I stared at him.
My chest felt like a red-hot coal had been dragged across it.
Twenty-eight years.
We escaped the orphanage together, slept under bridges, split a single cup of instant noodles. In the worst days, all we had to fill our stomachs was water.
We couldn't afford birth control. Couldn't afford a clinic.
I threw myself into the freezing cold, climbed staircases and hurled myself down them,
endured the pain, cried until I had nothing left, and let two babies go.
Noel knelt at my bedside and stabbed himself twice with a knife.
His bloodied hand, trembling, covered my eyes. Each word landed right against my ear.
"Brooklyn, I swear I'll give you a good life. If I ever betray you, let God strike me dead."
That promise carried weight.
I believed it for half my life. Built my whole life around it.
The damage to my body, the pressure on my mind, the grinding monotony of scraping by. None of it left room for me to be soft-tempered.
Up until thirty minutes ago, when Noel held me in front of our friends and solemnly vowed to love me forever, I still thought every sacrifice had been worth it.
His phone rang. The ringtone was distinctive.
I'd heard it many times in the middle of the night. Noel always said it was a client.
I trusted him too completely to ever question it.
Now I knew how stupid I'd been.
He didn't answer right away. His voice was calm, the kind of calm you'd use to soothe a child throwing a tantrum.
"Why make yourself miserable over a plaything? We have twenty-eight years between us. You really want to throw that away over an outsider?"
"You're not young anymore, Brooklyn. No parents, no job. I'm the only one who'll take care of you. Keep pushing, and even that won't last."
He handed his luggage to his assistant. "I'll have my assistant take you somewhere nice, clear your head. I'm going to see Florence. Think about what I said."
The moment Noel turned away, he picked up the call. "Baby, your husband's on his way..."
That word. Husband. It hit me like a slap across the face.
I ran to the bathroom and threw up until tears streaked down my cheeks.
I pulled the pregnancy test from my pocket, the paper still warm. Then I took out my phone and made a call.
Noel was right about one thing.
I shouldn't keep putting myself through this.
I didn't have the strength for a honeymoon. I sent the assistant away and walked back to the bridal suite alone.
I punched in the code. Opened the door.
A man's low, breathless moan drifted out.
"Did your parents have a crystal ball when they named you Florence? So fitting. So soft."
"Since I've been with you, I've barely touched her. Told her I had a low drive. The only time was when I needed to trick her into getting the marriage certificate so I could transfer the property to your name."
"Her? Pitiful? I already gave her the title of Mrs. Stephens. The one I owe now is you."
"You're too sweet. Your husband would give you his life if you asked."
One filthy, careless line after another, each one laced with contempt, poured into my ears.
I stood frozen in the doorway, every nerve in my body short-circuiting.
Six months ago, Noel had handed me a medical report diagnosing him with low libido. His face was full of guilt.
"Honey, our intimate life might not be possible anymore. Please don't leave me, okay?"
I felt sorry for him. I tried everything I could think of to make it work. None of it made a difference.
Then two months ago, he came home drunk one night and it happened. I thought my efforts had finally paid off. Turns out it was just a necessary transaction, the price of putting a property in his mistress's name.
That was when the baby was conceived.
The early spring sun should have been the warmest of the year. Instead, I felt like I was standing in a blizzard.
An hour later, Noel walked out of the bedroom with his arm around a striking woman.
The moment Florence saw me sitting in the living room, she flinched as if the sky had fallen. Her eyes turned red in an instant.
"Oh, Brooklyn, this is all my fault. This is your and Noel's bridal suite. I never should have come here. But I just love this villa so much, and I thought you'd be away on your trip and would never find out. I didn't expect..."
