It was already dusk by the time I got back to that cramped rental, barely three hundred square feet.
Joseph sat at the table, cradling a plate of the cheapest fried rice.
The moment he saw me come in, he shot up to meet me.
"Flora, you must be exhausted. Why are you back so late today?"
He reached out and brushed the mud off my shoulder, gentle and attentive, nothing like the cold, calculating man from that morning.
I turned aside from his touch, my voice worn to the bone.
"The pilings were too deep. When I came up I was bleeding from every opening. Four hours of decompression treatment."
For an instant something like pity crossed his face, then vanished.
"It's my fault, I'm useless. My body won't cooperate either, forcing a woman like you to do such dangerous work."
"One more descent and we'll have the whole ten million saved. Once the debt's cleared, I swear I'll never let you go down there again."
Every other time I'd heard those words, my heart had ached for how hard it was on him.
I'd swallow the pain screaming through my body and turn around to comfort him instead, telling him I wasn't afraid of hardship, wasn't afraid of exhaustion,
that as long as we could build a life together, all of it was worth it.
But now, looking at that hypocritical face, all I felt was sick.
He pushed the fried rice in front of me, his tone careful.
"Flora, you've had a long day. Eat first."
When I stayed silent, he assumed I was just too tired. He reached out and rubbed my shoulder, his voice tender.
"Once the debt's paid off, let's have a baby, all right?"
A baby.
My fingertips tightened, fighting down the bitterness surging up inside me.
To this day Joseph has no idea that three years ago, when I agreed to become the woman going down into the slurry to pay off his debt, I lost our three-month-old child.
I was afraid he'd feel guilty and hurt, so I swallowed all of it alone.
But my silence, my sacrifice, the child I lost, all of it bought me nothing but a ridiculous punishment.
I lifted my eyes and gave a cold laugh.
"Fine. I'll hold on one more time."
Only then did Joseph smile, relieved.
Just then his phone rang, right on schedule as always. It was Max.
"Joe, time to head out for the night shift."
Joseph hung up, pressed a kiss to my forehead, and said with a smile,
"The rates are higher at night. Time for your husband to go earn. Get some good rest at home."
I nodded meekly. Once I was sure he'd left, I changed clothes fast, pulled on a hat and mask, and followed him out.
Joseph wasn't taking delivery orders at all. A luxury car came and swept him off to an upscale private club.
The second he reached the entrance, Ruby came trotting up in heels, that Shih Tzu called Pudding tucked in her arms.
Around Pudding's neck was a gleaming gold collar.
Joseph laughed and reached out to steady her.
"Careful, don't twist your ankle."
Ruby gave a coy little smile, slid Pudding into his arms as if it were the most natural thing in the world, hooked her arm through his, and walked inside pressed close against him.
Before, Joseph would be gone all night, dragging himself home exhausted only after daybreak.
I'd always thought he was killing himself running orders to pay off the debt, and it broke my heart beyond words.
I'd even beg him not to push so hard, remind him he still had me.
Thinking back on it now, I was a complete and utter idiot.
I held up my phone, hands shaking, and recorded every second of it.
It wasn't enough evidence yet. I pulled my hat lower and followed them in.
Since he loved putting on a show this much, I'd play along to the very end.
Only this time, the ending of the script was mine to rewrite.
