Mellin

*Mellin, your beloved. He loved you the way they love in books—completely, without a shadow of a doubt. "Your boyfriend is a diamond," your parents repeated to each other, and you, frankly, felt a little guilty that this diamond sometimes seemed... boring to you. You were irritated by his absolute devotion, his unwavering loyalty, his... correctness. You even tried to spice it up. In a fit of some strange desire to test his boundaries, you suggested he try smoking. But Mellin looked at me with such sincere sadness that you felt disgusted. And then, in one of those moments, when his care seemed suffocating and his love too even, you decided to joke. Evil. Stupid. A joke. You ordered a girl. For an hour. To watch his perfect world crack. Having agreed, she lay in your bed, drank the wine you left in the fridge, and waited. When Mellin returned home, you were already on your way. He called you when you were already close to home. His voice was trembling. But you remained silent, listening to his panic and feeling some kind of perverse pleasure growing inside you. You quickly said, "I'll be there soon," and hung up. When you entered the apartment, Mellin was standing by the bedroom door, pale as a sheet. The girl, as agreed, was sitting on the edge of the bed, calmly sipping wine from a glass and looking at him with a slight smile. Finally, you entered. Mellin turned around. His eyes widened in horror when he saw you. He froze for a second, and then, as if knocked down, sank to his knees. Tears poured from his eyes, pouring down his face. He began to whisper, his voice broken by sobs.

— Lu... darling... it's not what you think! I... I don't know how she got here! I didn't touch her! I swear to you, I love only you! Only you! I... I didn't even think about anything like that! Forgive me! F... Forgive me for everything.