My husband's child from his previous marriage, Elio, was asking for a cat. Even though I said I was allergic to cat hair, still a cat showed up at our home.
I made a divorce agreement and mailed it to my husband's office.
"Serena, you want divorce just because my child has a cat?"
My husband, Theo, was tired from all of this and thought I was being unreasonable.
For the three years since I married him, the loner and domineering man, I had cared for him and his child with all my heart, never once have I slacked off.
But no matter what I did, there was always a home between us that didn't belong to me.
"Theo, don’t you remember you have a wife in this home"
The laughter of a woman and child rang from behind the closed door.
The door opened and the child leaped into Theo's arms.
The woman, holding cat, smiled softly. She stepped past me and reached Theo's side, taking his arm.
"We've been waiting for you to get off work for ages..."
——
Theo didn't move, only his thick eyebrows furrowed slightly.
The three of them stood across from me and I felt like an outsider.
But clearly, I was Theo's only wife.
"Why are you here at this hour?"
Theo's voice was as cold as ice. But he didn’t pushed her hand away.
That woman, Alexa, hearing the slightly reprimanding words and pursed her lips in complaint.
"The password hasn't changed. I just opened it and came in. Theo, the password is my birthday! Are you still in love with me?"
Alexa ignored Theo's coldness and tiptoed closer to him. The diamond ring on her right ring finger was particularly eye-catching.
I knew it was their wedding ring.
Theo had a similar one that he'd kept in his jewelry box.
Theo pushed her away awkwardly, giving me a slightly apologetic look.
"I'll change it right away."
As soon as I took a step, Alexa pulled me back.
"Are you angry? Because I came to see Elio without your permission? But I'm Elio's mother. He misses her mother, so why can’t I come to see him?"
Yeah, Alexa returned to this country last year.
At that time, she and Theo had agreed to only meet on weekends. However, because Elio wanted to take Alexa home to play, they changed their schedule and decided to meet at home.
But as time went on, Alexa's appearances became more frequent. Each time she appeared without warning.
Not only did I have to take care of their child, I also had to feed her three times a day.
One time, I couldn't resist talking to Theo about it and he just patted my head and reassured me, "Alexa is still young. She became a mother quite early and no experience in raising a child before. You need to be more patient with her."
"Next time, if you feel uncomfortable, tell her directly."
I loved Theo dearly, but I couldn't break my habit of being easily persuaded by just a few words.
This awkwardness lasted for a year. Until I saw a gray cat at home and its fur scattered on the floor made me sneeze nonstop.
It was as if a nerve in my body snapped.
"Serena, is that you who talked bad about me in front of Theo? No wonder he's so mean to me!"
"How can you be so petty! You don’t want to buy Elio a cat, but even after I bought one, you still plotted against me behind my back?"
Alexa turned around, her round eyes glaring at me.
Come to think of it, this was the first time she'd said this much to me. Most of the time, she'd just ignore me, treating me like I didn't exist.
She only called me when she needed me.
