The Other Side of Reality

"Let's go take the photos first. I'll go with you to buy whatever you need afterward," Jessica said firmly, as if giving me no room for refusal.

Marcus chimed in, "Yeah, Zach. You're not refusing to go because of me, are you?"

At that point, I didn't feel like arguing and just nodded in agreement.

Early the following morning, I could hear Jessica fussing in Marcus' room, coaxing him out of bed.

The bright red numbers on the calendar reminded me that my freedom was just four days away.

Just as my patience was wearing thin, they finally dragged their feet out of the room.

Jessica diligently fetched hot water and personally washed Marcus' face. I must have been blind in my past life to naively think that once we were married, she'd treat me the same way.

I was lost in thought when Jessica shyly walked over to me, holding a ring. "Mrs. Wilson said couples these days wear wedding rings, so I got you one."

I didn't take it when I recalled there had been no rings in my past life.

As soon as Marcus saw it, he frowned. "That looks great. I want one, too."

I generously offered, "Then take it."

Jessica's face instantly darkened. "Stop messing around. This is our wedding ring."

Marcus snatched the ring, slipped it onto his own finger, and waved it at her. "Does it look good on me?"

She looked at him with undisguised affection and nodded with a smile. Then, she turned to me guiltily and whispered, "I'll… I'll buy you another one next time."

I nodded indifferently. I'd heard her make promises like that countless times and never seen her follow through.

…

At the photography studio, Marcus went first and even took several photos with Jessica. When it was my turn with her, the photographer raised his camera but awkwardly lowered it again.

"Oops. Sorry, but I'm all out of film."

I secretly cheered, but kept a straight face, saying calmly, "Oh. Forget it, then."

As we left the studio, Jessica pulled a train ticket from her pocket and handed it to me. It was a standing-room-only ticket to Lisbeth, departing in four days.

"I don't mean to leave you behind. I'll get settled first and wait for you there," she said.

The trip would take three days and nights. I had no idea how she thought I could stand for that long during the journey.

Besides, there was only one spot for family accompaniment, so where was I supposed to live once I got there? But asking now wouldn't get me a satisfactory answer.

Seeing me accepting the ticket, Jessica was visibly relieved. "Don't worry. Even if you don't stay in the military housing, you're still my one and only husband. I'll treat you well from now on. By the way, I only treat Marcus as my younger brother."

At that moment, because she had never spoken to me so tenderly before, I felt my guard slip a little.

Suddenly, a truck came speeding around the corner straight toward us. Jessica grabbed Marcus' hand and pulled him to safety.

In the chaos, I felt someone shove me. As the car barreled toward me, I froze in terror. The vehicle swerved sharply and hit me, dragging me along the ground. The pain was so intense that I blacked out, and cold sweat streamed down my face.

The driver hurriedly jumped out of the car and asked incoherently, "Young man, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

A crowd began to gather, pointing and murmuring.

My gaze cut through the onlookers, fixing squarely on Jessica. She was comforting Marcus and was completely unaware of what had just happened to me. Or perhaps she noticed and simply didn't care.