Things between William and I seemed to get more serious.
The two of us didn’t even eat together anymore now since our last fight over that lipstick.
He started coming home late, even staying out all night.
He sent a short message in the middle of the night, telling me he would work late.
After about a week, William couldn’t bear it.
One day I had just laid down when he walked in with his quilt and pillow.
I turned my back on William. He lay beside me and hugged me.
“Stop the fight, OK?”
His coaxing tone made me uncomfortable, and I shrugged him off.
“No, you left me on the street. I won’t forgive you.”
William did the same trick again, wrapping his arms around me so tightly that I couldn’t break free.
“I’m sorry, honey.”
This time I didn’t want to hear his explanations. His gentleness was an excuse for cheating. I was the one who got hurt in the end.
Saying that, William slipped his hand into my pajamas.
I sat up at once. “Don’t touch me.”
William was dissatisfied. “Audrey, I’m your husband. What’s wrong with touching you?”
I sneered. “I’m afraid I’m not the one you want to touch.”
Hearing my words, William showed a little panic for a moment.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He resumed that expression and lay down.
“How is your body?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Mom let us have a baby as soon as possible.”
“I can’t get pregnant, you know that.”
1/5
Chapter 4 He Left
“Why can’t you get pregnant?”
William sat up angrily. “You are a woman. Women can get pregnant.”
I squeezed the covers harder to keep from shedding tears in front of him.
Seeing that I didn’t say anything, William compromised.
“We can do that.” With those words, he fell silent, and before long I could hear his heavy breathing.
I looked at the phone beside William and wondered if I should check it or not.
The last time I checked his phone, I got nothing.
He must have deleted the messages completely.
I couldn’t even find the name Abril.
I didn’t know what name he used for Abril.
But the whole changing passwords thing had made me crazy.
A man’s password could only be his lover’s birthday.
However, William’s password was changed to Abril’s birthday date.
What did that mean? It was obvious.
The image of Abril’s bulging belly came back into my mind. A wave of vertigo swept over me.
The next day, our fight continued.
William seemed angry. “I’m your husband and a normal man. If I want to have sex with you, you must agree.”
I shielded my body with the covers. “Why?”
It occurred to me at this point that Abril was now pregnant.
Sex was not good for pregnant women. So William hadn’t had sex for a long time.
He cared about her. He couldn’t let her get hurt. He then came to me.
The cry on the side of my mouth dissolved into a mocking smile. I felt so funny, both William and I.
“Besides, how can we have a baby if you don’t sleep with me?”
“William,” I called out to him.
“Have you ever thought about finding another woman to have your baby?”
To my surprise, William answered me in silence.
+15 Bonus
2/5