My nose prickled as I wrapped my arms around grandma, hearing her quiet mumble. “You two were so sweet back then… how did things end up like this?”
I dropped my gaze.
Zion had truly cared for me once.
The proud golden boy of Greenville’s elite circle had softened every hard habit for my sake, sitting through classes with me, building small game projects with me, cutting off all those messy friend groups.
On the day we had our wedding, the game we created together, “Knowing Me,” went live in a big way.
He said he wanted our love to stay forever, just like the game staying online.
On the day I became pregnant, he had reddened eyes as he moved all his property into my name, announced it publicly on every platform, and even placed the notice inside our game.
To countless people, we were seen as the perfect pair.
But when the moment came where our love shifted, the first person who chose to walk away was me.
Returning to my room late at night, I saw my phone suddenly light up.
Zion had sent over two photos of lingerie.
[I heard the little crybaby didn’t cry today? Getting more sensible, good girl.]
[So choose one for me, which of these two is more useful?]
[You pick one for me, and I’ll keep the other as your thirtieth birthday present.]
Looking at those lines of text, I kept a blank face and sent nothing back.
Once the screen went dark, I didn’t feel even the smallest shift inside.
Zion had always been like this, liking to watch me get jealous, lose control, break down because of him, then be pushed to lower my head and give in because I loved him.
But I was truly worn out.
So drained that I didn’t even have the energy to argue with him anymore.
Grandma Ravenna said to give her a week, and she would settle everything.
I didn’t have to do anything, just quietly wait for the week to end, and I would finally be free.
The next morning, when I woke up, there was a familiar presence beside me.
I didn’t know when Zion had come back. He leaned against the headboard, his fingertips lightly playing with my loose strands of hair in a distracted way.
His other hand rested on my swollen belly, his head lowered, as if he were truly listening to something.
“The baby is moving.”
He smiled at me. “Wife, he’s scratching me.”
As if responding to his words, a clear small movement pressed against his palm, tiny but sure.
My heart suddenly ached sharply, but I didn’t move away.
Zion had always been like this.