Love Like Roses, Hurt Like Thorns

Every item has a selling point.

Every human has a selling point.

And my husband was sold. With adventure from another woman.

Kellan dusted the house clean and made a five course meal by the time I was home for lunch. The scent of bubblegum and strawberries overwhelmed me again.

"And you didn't even take the driver with you. How many times should I tell you not to be such a strong woman?" His voice was of mockery.

"Is this your way of downgrading me to a useless piece of nothing?" As the words left my mouth, both of us were in shock.

"What...?" He didn't hear me quite well. I sat on the chair and shook my head, said, "Nothing."

He served me food like a housemaid. I enjoyed the royalties while it lasted.

"Baby. Guess what I did to ease your mind?" He prompted as I raised an eyebrow.

"I bought a plot close to the costliest area, around an acre of it." He was jittery again as he spoke. Normally I would have jumped and hugged him. But instead, I replied with, "Okay."

His smile faltered at my indifference before he composed again.

Kellan's company handles construction and development. In our area and even abroad, his sister companies generated a skyrocketing income. I must be the lucky wife who sat happily at home and bore his babies, right? Wrong.

"This is the 78th piece of land dedicated to me." I said and gave him a soft smile.

"Along with the parts of the moon? Yes. Because I love you, Astrid. Can you show me your accounts now?" He boasted his love for me.

This was our supper ritual. After or before eating, Kellan would go through my transaction history.

"That's sweet." He commented but didn't notice the transactions to the mailing service or other things because I secretly maintained my savings account after the marriage. I did an MBA from Harvard. I had a premonition of bad things happening and I had to keep myself safe.

"I know you love surprises." He stated. My eyes were saddened. I wanted to tell him these materialistic things never give me happiness. Time spent with him did. But I was too late.

"Since you're such a good husband, I prepared a bunch of surprises for you too." His eyes lit up when I said. As loving as he appears, he's just as shallow as he claims not to be.

"We spent five years together, we have fifty years more of love to give gifts." Kellan whispered and reached to kiss me again, but I swerved for the umpteenth time. I didn't want to puke on him.

"I'm going to give you an even bigger, memorable gift than what you'd give me!" He cheered like a boy, but I smirked in my head. I'm 1000% sure he wouldn't come close to how awesome my gift would be.

"Baby, I have to go. Take care and clean up if you'd like." He said. I raised an eyebrow.

"But I'm preg—" I tried to reason but Kellan cut me off.

"I love you!" He swung his coat over the shoulder and dashed out of the house. This has been a problem for years. He didn't believe in letting other people clean our dirty dishes. The kitchen is a storm whenever he cooks. I dreaded the overflowing sink but I knew I had to get things done.

In the evening, Kellan showed up in a different outfit than he had while leaving. He excitedly showed me the papers that would fill my stack and kissed my forehead.

"I love seeing my wife smile. Makes me so much more of a man." To his flattering words, I gave a crooked smile.

"You're only a man if you gift things to me?" I mumbled. This time, Kellan didn't hold back and said,

"You know how much I hate mumbling. What did you say?" I stared at him with a blank expression.

"Nothing." I replied flatly.

However, after a really long time, Kellan brought his work laptop and gestured me he'd be stuck in his office. I nodded.

I went back to my room to sleep at 8 pm. I was too tired, having puked out all the lunch he made lovingly in the afternoon.

There was a notification, from Zara Lennings. She showed a hand holding her as they strolled youthfully in the streets of California. She held Boba drink, bubblegum flavored with raspberry puree.

And the hand she was holding belonged to a married man. The plain platinum band on his ring finger wasn't even taken off.