When I stepped outside, I ran into Gregory.
“Sheri,” he called out, “Sean said he was impulsive about what happened in the hospital today. He told me to ask you not to blame him… He’ll come home later to apologize.”
I smiled faintly at him.
“Tell Sean it’s okay. And remind him to come home early tonight… I have a surprise waiting for him.”
Then I turned and walked away, ignoring the confusion that flashed across Gregory’s face.
As I passed by the girls’ school, I saw Sean onstage, holding Christy by the waist as if she were the most precious treasure in the world. The crowd around me buzzed with conversation.
“Did you hear? Mr. Noble and the new teacher Christy just launched a 'Self-Love' scholarship. It’s meant to reward girls who know how to respect themselves.”
“Isn’t that ironic? After what happened with his wife… I bet he’s traumatized.”
“Of course he is. Who wouldn’t be, after being with a woman like that?”
I looked up at the banner hanging above the stage: Mo Die Scholarship.
How touching. I hope this so-called ‘affection’ survives the night.
---
Later, as the event ended, Gregory approached Sean and relayed my message.
“She said it’s okay,” Gregory told him. “And to come home early—she has a surprise for you.”
Hearing that, Sean exhaled in relief, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
He was confident in his hold on me. After all, I had nowhere else to go. He believed that even if he overstepped, I wouldn’t dare to leave.
Still… he admitted to himself that he’d been a little too harsh. I was his wife.
Tonight, he decided, he would make it up to me.
After spending the night wrapped in Christy’s arms, he reluctantly began dressing, gently pulling away from her clingy hands.
“Be good, Christy. I’ll see you tomorrow—”
Before he could finish, the doorbell rang—loud and frantic, cutting through the night like a blade.
Sean frowned and walked toward the front door with a scowl. The moment he opened it, Gregory burst in, face pale, chest heaving.
He glanced behind him to confirm Christy hadn’t followed, then turned to Sean.
“Sean… something happened…”
Sean’s expression shifted instantly.
“The ones who hurt Sheri before… they came back. They broke into the house… tortured her… and set it on fire. She’s gone.”
Gregory’s voice cracked as he forced the words out. “The neighbors said the men were shouting about how Christy sent them… And what’s worse—Sheri… she was pregnant. Sean… Two lives…”
