Before marriage, I had no idea he’d always had Valerie in his heart because he’d treated me with such care and concern. However, as soon as Valerie graduated and returned to the country, everything had changed.
It turned out she was the one he’d always loved.
…
Chuck only came home the next day. He had a broad smile on his face but dropped it when he saw me. I sat on the couch in the living room while sipping a glass of water and staring at a painting. I couldn’t help finding the situation ironic.
“You spent the night at Valerie’s place, right?” I asked calmly. I wanted to see whether he would be honest with me.
He put his car keys down and sat beside me. “So what if I did? It’s not like anything happened. Val’s just returned to the country, so she’s not used to things here. I’m like her brother—it’s only right for me to care for her.
“You, on the other hand, need to stop being so paranoid. I wouldn’t have married you if I wanted to get back with her.”
He looked contemptuous. I could see he didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty over what had happened yesterday. When had he become so heartless? I was starting to feel like I didn’t know him anymore.
“I was just asking. I didn’t mean anything else by it.” I looked at my glass and pursed my dry lips. It was supposed to be one of a matching pair, but it was the only one left. Chuck had thrown the other one in the trash, complaining that it was too childish. He was the one who’d excitedly bought it, though.
“Get yourself cleaned up. We’re going back to see Mom. She’s quite sad that she’s lost a grandchild.”
With that, he got up and headed to the bedroom.
I placed my glass on the table and got up. The abortion had been Marge’s idea. How could she be upset?
Chuck was about to take his shirt off when I entered the bedroom. He immediately pulled his shirt back on, but I still saw the hickeys covering his neck. There wasn’t any space that had been left untouched.
“How can you move without making a sound? You’re like a ghost,” he complained.
I leaned against the door frame and smiled in resignation. “You’re my husband. Can’t I even look at you when you’re changing now?”
He didn’t look at me. Instead, he rummaged in the closet for a turtleneck sweater before heading into the bathroom to change.
When we arrived at the Gross residence, Valerie was already there. She was helping Marge in the kitchen, and they chatted happily. She dropped everything and hurried out when she heard Chuck’s voice.
Unlike Chuck, she didn’t bother hiding the marks of their wild night together. She generously displayed them.
Chuck hadn’t touched me for a long time after Valerie’s return. The one time he’d slept with me, I managed to conceive. He kept telling me he was too tired because of work and didn’t have the energy to think about that. Thus, I’d always expressed my understanding.
Marge curled her lip scornfully when she saw me. Then, she pulled Chuck to Valerie’s side and said, “No matter how I look at it, I think you two make a better match.”
She held Valerie’s hand and said, “It’s all Chuck’s fault for not being able to resist Stephanie’s seduction. If not for that, he wouldn’t have married her.”
I stepped forward to speak up for myself. “You need to get your facts right, Mom. Chuck was the one who pursued me. I didn’t seduce him.”
Marge pushed Valerie and Chuck aside. She stormed over to me and slapped me hard. The sharp sound echoed inside the home, and blood trickled from the corner of my lips.
She screeched, “How dare you interrupt when an elder is speaking! Is that how your parents raised you? Besides, am I wrong? Chuck would never have fallen for someone like you if you didn’t seduce him!”
