Holding the bouquet in one hand,he smiled and answered as he walked toward the door.“I won’t be home for dinner.Go back after work by yourself.”
I stepped forward,flipped to the last page,and shoved a pen into his hand.“Sign first.”
My husband frowned.He was cautious—he checked every word before signing anything.But the phone rang again.Even at near-mute volume,Vanessa’s voice poured through,playful and breathy.“Xavier,I’ve been waiting forever!Hurry up…”
And so the careful man didn’t read a single line.He flicked his wrist and scrawled his name.My heart,which had been lodged in my throat,dropped—and then a flash of self-mockery passed through me.If he’d looked twice,he’d have seen he wasn’t signing a property contract at all.
“Done.Satisfied?Can I go now?”he said,sarcastic.
I nodded stiffly.“Yes.You’re free now.”
This time I did exactly as he wanted—I let him go and handed him his freedom.
As he left,he turned and said,“The study hasn’t been cleaned in months.Since you’re here—why not tidy it up?”The heavy click of the door echoed in my ears.
Xavier’s study had always been off-limits.Not a speck of dust.Only he knew where the spare key was,which drawer held the wipes,and how he liked the edges of papers perfectly aligned.
When I reached his desk,a framed photo caught my eye—Vanessa’s smile behind the glass,staring back at me.I turned and noticed my own photo in the wastebasket by the cabinet:face down,its edges crumpled like trash.
I pressed my lips together;the smile didn’t reach my eyes.It felt like a knife.
Having secured his signature,I looked around the cozy home I had built with my own hands and memories swelled.My gaze finally settled on the wedding photo in the living room—one he polished and displayed.Seeing Xavier’s strained smile in the frame felt unbearable.I took the picture down and threw it into the trash downstairs.
I spent the rest of the night clearing out our marital things.
Xavier noticed the missing photo as soon as he came back.He saw me bent over writing and,rare for him,frowned.“Where’s the wedding photo?”
“The nail was loose.I was afraid it might fall,so I took it down,”I said.
He didn’t ask more.He set the late-night takeout beside me and went back into the study.The sharp aroma stopped me.I opened the bag and saw the red,spicy Chinese food inside and felt my stomach turn.