I understood. He wanted something.
I calmly took the congee and looked at him.
“What do you want?”
He chuckled nervously.
“Honey, what are you talking about? I made
you congee, even if I didn’t need anything.”
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll assume it’s nothing!”
His face changed; he was afraid I’d change
my mind.
“Chloe wants your red–cooked pork and fish
soup. I already bought the ingredients. Can
you make it tomorrow and I’ll take it to her?”
I was prepared, but his words felt like a knife
twisting in my heart. I was worthless to
everyone.
I’d been the family maid, ordered around by
Chloe. My parents only loved her. She’d
always had everything–painting, dancing. I
struggled to afford tuition. Even dancing was
thanks to Chloe. She didn’t want to dance,
く
but the fees were already paid, so I took her
place.
Then Chloe got jealous and demanded to
dance. My parents, to push her, let me
continue. I didn’t even have dance shoes. I
danced barefoot. Chloe would step on me,
laughing with her friends.
“Samantha Winter, dancing barefoot? You’re
so ugly!”
Then Ryan proposed, and I married him. I
thought I’d escaped that torture. But it was
just a different form of torture, inflicted by
Ryan.
I fought back tears and asked,
“Don’t you know I’m pregnant and just gave
400ml of blood? You want me to make red-
cooked pork and fish soup?”
His face darkened, and he impatiently said,
“Stop whining! Just make the food. If the
doctor could’ve taken more blood, he would
く
have!”
I stared at him in disbelief. Tears streamed
down my face.
“So I’m just a blood bank to you? Why did
you marry me?”
He looked flustered. His phone rang. Chloe’s
frail voice.
“I feel so bad, brother–in–law. My sister hates
- me. She wants me dead!”
I heard my parents comforting Chloe and
cursing me.
“Don’t cry, sweetheart. Samantha will make
the food. If she doesn’t, I’ll kick her out of the
family.”
“Yeah, it’s just cooking, not killing her!”
Ryan grabbed my hair and pulled me to the
phone, his eyes blazing.
“Will you do it? Tell Chloe!”
My scalp hurt; I trembled. The man I’d loved
was now a demon dragging me to hell. I was
done.
“Yes!”
“I will!”
He finally released me, looking at me
emotionlessly before taking the phone to the
balcony. I was left on the floor.
After a long time, I went to the kitchen. Ryan
was there. He smirked.
“Samantha, you’re stubborn. You had to make
a fuss before you’d listen.”
I didn’t say anything. He used to love me
deeply, protecting me from every harm. Once,
I got into a fender bender. The other driver
was aggressive, and Ryan, usually calm,
exploded and fought with the man on the
street. He said,
“I’ll always be your protector!”
But the man who’d vowed to protect me had
become my tormentor. I was no longer in his
heart or his eyes.
く
The food was ready at dawn. I hadn’t slept.
Ryan left for the hospital early. I waited until
nine to leave for the hospital. My abortion
was scheduled for today.
Lying on the operating table, waiting for the
nurse to wheel me in, the doctor asked,
“Ms. Winter, are you absolutely sure?”
I was terrifyingly calm.
“Yes, this is the best choice.”
The anesthetic took effect. As they wheeled
me into the operating room, Ryan happened
to walk by. He saw me, half–covered by the
sheet.
He froze, his legs giving way. He grabbed a
nurse.
“Who is that? What surgery? Why is she in
the operating room?!”
