I hadn’t fully recovered after giving birth when my husband, Albert Decker, asked me to help set up a new home for his childhood friend, Emily Harris. “Who doesn’t know you’re the go-to expert for all things home-related? With your help, things will be much easier for us.” As I was finishing up the last few tasks, I suddenly felt a wetness in my pants, and the afterbirth began to trickle down my legs, pooling on the floor. Emily covered her mouth and exaggeratedly exclaimed, “What is that? How disgusting!” She bent over, pretending to gag, making the situation even more uncomfortable. Embarrassment and shame hit me like a wave, and I wanted to disappear. But Albert grabbed my arm, furrowing his brow deeply. “I asked you to help, not cause trouble. Is that what you’re doing?” It was Christmas Day, and he sent me home, leaving me to wait for him with the baby all night. It wasn’t until the next morning that he returned with hickeys on his neck. At that moment, I knew there was no future for me and Albert.
“Betty? Why aren’t you asleep?” Albert looked a bit puzzled when he saw I was still awake as he returned. It was just beginning to get light outside. At his words, I slowly looked up, staring blankly. When I saw the marks on his neck, I smiled faintly. “Why are you coming back at this hour?” I should’ve known, but I hadn’t expected it to be so blatantly right in front of me. Albert was momentarily taken aback when he heard my hoarse voice. He noticed where I was looking and instinctively touched the marks on his neck, awkwardly explaining. “I was helping Emily fix her fridge. I didn’t finish until late, so I just dozed off over there. I thought coming back would disturb you and the baby. The marks on my neck are from mosquito bites, so don’t think too much about it.” Mosquitoes in the middle of winter? After Christmas, no less? Didn’t he know better? My gaze grew colder, and I gently rocked the baby in my arms, muttering to myself. “The baby’s still so young… it’s not right for him to grow up without a father…” “Stop thinking like that. Don’t overthink it.” Albert tried to play dumb. I sighed inwardly, no longer willing to engage with him. I laid the sleeping baby in his crib and turned to head to the bedroom to rest. “Betty!” Seeing what I was doing, Albert suddenly came up behind me and hugged me tightly. I froze in place, and my whole body stiffened. Albert didn’t seem to notice, resting his chin on my shoulder. “You have to know, I love you.” “Let go of me!” I furrowed my brows, my voice laced with irritation. Albert didn’t let go, continuing to explain. “It’s just a little thing. You’re still upset about yesterday. I’m your husband now, you should at least be a bit more understanding. Emily and I haven’t seen each other in ages. And besides, you were the one who made a mess of her new place.” At that moment, I couldn’t hold back my anger any longer. I snapped at him. “Albert! Would I have embarrassed myself if it weren’t for you? You knew I wasn’t fully recovered yet and that my health wasn’t great, yet you still made me help her clean! And now you want me to be understanding? Do you have any feelings at all?” Albert sighed and put on an apologetic face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I promise it won’t happen again.” I simply snorted in response. I had been married to Albert for three years, but our relationship had been distant ever since I got pregnant. I knew Albert didn’t feel much for me, but every time I thought about leaving, the thought would disappear when I looked at our child. He was still so small, and I couldn’t bring myself to be that cruel. But now, I couldn’t justify staying for a father like him. At that moment, the baby, who had been stirred by our conversation, started crying. I pulled out of Albert’s embrace and rushed to scoop the baby into my arms, gently patting him to calm him down. “Alright, Dennis, don’t cry. I’m here, don’t cry, don’t cry…” Albert was about to say something but was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. He told me to go answer the door, and when I opened it, Emily was there, looking upset. “Albert, I… can I stay over? I spent one night in my new house, but the formaldehyde is too strong, and I’ve got a terrible headache.” I walked closer, holding the baby, furrowing my brows, about to refuse. “If there’s too much formaldehyde, you should go stay at a hotel…” “Of course! Come in, Emily. You didn’t sleep well last night, did you?” My words were interrupted by Albert, who immediately greeted Emily warmly, pulling her into the house. Emily hesitated for a moment, then nervously glanced at me. “Is it too much trouble for you, Betty?” “Trouble? Don’t worry about it, it’s fine. Betty doesn’t mind.” Albert grabbed her suitcase and started pulling it inside, acting as if he had already made the decision for me, and kept throwing me glances. I felt completely drained. I couldn’t take another day of this. Chapter 2 “Who said I don’t mind? Why did you move in? Get out! This is my house!” I raised my eyebrows, saying and standing in the doorway to refuse. My gaze toward Emily was cold and unfriendly. Albert frowned again, stepping forward as if he was going to bypass me and enter. Seeing that I wasn’t budging, he sighed in frustration. “Betty! Why are you making this so difficult? Emily came to us because she really had nowhere else to go! Letting her stay here is just what friends do for each other! Why are you reacting like this?” “…Albert, don’t argue with Betty. It’s really my fault for troubling you, I’ll leave right away. Don’t fight, I’m fine!” Emily’s eyes reddened as she apologized and turned to leave, but Albert immediately grabbed her, soothing her. “Emily! What’s the problem? How long have we known each other? Of course, you can stay with us! I can’t let you stay in a hotel!” After calming Emily down, Albert turned to me in a low voice. “Betty, I know what you’re worried about. I swear, I would never betray you. Emily and I have been friends since we were kids. If something was going on between us, it would’ve happened a long time ago. How could I be marrying you if there was anything?” I was so angry I nearly laughed, my frustration boiling over. “Yes! If you two really have something going on, it’s not my place to marry you! Albert, don’t you feel any guilt saying that? You’re just making up excuses for your own cheating! Do you think everyone here is a fool, just buying into your lies?” “Is this all the trust you have in me?” Albert was shocked. I stared coldly at his face, my voice trembling with emotion as I responded. “Otherwise, what?” “…Do whatever you want.” Albert’s temper flared, too. He grabbed the suitcase and tried to push past me. I stepped back, directly facing his angry expression. “Betty! You’ll see whether I’m cheating or not! Don’t think that just because I gave you a son, you get to decide everything around here! Emily has to stay today!” Albert forcefully arranged for Emily to stay in the guest room. I was exhausted, too tired to argue anymore. I should’ve known this would happen. I wasn’t even sure what I was hoping for anymore. Maybe a small part of me still had some hope for our relationship. “Sorry to trouble you, Betty.” Emily followed Albert into the room, pretending to feel guilty as she nodded at me, but her eyes were full of smugness. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and thought to myself that I just needed to hold on for a few more days. Once the month-long recovery period was over, Albert and I would be done, and this painful marriage, which had tormented me for so long, would finally come to an end. After that, Albert and I sat in silence. I had thought that with Emily moving in today, he would find some excuse to be with her, but to my surprise, after showering, he came straight to the master bedroom. I lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. When his body heat neared my back, I tensed up instinctively. I wanted to pull away, and I even felt a slight urge to gag. I couldn’t believe I felt such strong disgust for him. “Darling.” Albert hugged me from behind, his hands starting to wander. “Don’t touch me! I just want to sleep today.” I rejected him bluntly, not even trying to spare his feelings. His movements froze for a moment, and I could almost feel his embarrassment. He sighed deeply and fell silent. But then Emily started causing trouble again. Without a word, she opened the door and walked out in her pajamas and slippers. “Emily!” Albert heard the noise and quickly got out of bed to chase after her. When he came back, he wore an apologetic expression. “Sorry, honey. Emily… she was sleepwalking. I need to go check on her in the next room.” A poorly executed excuse, but I didn’t stop him. “Go ahead, do whatever you want, Albert.” What I mean was, not just whatever with him, but whatever with them too! Chapter 3 The next day, Emily came over to apologize. She was all smiles, pulling my hand as she spoke. I quietly pulled my hand away, feeling disgusted inside. “Betty, I’m so sorry for making you sleep alone last night. Sleepwalking is an old problem of mine. I always lock the door and windows, but I just forgot last night. If you don’t believe me, I even have a doctor’s note.” She apologized with an almost pitiful tone, but there was a look of satisfaction in her eyes that couldn’t be hidden. Albert was standing by, ready to step in if I said anything difficult. “I know, you don’t need to explain it.” I responded flatly, which made both of them look at me in surprise, but they didn’t have an excuse to keep pushing. Albert seemed a little awkward, trying to speak a few times but never succeeding. I watched them both, feeling completely uninterested. Just then, the baby let out a soft cry. I stood up, moved past them, and went to warm up some breast milk without saying a word. Emily hadn’t just returned recently. From what I knew, she had probably come back from overseas as soon as my pregnancy started showing. By now, it had been at least half a year. They were nothing but liars. After an awkward breakfast together, Albert bought me breakfast, and we ate in silence. Then, I received a notification from the hospital about a follow-up checkup. “Albert, the hospital wants me to go in for a checkup.” I showed him the message, and Albert looked a little uncomfortable, rubbing his nose. “I need to do some cleaning at Emily’s place today. I don’t think I can go with you. You’ll be okay on your own, right?” “Fine.” I had a feeling something was up, so I didn’t push it. I gathered the things I needed for the baby and was about to leave. “Darling!” Albert saw the situation and called me back, looking at the child with some guilt. “Just leave Dennis with me, I can help take care of him. It’s quite a hassle to go to the hospital anyway, and you don’t want to forget anything or make the kid go through all that trouble too.” I was a bit stunned. I hadn’t expected him to offer to help with the baby. After all, in the past month since I gave birth, he had never once offered to help with the child. But considering the long distance ahead, I reluctantly agreed to his suggestion, giving him a few instructions. “The breast milk is in the fridge. You know the temperature he likes. Make sure to feed him in small amounts, and don’t give him too much at once.” “No problem, honey! You can trust me!” Albert replied confidently, so I left. The checkup went smoothly. The doctor said my postpartum discharge would gradually decrease, but I needed to pay extra attention to my emotional well-being, as stress could cause other issues. I thanked the doctor and was about to leave the ward when Albert texted me. [Betty! Dennis has been throwing up non-stop! What should I do?] [What?] In that instant, I panicked and told him to bring the baby to me immediately. When Albert and Emily brought Dennis over, the poor baby had already thrown up so much that he looked completely drained. Seeing Dennis’ pale face made me feel like I was going to collapse. Once they brought him in, the doctors immediately rushed him into the emergency room. For such a small baby, any issue could be life-threatening. Seeing Albert in a panic as well, I was furious. I stormed up to him and slapped him across the face. “What the hell happened? I was gone for less than two hours, and you let the baby get like this? Albert! Was this on purpose? He is our child!” Albert, stunned by the slap, covered his face and looked at me in shock. Chapter 4 “This… this… is…” Albert stammered, unable to speak properly. I grabbed his collar and dragged him to the window near the emergency room, fiercely demanding an explanation. After a few moments, he finally gritted his teeth and spoke up. “Well… I left the feeding task to Emily. She’s always been really curious about Dennis and likes him a lot, but it seems… she didn’t heat the milk fully. After he drank a bag, he started vomiting and having diarrhea.” “You let her feed our baby? What were you thinking? Albert! Are you out of your mind?” I was completely stunned. I released his collar and slapped him again, shouting in anger. “Albert! I swear to God, if anything happens to Dennis, I will never forgive you! I won’t let either of you get away with it! If something happens to him, you’ll regret it!” As I spoke, my anger boiled over, especially when I saw Emily standing silently behind Albert, wiping her tears. The resentment that had built up over the past six months exploded in a flash, and I immediately slapped her across the face. Amid Emily’s screams, I grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head into the wall, cursing at her. “And you, you bitch! Albert might not see it, but do you think I don’t? You’re trying to harm my baby! Emily, if anything happens to my child, the next one who’s going down is you!” Emily, hurt by the blow, choked and struggled to break free. “Betty! I didn’t mean it… I’ve never taken care of a baby before! I swear I wasn’t doing it on purpose! Betty! Let go! Someone’s going to get hurt!” Seeing me yell and hit Emily, Albert couldn’t sit still any longer. He rushed up and grabbed my wrist. “Betty! Emily didn’t mean it! The baby’s still in critical condition, so stop making a scene! It’s already happened, can’t you calm down for a second?” I turned around and slapped him again, in disbelief, accusing him. “Albert! You think the safety of our child is less important than me hitting Emily, right? Why can’t I hit her? Who does she think she is, that she can take care of our child?” “Enough! Betty! Calm down!” As more and more people gathered around, Albert, who had been slapped several times, finally lost his temper. He yelled at me in a voice so loud it made the whole room go quiet. Some nurses stepped forward, grabbing my arms and trying to calm me down, while other security guards helped control the situation and clear the crowd. I watched as Albert pulled Emily into his arms, shielding her, and suddenly felt weak. I no longer had the energy to argue. I just sat helplessly on the bench in the hallway, waiting for the doctor’s report. The doctor took a long time to finish the treatment. When he came out wearing a mask, I rushed forward and grabbed his hand. “Doctor! How is the baby?” Albert and Emily also stepped forward, anxiously waiting for the doctor’s news. The doctor took off his mask, and in the worried silence, he spoke softly. “The baby is out of danger now. Are you both the parents? You were so careless! The milk wasn’t heated properly, and the bacteria inside can sometimes be fatal for a baby.” Hearing the doctor’s reprimand, I nodded continuously, my eyes reddening, and only then did I relax. After the doctor left, Albert sat next to me and put his arm around my shoulders, trying to comfort me. “The baby’s out of danger now, sweetheart, don’t worry too much. I made a mistake. I won’t let it happen again. This is a lesson for me.” I pulled away from his arm and stood up, smiling faintly. “Albert, there won’t be a next time.” Albert froze for a moment, his brows furrowing as he asked, “What do you mean?”
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