I had even planned to have his child, but he shut me down, saying he didn’t want kids. He claimed he didn’t want me to be burdened by motherhood.
His thoughtfulness had so touched me. For two years, I put him first. Outside, I avoided anything that could cause suspicion; inside, I played the perfect housewife.
Then came our second wedding anniversary. I was not feeling well and could not reach Asher all day. When I went home to rest, I saw Nora sitting in his arms outside the bedroom door, embracing him in a passionate kiss.
He also whispered that he asked Nora to give him a child.
That was the moment it all clicked. It was not that he didn’t want children—he just didn’t want one with me.
His voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Come on, don’t be mad. Look, I got you this necklace."
The cold touch of pearls against my skin brought me back to reality. Asher fastened a pearl necklace around my neck, looking at me with an almost childlike hope as if expecting me to thank him.
I pulled it off without hesitation and spilled the beads all over the floor in front of him.
"A freebie from Nora's bag purchase? And you thought I’d wear this?"
His face darkened instantly. "Lily, I am talking to you nicely. Can we not do this? I picked this out for you—it has nothing to do with Nora. Don't talk nonsense."
I let out a cold laugh and showed him the picture that Nora had flaunted in her social media story:
[I love this bag, but what about the cheap freebie necklace it came with? Not my style. I told him to give it to someone else.]
Asher froze, at a loss for words. After a moment, he forced out a dry laugh and tried to hug me.
"You said you wanted to have a child with me, right? Let’s make that happen now."
His lips brushed my neck as he pulled me closer, but I shoved him off and slapped him hard across the face as I said, "Don’t touch me!"
He covered his cheek, his expression twisting with anger. "Lily, what the hell is wrong with you?"
"I must have been out of my mind to marry you, let alone agree to stay in a hidden marriage for two years!" I shouted back, refusing to back down. "You have already destroyed me—what more do you want?"
My voice cracked as I stared at him, my anger fueled by years of suppression.
"Do you want to see me on my knees, begging for mercy? Is that what will satisfy you?"