“Your parents won’t agree to your divorce. As long as I don’t agree to it, you can only stay beside me!”
My wrist hurt because of his grip. I wanted to break free, but he only tightened his hold.
A wave of helplessness washed over me when I saw the crazed look in Charles’s eyes.
It was as if he loved me but hated me at the same time. That was why he was doing all the ridiculous things.
But was him finding a replacement during the three years I was away an act of loving me?
Knock, knock.
The sudden sound of knocking on the door made Charles regain his rationality. He let go and turned to the door.
Susan’s delicate voice came through. “Charles, could you come out for a bit?”
Charles stood up and opened the door to speak with her.
“What is it?”
“Zach wants to sleep with you. I’ve been trying to calm him down, but it’s useless. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I’ll go with you.” He comforted the uneasy Susan with a gentle voice before he gave me a meaningful look and left.
The sight of the shut door made me sigh in relief.
The next day, Charles came to me saying I should move out of the room so that Susan and Zach could move in.
His reason? He was used to this room, and Zach was still young, so he needed his company.
“Zach is my only son. I want to give him the best of everything.”
His serious and stern expression made me sick. I got up and rushed to the toilet.
As I gagged into the toilet bowl, Charles came over and stared at me coldly. His voice was full of scorn. “Stop pretending. You’re not throwing anything up.”
His hurtful words were like knives that stabbed into my heart. My chest hurt, but I laughed.
I had almost believed that this man loved me.
Before we got married, Charles got a replacement for me.
His relationship with Susan was a toxic one. They kept getting together and breaking up, until, in the end, they broke up for real after I came back three years later.
I knew of it, but I chose to take a risk and pretended not to know as I married Charles.
Among my limited choices for a husband, he was the best one.
Over the course of our three years of marriage, I avoided getting pregnant because I did not want to give away my heart.
But just when I fell for him bit by bit due to his constant gentle affection toward me, he gave me a brutal wakeup call.
I was a clown for lying to myself. I was the real joke.
Once I packed up, I moved into the guest room. Susan came over right away to apologize to me.
“I’m sorry. I’m not doing this on purpose. Charles is…”
She paused and appeared troubled. Her hesitant look gave me plenty of room for imagination.
Even though she looked similar to me, she had a gentle appearance. Her delicate nature made others want to protect her.
I could smell a sweet perfume on her.
As I stared at her, I could not quell my curiosity. “What do you intend to do next? Are you going to be Charles’s lover or patiently wait for him to marry you?”
Perhaps Susan was not expecting my reaction, since she seemed caught off guard. Panic flashed in her eyes, and she instinctively said, “How could I possibly—”
Charles came over at that moment, and she did not finish her sentence. “What’re you doing?”
There was an intimidating edge to his question. Susan immediately teared up and looked at him pitifully.
When Charles noticed that something was off, he scowled and glared at me, as if asking me why I bullied his lover.
“Charles, are you going to let your lover and illegitimate son stay here without a proper status? What’s Zach going to call me? His stepmom?”
