My wife has a removable face.

We met at a coffee shop. It was just a day just like any other. I was there working, and she was the barista. She made a smiley face on the foam of my coffee and it melted my heart. I come back from work every day at 4 o’clock and just watch her. She makes that damn smile every day for me. I never told her how I felt and she never told me how she felt. She probably didn’t feel the same way. Though, sometimes I catch her staring at me.<br><br>After several months of watching her, I decided it was time to tell her how I felt. I couldn’t keep it in any longer. I couldn’t let myself miss my chance. At the moment I sat at the bar, she was done with her shift. She took me outside to the park and we sat on a bench together. I was sweating and nervous. Then, before I could even tell her anything, she leaned in and kissed me. She told me how she has the same feelings for me. How she wished I’d ask her out. She said she never thought it would happen and was worried she would lose her chance. My heart soared.<br><br>We dated. We fell in love. We had so much fun together. She was beautiful. She was great. She was perfect. Except for one thing; she had no family or friends. She told me that she had parents and siblings once. She had a whole family. She had friends too. But they all turned on her one day. They told her that she wasn’t one of them. They said, “You do not look like us. You are not one of our kind. You bring shame to our family. You bring shame to our people.” She said she doesn’t know what they meant. I don’t know either. She told me she was forced to live on the streets. She said that she never went to school, she was self taught. She was alone in this world. Though, she had one constant friend; Liana. Liana was a little girl who was always there for her. She told me that Liana helped her through the darkest of times.<br><br>I was worried she would never trust me. I could see the pain in her eyes when she told me about her family. But, just like that, she forgot everything. She told me that she loves me. She told me that she trusts me. She doesn’t care that she’s lost everything. She said she was fine; that I was enough for her. She even told me, “I love you.”<br><br>Then, we were married. We had a beautiful wedding. We were happy. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen; with her beautiful face. And when she smiled, she looked even prettier. She smiled a lot. But, when she smiled, she would always cover her mouth. I asked her why she covered her mouth when she smiled, “Your smile is beautiful. Don’t hide it.” She would just stare at me. Not say a word. Not a single word. She would just stare.<br><br>One day, I had to go out of town for work. My wife stayed at home. I was worried. She was alone at home with no one but Liana. But, I was too busy to think about that now. I had a lot of work to do and I had to stay focused. I was wrong to think my wife needed me. She was a strong woman. She was married. She had me. She was happy.<br><br>I was wrong.<br><br>When I came home from work, I saw my wife. She was injured. She was bloody. She had several broken bones. I asked her what happened, “Who did this to you?” She looked scared. She looked sad. She didn’t say anything. She just shook her head. I didn’t care who it was. I was going to kill them. I should have been there. She might have died. I might have lost her.<br><br>Then, she coughed. She coughed up blood. She was hurt very badly. Why did I leave her? I should have been there. I should have protected her. It’s my job to protect her. I failed. I should have been there. I should have never left her. I held her in my arms and she just kept coughing up more blood. She shouldn’t be coughing up blood. She needs to go to the hospital. I have to get here there. She needs to live. I have to save her.<br><br>She looked up at me. She looked me dead in the eye. She said, “I’m sorry.” Then, she fell into unconsciousness. What did she mean?<br><br>I waited at the hospital. I waited for what felt like an eternity. Finally, the doctor came out. He said, “Sir. Your wife has several broken bones. She is badly injured. She needs several surgeries and a lot of time to recover.” I didn’t care. She was alive. She might be badly injured. She might be hurt badly. She might have several broken bones. But, she’s alive.<br><br>When my wife was in the hospital, Liana was nowhere to be seen. She had disappeared. I never saw her again. I was just happy that my wife was safe. I could care less about some little girl.<br><br>My wife was in a lot of pain after she came home. She was in a lot of pain for a long time. I had to take care of her. She couldn’t walk. She had tubes in her body and casts on her arms and legs. She was in agony. I wish I could have helped her. I wish I could have taken her pain. I should have been there for her. I was supposed to protect her. I wasn’t there. It’s my fault.<br><br>After a long time, she could finally walk again. She told me that she was happy. She thanked me for taking care of her. She told me how she loved me. She was better. She was uninjured. But, she was different. She would do things differently. She would always stare at me. She would always watch me. I would wake up in the middle of the night and she would be staring at me. She was different. She would do things to hurt herself. She had cuts all over her body. She was covered in sores. She never went outside. She always wore a long coat. She never let me see her face.<br><br>One day, she asked me, “Do you still love me?” Of course, I still loved her. She was beautiful. She was great. She was perfect. She could do anything and I would still love her. “Why would you even ask that? Of course, I still love you. Nothing can ever change that.”<br><br>“Even if I wasn’t perfect?” She asked.<br><br>“Nothing can ever make you not perfect. Nothing you can do or say will ever make me stop loving you.”<br><br>“I could burn my face off.”<br><br>“I would still love you.”<br><br>“I could cut it off.”<br><br>“I would still love you.”<br><br>“I could burn and cut it off.”<br><br>“I would still love you.”<br><br>Then, she fell silent. She didn’t say anything after that. She went to the bedroom and locked herself in. She wouldn’t come out. She just stayed in the room all day. I was worried. She hasn’t been acting right. She was acting strange. So, I decided to go in and check on her. I had to make sure she was okay. I opened the door slowly and saw her. She sat in the tub. She had a razor in her hand. She was covered in blood. She was crying. But, then she did something that made my blood run cold. Something that made me run away in horror. Something that changed everything.<br><br>She pulled her face off.<br><br>*Part 2 will be posted soon.*