44 Affairs Later

Jessie appeared before me anxiously, and her eyes filled with concern. She carefully wiped my face with her expensive clothes, and she did not seem bothered by the dirt.

She took me to the hospital. Throughout the treatment, I did not speak to her, and she kept asking me questions in a worried tone.

I lay in the hospital room with my eyes closed. She arranged for the family nutritionist to prepare a meal and deliver it that night, and she also arranged for a professional medical team to examine me.

The nurse outside looked at me with envy before she left, and she practically praised my good fortune to my face.

I calmly took out my phone. “Hello, is this 911? I need to make a police report. I have been—”

A sudden rush of air swept past me. My phone was snatched away, and the call ended at once.

I looked up at Jessie.

She pressed her lips together and explained, “Honey, Shane’s house was burglarized, and it is not safe. You have been staying at the hospital with your father, so I agreed to let his parents stay at our place for now. That talk about a daughter‑in‑law is not true. I told Shane long ago that only you would be my husband. I was only fooling around with him. You have my heart. I will come home. Shane was wrong. I will have him apologize to you. I do not think calling the police is necessary.”

She clearly sided with Shane. My fists tightened and loosened as I forced out a bitter laugh. “Jessie, that is our home. How could you let anyone move in? What do you take me for? Since you care so much about him, why do we not get a divorce? I will make room for both of you.”

My father had been hit by Shane, and she wanted me to endure it and forgive him. I had been humiliated by Shane’s parents, and she still wanted me to endure it and forgive them.

She rushed toward me in a panic and tried to pull me back. “I will not divorce you. I love you. How could I divorce you? I told you he and I are only friends with—”

The door swung open, and her words stopped.

Shane saw me, rushed forward, and knelt before me. “Liam, it is my fault. Blame me if you must. Do not make things difficult for my parents. I beg you.”

Jessie hurried to help him up. “Shane, what are you doing? Do not worry. No one will trouble your parents while I am here.”

Shane hugged Jessie, and his eyes held a clear challenge.

When he left, he claimed he was too emotional and asked Jessie to walk him out.

His constant provocations finally pushed me past my limit. I called out to Jessie as she reached the door. My eyes burned, and my voice shook with anger. “Jessie, I said I want a divorce.”

Jessie stood still. Her eyes looked tired, and she did not seem concerned. She assumed I used divorce as an excuse to resist her again. “Honey, Shane is still young. He cannot handle much. Do not take his words or actions to heart. I will take him home first. I will come back later.”

After she left, I lowered my head, and tears streamed down my face.

Late that night, I drifted in and out of sleep. My body felt warm, and I pushed the covers aside. I reached out and touched something cool. I moved closer, and the coolness shifted toward me. I gasped softly, confused and half awake.

It became a restless night.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw an unfamiliar face beside the bed, and I gasped.

Then I heard the voice I knew best from the couch across the room. “Honey, how are you? Feeling any better? I told you that you needed to take care of yourself. It is a pity I promised Shane that no man could touch me for the next six months, including you.”