He went through a steady stream of young, beautiful women.
The first time I found out, I lost control. I made a scene and cried until I couldn’t breathe. I was a mess, completely unhinged.
At the beginning, he still bothered to soothe me, tossing out a few empty words to calm me down.
Before long, even that stopped. He grew bold, parading his women around without a second thought, as if my feelings didn't matter at all.
Little by little, every disappointment wore me down until there was nothing left of the love I once had for him.
Eventually, I filed for divorce.
That was when he scoffed and reasoned derisively, "Don't you know that it’s common for men of my position to have affairs? Haven’t I been good to you? You have more money than you will ever need and can spend it however you like. Do you know how many women would kill to be in your position?"
Even my own mother advised me to turn a blind eye to his actions.
"If you get divorced from him, you are doing those mistresses of his a favor. At least, you still have the privilege to call yourself Mrs. Carson as long as he still lives under the same roof as you."
I will never forget the way Emil mocked me. "Tara, look how open-minded your mother is. You could learn a thing or two from her."
What use was the hollow, empty title of Mrs. Carson?
He entirely dismissed every single one of my compromises and grievances that I had to endure.
If anything, it only made him more presumptuous in thinking that I was madly in love with him and did not have the heart to leave him. It made him dial up his antics.
"Tara?"
Thinking that I was out of it, he nudged me to get my attention.
I snapped back to my senses. I could not deny that he got injured because he tried to save me. It was out of a sense of moral and good faith that compelled me to help him.
While the doctor was bandaging his wound, someone entered the ward.
It was Caprice Bernhard. She had rushed over the moment she heard.
Her eyes were rimmed red, panic flickering through them, and her breathing was rapid. She must have rushed over without a second thought.
Two children trailed right behind her.
The second she saw the gash on Emil’s forehead and the blood, she gasped. Her voice trembled as she said, "Honey, are you alright? You frightened me! What would the kids and I do if something happened to you?"
Tears spilled down her face, one after another. The children threw themselves into his arms, crying at the top of their lungs.
Anyone walking in on that scene would’ve thought Emil was at death’s door.
He frantically tried to console Caprice and the two children.
The sight of it burned my eyes.
I was done with looking at their family. I stood up and quietly walked away.
To my surprise, Emil noticed my leaving from the corner of his eye. He called out urgently when he realized I was leaving, "Where are you going?"
It was only then that Caprice noticed I was there. She was caught off guard.
"Tara, haven’t you already divorced him? Why are you still here, bothering him?"
Her eyes were frayed with red, and she seemed aghast, as if I were the homewrecker here to tear their family apart.
I could not help but be amazed by her nerve. I glanced at her and scoffed, "You should be saying that to Emil."
Caprice did a double-take. When her gaze dropped to my pregnant belly, a vicious look flashed across her eyes.
She gently nudged the children, who immediately understood the signal. They balled their tiny hands into fists and charged at me.
"Witch! Shameless woman! Stop trying to steal Daddy! We don't want him to marry you! We already have Mommy. We don’t want a Mommy like you! We’re going to beat you! Die!"
They were just kids, but they hit hard. Pain shot through my body. I protected my stomach as best I could, trying to dodge their blows.
Still, I suffered several hits from them.
I looked at Emil, who stood watching like it had nothing to do with him, and snapped, "Emil, are you just going to stand there while your kids act like this?"
