Chapter 2
"A lot of girls throw themselves at men without any real commitment, ending up in some cheap little motel. I may not be educated, but that doesn't mean I have no shame. I'd never do something that cheap."
"Our first night was at the Imperial Resort on Solara Island. My husband said only a place that expensive was worthy of my precious first time. They changed the sheets again and again that night, and those foreign staff looked at me with pure envy. It felt amazing, but yeah, it was kind of embarrassing too."
It felt like a dull blade was sawing through my heart over and over. At the age when love meant everything, I had thrown caution to the wind for him and even turned against my parents. In a run-down little inn, I had tremblingly given myself to him. What I thought was being good and understanding ended up earning me nothing but his judgment that I was cheap and shameless.
"Let me tell you a secret. My husband's phone password is the date we first became husband and wife. 231127, Beloved Wife Emily. Kinda cheesy, right?"
It hit me like a thunderbolt. November 27, 2023, was the day of my first miscarriage. That day, right after I drank a glass of milk, a sharp pain hit my lower stomach, and cold sweat broke out all over my body.
I called Michael hundreds of times and left him message after message, but he never replied. By the time the ambulance arrived, I was almost unconscious. I signed the papers alone, had the surgery alone, and endured the pain of losing my child alone.
Michael didn't show up until the seventh day after my surgery. He knelt in front of me, full of guilt, and said he'd gone to Solara Island for a business deal worth millions of dollars. The place had been remote, with no signal, so he never got my calls or messages. He showed me his Solara Island entry stamp, and I believed him.
In that cheap rental, he held me and cried, saying he'd make something of himself no matter what and become the strongest support in my life.
"I still remember it. We got our marriage license in Seaside City during the day, and that night my husband flew me to Solara Island for our honeymoon. Solara Island was gorgeous, and the water bed was something else. The food wasn't great, though."
The central AC in the room was blasting, but all I felt was cold. That day, he had clearly been in Seaside City. He had clearly gotten my cries for help, and he had ignored them. While I lay alone on that freezing operating table in pain, he was wrapped up with his darling wife on a water bed.
"Have you ever been to Solara Island, sis?" I forced a stiff smile and shook my head. "If you ever go, remember to bring a bottle of hot sauce. If you go to Taren or Sondale, you won't need it."
"If you go to Westoria, you should buy a bunch of bags. Bellmere, Milcrest, and Linton all have great stock. If you want to buy a bag, you can use my card. I'm a VIP at a ton of brands, so I can get the newest styles. As for Alboure, I wouldn't really recommend it..."
She kept talking and talking, but I was so heartbroken I couldn't take in a single word. After a long while, I forced a few words out. "Do you travel abroad a lot?"
She nodded. "All the time. Pretty much once a month, we go to a different country. My husband says seeing the world teaches more than books ever can. Since I didn't study much, he said he'd take me to see every beautiful place with my own eyes."
My heart felt like it had been thrown off a cliff. All these years, Michael had gone overseas on business every single month. Sometimes I'd cling to him and say I wanted to go with him too, and he'd always pull me into his arms with that apologetic look. "Honey, I'm going out there to work."