The clock on the wall ticked away the minutes, each second stretching into an eternity as Phuwin sat on the couch, staring blankly at the TV. The show he had put on was just background noise, something to fill the silence of the empty apartment. But it couldn't drown out the thoughts swirling in his mind—the doubts, the fears, the images of Pond and Dunk together that haunted him no matter how hard he tried to push them away.
Pond was late again. He had sent a brief text earlier in the evening, saying he had to stay late at work, but the explanation felt hollow, just like all the others before it. Phuwin's heart ached with the weight of all the unanswered questions, the nagging suspicion that Pond wasn't where he said he was, that he wasn't being truthful.
The confrontation they had a few days earlier still lingered in Phuwin's mind, the pain of Pond's denial and the desperate need to believe him warring with the undeniable feeling that something was deeply, irrevocably wrong.
As the minutes turned into hours, Phuwin's anxiety grew. He checked the time again—11:15 PM. Far too late for a simple work meeting. His stomach churned with unease, and his heart pounded in his chest as he imagined all the terrible possibilities.
When the sound of keys jingling at the door finally broke through the silence, Phuwin's head snapped up, his heart lurching. He watched as Pond stepped into the apartment, his expression tired, his hair slightly disheveled. But something was different tonight—something that made Phuwin's heart sink even further.
Pond smelled different.
It wasn't his usual scent of soap and aftershave. Tonight, there was a faint but distinct aroma of cologne—something unfamiliar, something that didn't belong to him.
Pond smiled weakly when he saw Phuwin on the couch, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Hey," he said softly, his voice tinged with weariness. "I'm sorry I'm late. It was a long night."
Phuwin didn't respond right away. He just stared at Pond, his eyes searching for any sign of the man he had loved so deeply. But all he could see was the distance that had grown between them, the lies that had begun to erode the foundation of their relationship.
"You're late," Phuwin finally said, his voice flat, devoid of emotion. He couldn't muster the energy to pretend anymore, to act like everything was okay when it clearly wasn't.
Pond nodded, his expression apologetic. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. Work's been crazy lately."
But Phuwin wasn't listening to the excuses anymore. All he could think about was the scent that clung to Pond's clothes, the cologne that wasn't his.
"Why do you smell like that?" Phuwin asked, his voice trembling slightly.
Pond frowned, confusion flickering across his face. "Like what?"
"Like cologne," Phuwin pressed, his voice growing sharper. "That's not your scent, Pond. Whose is it?"
Pond's eyes widened, and for a moment, he looked like a deer caught in headlights. The brief flicker of panic in his expression told Phuwin everything he needed to know.
"You were with him, weren't you?" Phuwin whispered, the pain in his chest threatening to overwhelm him. "You were with Dunk."
Pond opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. The silence that followed was deafening, the truth hanging between them like a blade poised to strike.
"Tell me the truth, Pond," Phuwin demanded, his voice breaking. "I can't take this anymore. I need to know what's going on."
Pond took a step closer, his hands trembling slightly as he reached out to Phuwin. "Phuwin, please—"
"No!" Phuwin shouted, his emotions finally boiling over. He stood up, backing away from Pond as tears filled his eyes. "No more lies, Pond! I've been trying to believe you, trying to trust you, but I can't do it anymore. I saw you with him. I've been trying to convince myself that it's nothing, that I'm just being paranoid, but I can't ignore it any longer. I need to know the truth. Do you have feelings for him?"
Pond froze, the color draining from his face as the question hung in the air. The silence stretched on, unbearable and suffocating, until Pond finally spoke—his voice barely above a whisper.
"Yes," he admitted, the word hanging in the air like a death sentence. "I do."
Phuwin felt the ground crumble beneath him, his world shattering in an instant. He stumbled back, his breath coming in ragged gasps as the weight of Pond's admission hit him like a physical blow. "You... you love him?" he choked out, barely able to get the words past the lump in his throat.
"No," Pond said quickly, his eyes filled with desperation. "No, it's not love. I don't love him, Phuwin. I love you. It's just... it's been so confusing. I've been spending time with him, and we've gotten close, but it's not what you think. It hasn't become physical, I swear."
Phuwin stared at him, his mind reeling. The betrayal cut deep, so deep that it felt like he would never recover. "You've been emotionally involved with him," he said, his voice cracking with pain. "That's just as bad, Pond. Maybe even worse. You've been sharing parts of yourself with him that you should have been sharing with me."
Pond took another step forward, his hands shaking as he tried to reach out to Phuwin. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm so sorry, Phuwin. I never meant for this to happen. I didn't want to hurt you, but I was confused, and Dunk... he was there for me when I felt like I couldn't talk to you."
Phuwin shook his head, tears streaming down his face. "You should have come to me, Pond. We could have worked through this together. But instead, you turned to someone else. You betrayed me."
The word "betrayed" hung in the air, heavy and final. Pond's face crumpled with guilt, and he took another step toward Phuwin, but Phuwin backed away, unable to bear the thought of being touched by him right now.
"I'm so sorry," Pond repeated, his voice breaking. "I know I've hurt you, and I don't know how to make it right, but please, Phuwin, I love you. I don't want to lose you."
Phuwin's heart was in tatters, the love he had for Pond warring with the overwhelming pain of his betrayal. He wanted to believe Pond, wanted to forgive him, but the wound was too fresh, too deep.
"I don't know if I can forgive you," Phuwin whispered, his voice shaking. "I don't know if we can ever go back to the way things were."
Pond's eyes filled with tears, and he reached out to Phuwin one last time, but Phuwin couldn't bring himself to take his hand. Instead, he turned away, the weight of Pond's betrayal pressing down on him like a suffocating blanket.
"I need time," Phuwin said, his voice barely audible. "I need to think."
Pond's shoulders sagged, and he nodded, though the pain in his eyes was clear. "I understand," he said softly. "I'll give you whatever time you need."
But even as he spoke the words, Phuwin could see the fear in Pond's eyes—the fear that he had already lost him, that the damage he had done was irreparable.
Without another word, Phuwin walked to the bedroom, leaving Pond standing alone in the living room, the scent of unfamiliar cologne still lingering in the air. As he closed the door behind him, Phuwin leaned against it, his heart breaking all over again as the reality of what had happened sank in.
Pond had betrayed him, not just physically, but emotionally. The man he had loved and trusted more than anyone else in the world had given a part of himself to someone else, and Phuwin didn't know if he could ever forgive that.
As he collapsed onto the bed, tears streaming down his face, Phuwin realized that the future he had once envisioned with Pond was now a shattered dream, and he was left to pick up the pieces of a life that no longer felt like his own.
YOU ARE READING
Shattered (PONDPHUWIN)
FanfictionCOMPLETE Phuwin, whose seemingly perfect life is upended by a devastating betrayal.