Chapter 2

I suddenly remembered I was carrying a baby, and just like that, all my passion fizzled out.

"How about noodles for dinner?" I asked.

I was in a bad mood today, so I didn't bother to cook anything.

Jack dried his hair with a towel, his tone flat. "I'll make them."

With that, he walked into the bedroom to change, his face blank.

Just by looking at him, I could tell he was still bothered by me bringing up divorce.

I really only wanted a divorce because I thought he was cheating. Now, with the baby, I suddenly felt so wronged that my nose tingled and tears started streaming down.

Jack came out, shot me a look, then headed straight for the kitchen without saying a word.

I wanted to tell him I was pregnant, but I was still feeling resentful, so I just couldn't bring myself to say it.

Especially since we just did it last night.

With that thought in mind, I decided to stop by the pharmacy and grab a couple of pregnancy tests.

When I got home, Jack was sitting on the old couch, lost in thought.

He heard me come in and glanced over at me right away.

His eyes lit up for a second, then dimmed again. He said flatly, "The noodles are ready."

I looked at the two bowls of noodles on the table, one big, one small, then at his emotionless face. I just couldn't eat anything.

"I'm not hungry. You go ahead," I said.

I grabbed the plastic bag and went into the bathroom. Figures, no double lines on the test.

It was still too soon. Even a blood test at the hospital wouldn't show anything yet.

Guess I would just have to wait a few more days before I tell him.

I washed my hands and walked out of the bathroom. Jack was still sitting on the couch, his face blank.

He was shrouded in gloom, an indescribable loneliness and emptiness hanging over him.

I sat stiffly on the other end of the couch, just as silent as he was.

Neither of us came from happy families, so we just rushed to get married.

For the past two years, Jack was always out of town chasing work, gone more often than he was home.

We were hardly ever together and couldn't find any common ground, so we barely ever really talked.

Honestly, we barely talked outside the bedroom. At least in bed, we said something.

I knew he was under a ton of stress, but there wasn't much I could do to help, and I was not exactly the pep-talk type. So all I could really do was just stay out of his way as much as possible.

For some reason, I was feeling weirdly sentimental today.

Before I even realized it, tears started falling.

Jack glanced at me, then turned away, sounding worn out and kind of defeated.

He said, "Maybe this is just how I am, and maybe I'll always be like this. Honestly, you're probably better off without me.

"I won't hold it against you, so don't carry any guilt over it."

He was clearly still hung up on the whole divorce thing.

The more I dwelled on it, the more it hurt, so I just got up and headed back to the bedroom.

After half an hour of total silence outside, I finally heard some faint shuffling noises.

About ten minutes later, the sound of the door opening and closing echoed from the living room.

All that ran through my mind was, 'He doesn't want me anymore!'

I couldn't hold it back any longer. I burst into tears, completely heartbroken.

I was so caught up in my tears that I didn't even hear the door open again.

Suddenly, the bedroom door swung open. Jack walked in, pinching his nose because of the strong smell, and handed me some barbecue.

"Eat something. Don't go hungry," he said.

I just stared at him, dumbfounded. When I finally snapped out of it, I grabbed a tissue and wiped my tears in a hurry, muttered under my breath, "Thanks."

"No problem," he replied.

See? We were basically like strangers to each other.

Jack finished high school and jumped straight into the real world, never getting much of an education.

After his temp agency folded, he just went back to what he knew best, lugging bricks on construction sites.

I went out job hunting three times.

But every time, I barely lasted a few days before some sleazy guy started harassing me.

So Jack ended up telling me to just stay home.

Other than doing chores, I spent my days filming outfit change videos without showing my face, posting them online to get followers, and making a bit of pocket money selling stuff through my online shop.

Carrying the barbecue, I went to the living room, crying and sniffling as I ate.

Jack was busy with laundry and tidying up around the place.

When he finished up, he walked over to me with his suitcase in tow, looking a little worn out.

"Just got a call from my boss, gotta head out of town for a project. I'll be gone for a few days. Be careful at home, okay?" he said.

He had been coming home almost every day lately, and I'd gotten used to having him around. So when he said he was leaving, my heart skipped a beat.

"How long are you gonna be gone?" I asked.

"Should be about a week. If things drag out, maybe two tops," he said.

"Alright, just come back soon," I muttered.

"Yeah, I will," he said.

Jack hesitated, then said, "About the divorce... maybe give it some more thought. Whatever you decide, I won't hold it against you."

Just hearing the word "divorce" made my chest tighten, and my jaw clenched.

"I only said that because I was pissed off. Believe what you want," I muttered.

Jack looked like he wanted to say something, but stopped himself. He let out a quiet sigh and nodded.

"Take care, and if you need anything, just call me," he said.

"Okay," I replied.