We're Free

I did not want to argue with Jason anymore, so I took out the second agreement and said, "This one says I'll leave with nothing and only take my personal belongings. Sign it."

Jason slammed his hand on the desk and stood up. "Do you want to get away from me that badly?"

Suddenly, his phone rang. He answered it, and his face turned pale.

The next second, he slapped me before I even knew what was going on, and blood seeped from the corner of my mouth.

"Didn't I tell you to drive Sylvia back to her campus?! Why did you have to go draft some damn divorce agreement? She got into a car accident! You're so useless! After all these years, what have you ever done besides staying home and living off me? Fine. You want a divorce, right? Let's do it, then!"

He signed the agreement that left me with nothing and threw it in my face. "Come with me to the hospital and apologize to Sylvia!"

Then, he dragged me out of the office like an animal.

-

The moment we entered the hospital room, Sylvia started crying. She showed Jason her slightly red wrist, her eyes full of pain. "Jason, it hurts so much."

He gently blew on her wrist. "It won't hurt after I blow on it."

Watching them, I thought of the time Jason and I had sold ice cream from a street stall.

Snow had filled the sky, and my hands had ached from the cold. He had warmed them with his breath just as gently. "It won't hurt after I blow on them."

My eyes reddened at the memory, and my heart started to ache, too.

But Jason simply glared at me as he yelled, "You still have the nerve to cry? This is all your fault! Apologize to Sylvia now!"

I stood my ground. "No."

He picked something up from the bedside table and hurled it at my head. The heavy metal object struck me, and blood ran down my forehead. He still yelled at me and said, "I must have spoiled you rotten all these years! You don't even have basic manners anymore! When you do something wrong, you apologize!"

Sylvia cried out as she grabbed his hand. "Jason, don't. Clara will get angry. We still have to live under the same roof. I'm not worried about myself, but I don't want anything to happen to the baby in me."

My heart dropped.

I thought they just met.

I did not expect them to already have a child.

Jason's eyes lit up. "That's wonderful, Sylvia. You've done a great service for my family!"

Then, he stood and kicked the back of my knee. I lost my balance and dropped to one knee. "Apologize!"

I forced myself back up, but he kicked me down again.

Then, his cold voice sounded beside my ear. "Have you forgotten that Lily is also in this hospital?"

Lily was my younger sister.

As he spoke, he took out his phone and made a call. "Stop all of Lily's medical payments and throw her out of the hospital..."

I panicked and grabbed his leg. "No! Jason, do you have any conscience left?!"

"I'll give you three seconds. If you don't apologize, Lily dies!" He kicked me in the chest in disgust, and I knocked my head on the floor.

"Three, two..."

I immediately turned to Sylvia and said, "All of this is my fault! Please forgive me!"

Tears and blood covered my face. When I raised my head, even Jason froze for a moment. Then, he crouched and wiped my face with a tissue. "Enough. Take good care of Sylvia from now on."

I then reminded him, "Jason, we'll be getting our divorce certificate in thirty days."

The warmth on Jason's face disappeared immediately as I reminded him about the divorce, and it was replaced by contempt. "You're a housewife in your thirties. You haven't worked in a decade. Do you really want to end up begging on the street? Everyone knows that even if every couple in the world got divorced, you'd never leave me. Besides, isn't this what you wanted? For me to have a child?

"Go see Lily. I want some time alone with Sylvia."