I suddenly remembered that Henry had brought me a bouquet of tulips after work yesterday. He seemed to be in a very good mood, and it rubbed off on me too. Curious, I asked him what made him so happy. What did he say?
"My wife made me the most delicious chicken alfredo. I'm so happy." I chuckled at his flattering comment, but it never occurred to me why such a simple thing could bring him so much joy.
During dinner, he received a phone call, turned to me anxiously, and said something had happened at the company. He had to go back to deal with it and assured me he would be back soon.
So, I waited from dinner until the early morning, eventually falling asleep on the sofa. When I woke up, Henry's sleeping face was beside me. I asked him when he had returned. He kissed me and advised me not to wait for him next time.
He had spent the entire night in someone else's bed, only to return to hug me and say good morning.
At the risk of being caught by me, he had slept with two women in one night.
I felt incredibly nauseous and began to retch, clutching the trash can beside me.
I couldn't tell when the video ended. Then, another message flashed on my screen: [As a woman, you can't hold a man's heart. You are a failure.]
I glanced at it, wiping away the tears that had sprung from my retching. I tossed the untouched chicken soup into the trash.
Henry probably wouldn't be back tonight.
Clutching my phone tightly, it felt like I was holding onto my very heart.
Divorce wasn't an option, at least not yet.
Henry didn't return all night, and the only message from him was: [I have something to attend to at the company tonight. You don't have to wait for me.]
The repetition of "company" in his excuses didn't escape my notice. He wasn't putting much effort into being convincing.
I decided not to respond to him, put my phone away, and got ready to head to the hospital to visit my grandmother.
I was surprised to hear that my grandmother wasn't well. Nobody had told me before. My parents told me the news in the evening when she suddenly fainted. They were worried that something awful might happen to her.
The doctor said that my grandmother, who was elderly and had heart disease, needed to be treated gently and avoid any kind of stimulation to keep her healthy.
I sat beside my grandmother, delicately peeling an apple for her.
She glanced at me with a smile and asked, "Why didn't Henry come?"