa in the city.
For nearly a week, he unleashed all his fury on me.
I wont divorce you, Id repeated, my voice raw. If you want to marry her, you can dream on.
At that point, our marriage certificate was the only card I had left to play.
I was stubborn as a madwoman.
A week later, a censored video was leaked online.
But the audio was crystal clear.
Brother, I love you the most. Please love Misty a little more for me.
It was from years ago, when he used to travel a lot for work. He said he needed something to comfort him when I wasn't there. James was always so proper, so I was both shy and surprised when he suggested we film it.
James and Vivian were masters of public relations.
That one line was enough to throw me to the wolves.
And my own mother and my best friend added the finishing touches.
My mother accused me of incest, of seducing James, which was why shed had to leave in the first place.
Evan claimed that James had only ever seen me as a sister, that he had cared for me out of pity for years. He said I had repaid his kindness by climbing into his bed, forcing him to take responsibility and marry me.
But the final blow came from James himself.
I was lying numbly in bed, reading the accusations from my family and friends, when Vivian came to see me.
She told me she had confessed her feelings to James back in college.
He had rejected her.
He told her he wasn't good enough for her, but if she was willing, she could wait a few years for him.
Wait until he was successful enough to stand beside her as an equal.
That night, I gave in.
I agreed to the divorce.
As I signed the papers, I thought back to the past.
The sixteen-year-old James, full of ambition, had said he wanted to give me a better life.
But the twenty-six-year-old Jamess future never included Misty Hayes.
I wiped away my tears and forced myself to ask him.
What was I to you? A placeholder?
A consolation prize until you found the one you really wanted?
He said, Misty, I did love you. That was real.
I held back my tears.
The love was real. And so was the betrayal.
8
During the mandatory cooling-off period, I barely left the house.
The scandal was too big. Going outside meant facing anything from verbal abuse and ridicule to outright harassment.
The day we were supposed to finalize the divorce, I found out I was pregnant.
We had been trying for two years with no luck, but of course, it would happen then.
I went back to the small town where wed gone to high school. I hadnt asked for anything in the divorce except for that small apartment.
I threw out the bed they had slept on and spent my days curled up on the sofa.
I listened to music, played my guitar, read books.
Whenever I thought of James, I would burn one of our photos.
At first, Id burn hundreds a day, forcing myself to wait at least an hour between each one.
Gradually, the number of photos I burned dwindled.
I never really took care of the baby inside me.
It must have known I didnt want it.
It was a good, quiet baby. For six months, it gave me no trouble at all.
But in the sixth month, I got rid of it.
Because on the sixth month of our divorce, James and Vivian got married.
It was a lavish wedding.
Even grander than the one I had imagined James would one day give me.
That day, I burned the last photo.
The twenty-six-year-old Misty Hayes couldnt possibly be as foolish as the sixteen-year-old version.
What sixteen-year-old Misty clung to so desperately, twenty-six-year-old Misty could finally let go.
My world would no longer contain James Nordling.
9
Misty, youve changed. I dont recognize you anymore. You were never this cold, James said, his brow knitted in a frown.
I curved my lips into a smile. Really? And you used to say you would only ever love me.
Vivian shot me a venomous glare. Misty, stop being so shameless. Are you trying to seduce my husband right in front of me?
I have no interest in your husband, I said, glancing at James, my heart feeling not a single flicker.
I pushed past them. Get out of my way. Im going home.
The moment I opened my car door, a mans loud, frantic shout echoed through the parking garage.
Maam! Dont go! Your husband is tearing this place apart looking for you!
A young man, pale and out of breath, skidded to a stop in front of me. It was Leo, my husband's brother.
Oh, thank God youre okay, Misty. My brother was about to kill me.
It took me a second to process what was happening.
When I looked up, Jamess face was frozen. He opened his mouth, but only managed to force out a few words. Youre married?

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