Halfway through the meal, she heard a "a "knock, knock" sound at the door. She hurried over and saw it was her next-door neighbor, Martha Duncan.
Martha pressed a box of cherries into her hands, then peered behind her. “Your husband isn't home again? Has he gone to the lab?"
A flicker of bitterness flashed in Ella's eyes when she nodded.
"Oh, your husband is an honest type. He's been going back and forth between home and the lab for years. Do you remember Janet Quin's husband? Our upstairs neighbor? You have no idea …."
After thinking for a while, Ella remembered that such a person really existed, so she asked, “What happened? Did something go wrong with them?”
Martha leaned closer and whispered, "Last month, he got caught dancing with a woman in a public square. And I heard that yesterday, he was caught sleeping with the same woman at the woman's house."
Ella's eyes widened in shock.
Martha chuckled. "Count yourselves lucky, okay? At least your husband only runs to the lab, not messing around, right?"
After exchanging a few words, she finally left. As Ella looked at her retreating back, she sighed. Is it staying faithful enough to maintain a marriage?
After the door closed, once again, she was all alone in the house.
Everyone said she was blessed to have married such a wonderful husband. Danny was a renowned expert in botany and held immense prestige in academic circles. Over the years, many of his research projects earned him patents.
Everyone envied her. They all said that all she needed to do was stay home and do household chores. She did not have to worry about money.
But what no one knew was that years ago, only one direct doctoral admission spot available and a top-tier university had specifically named her as its candidate.
However, when she saw the disappointment on Danny’s face, she gave it up willingly and let him have it instead.
For twenty years, she had been supporting him silently, so he did not have to worry about anything outside of his academic pursuits.
Over the years, Ella had rarely felt any regret. She was sure that Danny always appreciated all the sacrifices she had made.
But just now, after she heard what he had said, she experienced the kind of regret she had never felt before.
A sudden knock broke her thoughts. Thinking that it was Danny, she hurried over to open the door.