He drank it without hesitation.
It turned out his allergy was selective. It only existed when I was the one protecting him.
I stumbled home. My legs gave out as I crossed the threshold, and I slid down the doorframe to the floor, too exhausted to even weep.
My phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number.
*You heard it all, right?*
I didn't know who sent it, nor did I care. I stood up and began to pack.
As I sorted through my belongings, I found a trove of memories. Every gift Walter had ever given me—expensive jewelry, handmade trinkets—I had treasured them all. But looking at them now, I couldn't reconcile the man who gave me these with the cold-hearted stranger in that private room.
Tears dripped onto my hands as I tossed them into the trash, one by one.
*Clink.*
A small, exquisite ring rolled across the floor.
My body went rigid.
The engagement ring.
He had bought it while on a business trip abroad. He'd been caught in a robbery and took three knife slashes to the chest to protect it. I remembered him being wheeled into the emergency room, pale and bloodied, clutching this ring.
His last words before the anesthesia took him were, "No matter what happens... I will never leave you."
Now, that memory sliced through my heart like a blade.
Had it all been a lie? Or was his "deep affection" just a mask he wore until Charlotte returned?
In the early hours of the morning, the front door clicked open.
I was feigning sleep when Walter climbed into bed. Reeking of alcohol, he pulled me into his arms, nuzzling my neck.
"Wife... I feel terrible..."
My eyes opened. Angry red rashes bloomed across his arms.
In the past, I would have sprung up to fetch medicine and cool towels, no matter how tired I was.
Today, I just stared at him.
"You drank?" I asked flatly.
"Social engagement. Couldn't be helped." He mumbled, pressing closer. "Wife, give me a kiss. It'll make me feel better."
Bile rose in my throat. I shoved him away.
His expression darkened instantly. "Jessica, what is wrong with you? Your own body is useless, you can't give me a child, and now you're throwing a tantrum? You expect me to coax you?"
He sat up, his eyes cold. "Go ask around. Whose wife is barren and still gets treated like a queen? I've done enough. What more do you want?"
I met his gaze with dead eyes.
He waited for the submission that always came.
It didn't.
He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.