Too Late to Love Him Back

I was still shaky on my feet, but I couldn't stand to stay in that hospital another minute.

Everything at home was exactly as I'd left it, except for one new addition: a set of men's pajamas and underwear.

Olivia knocked on the bedroom door in the middle of the night, drunk.

She wrapped her arms around me quietly and pressed her mouth to mine.

"Baby... baby, I know you're upset today. The doctor told me you just walked out of the hospital. Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

"Sob, sob... thank God you came home. Tonight I'll make it up to you, so don't be sad anymore, okay?"

She tried to hold me. I moved out of her reach.

A person who's dirty is no cleaner than the trash in a garbage can.

Seeing me pull away, Olivia looked wounded.

I didn't say anything. I leaned on my crutch and stumbled back into the bedroom, lay down, and rested.

Not long after, the bathroom filled with the sound of running water.

With that water running and my mood sinking, my pillow was soaked with tears before I even noticed.

Olivia came back into the bedroom wrapped in a towel, giggling stupidly at her phone as she sat down on the bed.

Looking at the red scratch marks high on her inner thigh, I felt a little sick.

She seemed to remember something and hurriedly pulled on a tank top.

"Baby, this is from a little run-in I had with Lily, a girl from work today. Just a small scuffle, it's nothing, don't worry about it..."

"Mm. And the hickey on your neck is..."

Before I could ask any more, she cut in fast. "Oh, that? The whole company went to get health certificates today. It's a mark left by one of those machines they use on the side of your throat, same principle as cupping."

"Honestly, sitting home all day with nothing to do, who knows what you've got churning around in your head. If you have that much time, go do something worthwhile for once. Stop sitting around alone imagining things!"

I fought back the tears, shut my eyes so they wouldn't spill over, and said nothing more.

She was the one who told me to stay home and take care of the household. And now here she was, saying something this cold and heartless. A woman's word really can't be trusted...

She finished, sounding a little guilty, then tapped at her phone a few more times, climbed into bed, wrapped herself around me, and murmured softly:

"Baby~ I said I'd make it up to you properly tonight."

I knew she'd been with someone else lately, and the novelty between us had long since worn off. This was just her covering her own guilt.

No matter how hard she tried, I didn't respond, because the scene from the hospital room that day kept playing in my head.

She got flustered and short-tempered, as if this were a slap to her face.

"Kerry, you're this young, you've got no work stress, so why can't you get it up? First thing tomorrow, go find some old doctor and get yourself checked out!"

I turned my back to her, reached over and switched off the light, and my pillow only grew more soaked...

The first year after we married.

Back then her domineering streak ran deep. She couldn't stand the thought of people gossiping that she was a housewife. She believed a woman should be like a warrior riding into battle.

I doted on her too much back then. For her sake I signed the whole company straight over to her, which set off a huge falling-out with my parents.

She was still green in those days, her management skills and experience nowhere near solid. Day and night I broke this knowledge down and fed it to her piece by piece. I wanted nothing for myself back then. I only wanted her to live a good life with me, to not let me down. That was all.

With those skills and that experience, and with my help, she finally worked her way up and held the chairwoman's seat firmly.

Even now, I never got my parents' blessing, but I felt all of it was right. We were living a happy, full life. Set everything else aside; as long as we loved each other, that was enough...

But now...