Chapter 4
“Mandy! What did you just say?” he asked.
I didn’t hear the rest of Javier’s words because I was already being wheeled into the operating room.
When the procedure was over, the first thing I saw was Javier. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at me. He even dared to asked me, “Mandy, why? That was our child. How could you bear to abort it?”
I let out a mocking laugh, my gaze drifting to Danielle standing behind him and said, “Javier, I know everything about you and Danielle. That night, when you went to get me porridge, did you have fun playing with her in the car?”
Javier visibly panicked, stumbling over his words incoherently before finally sighing, his eyes tinged with red. He replied, “I did have a relationship with her. But I don’t love her. The only person I love is you.”
60% 11:37
1/5
62
62
Chapter 4
“Mandy, I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately. I didn’t want you to see the dark side of me, so I had to find a way to release my desires elsewhere.” As Javier confessed, Danielle’s face paled behind him.
My heart ached, but I forced a smile. “Really? Then break up with her immediately and never see her again!”
Javier froze for a moment, then finally nodded. “Okay! Mandy, I promise. I’ll cut ties with her and never see her again. But please don’t divorce me.”
Javier completely severed contact with Danielle. He came home on time, no longer going out at night, spending every evening in the living room with me.
If I so much as swallowed hard, he would quickly bring me water. If I lightly touched my stomach, he’d rush over in a panic, looking at me with frantic concern. It was as if he had returned to his old self.
But I knew, deep down, things could never
60% 11 37
2/5
Chapter 4
return to how they once were.
I remember back in our first year of high school, I fainted in the girls‘ bathroom from menstrual cramps. He, who was always calm and expressionless, hurried to the women’s restroom and carried me all the way to the infirmary.
When I woke up, his eyes were red and he forbade me from ever eating cold food during my period again. In college, we had a long–distance relationship, I was in Atlanta and he was in New York.
Every weekend, he’d fly to see me. One time, his flight was delayed and he called me from the airport, almost in tears. He said, “I miss you so much, Mandy. I want to be with you forever.”
But only two years after we got married, Javier changed. Maybe he had changed even before we got married. I just didn’t realize it.
I never wanted a relationship tainted like
60% 11:37
3/5
11:37
62
Chapter 4
this. So, I had already contacted a lawyer to draft the divorce papers.
Tonight, I arranged to meet him at the restaurant where we had our first date. When I arrived, Javier was already sitting there, dressed in a suit, making him look even more dashing.
But I could no longer find the shadow of the sincere boy I once knew in him. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” I said and walked over and he thoughtfully pulled out a chair for me to sit down.
“Mandy, I made sure they prepared your favorite steak tonight. Take a look, what else would you like?” Javier asked and handed me the menu.
The menu was the same as before, but the prices had tripled. On our first date, Javier had spent almost all his part–time earnings. on that meal.
I felt bad for him and didn’t order much, so neither of us was full. We ended up going
60% 11:37
4/5
Chapter 4
to a street vendor for a late–night snack. We had three–flavor porridge that night, too. But now, things had changed.
“There’s no need. The reason I asked you here tonight was to talk about something …” Before I could finish my sentence, we were interrupted by a commotion from across the room.
“Are you out of your mind? What have you done?” someone said angrily.
“That dish costs a month’s salary. Can you even afford it?”
50% 11:37
