I sat down and ate a few bites before putting
down my chopsticks.
“I don’t have the luxury of someone else
cooking for me. This is the best I can do.”
Ryan looked embarrassed, clearing his throat.
“If you hadn’t said those things earlier, I
wouldn’t have forgotten. And I did leave you some chicken, you’re pregnant, don’t be
picky, any meat is fine.”
<
He kept muttering. I pressed my temples, my
face paler.
“Shut up, can you? The smell of that chicken
soup makes me want to puke, I can’t even eat
it.”
Ryan stopped. It was comical. He’d actually
forgotten.
“I… I… I was taking care of Chloe, she
wanted chicken soup, patients come first.”
His voice gained confidence, and he started
sneering.
“Besides, you’re perfectly capable, you only
lost some blood, do you have to act like
you’re dying?”
My heart ached. Chloe… it was always Chloe.
Even carrying his child, I wasn’t as important
as Chloe!
When we got married, my family belittled me,
saying I wasn’t good enough for him. They
thought he and Chloe were meant to be. They
even invited him out on a date, pretending it
was me who’d asked him.
At first, Ryan told me about it. But he
stopped. I now realized that, perhaps, he’d
already wavered.
Seeing me silent and lost in thought, he
spoke again.
“Honey, I know you’ve been through a lot.
Losing blood while pregnant. Let me feed you
some noodles.”
He picked up some noodles and offered them
to me. A familiar scent wafted from his
sleeve. Chloe’s perfume.
I felt nauseous. I ran to the bathroom and
vomited, everything I’d eaten.
After I felt better, I looked in the mirror at my
pale and weak reflection. Ryan looked
flustered.
He touched my arm, concerned.
“Honey, what’s wrong? Should we go to the
<
hospital?”
I pushed him away.
“No, just stay away from me.”
His face fell. Seeing me walk to the bedroom,
he muttered,
“You’re impossible. I try to help and you throw
a fit!”
I heard him. I lay in bed, breathing heavily, my
eyes stinging.
I met Ryan at a musical. I was a dancer, he
was the composer. My teacher introduced us.
I was captivated by his passion for music.
During a rehearsal, I almost fell off the stage.
Ryan caught me, breaking his foot.
I was terrified. He held me close.
“Don’t worry. I don’t need compensation. A
broken leg won’t affect me, but you’re
different. A broken leg could ruin your
career.”
His words were my downfall.
But I now knew that passion for music didn’t
equal loyalty in love. He fell for me, but he
also fell for Chloe.
I was drifting off when Ryan walked in,
carrying my favorite congee.
“Honey, wake up. You can’t go without eating.
It’s bad for you and the baby.”
I didn’t respond. He gently woke me and
spoke softly.
“Even if you’re mad at me, you need to eat
for the baby. The baby needs nutrients.”
“Eat this and you can yell at me all you want.”
He was unusually gentle and patient.
I looked at him. He held the bowl, a hint of
pleading in his eyes. The last time he’d been
this sweet was when he’d asked me to give
Chloe my spot in a dance competition.
“You’re pregnant now, you won’t be able to
compete, so just let Chloe have the spot.
She’s wanted to compete for so long.”
