The Hollow Marriage

Synopsis

Edward Grant and I were known as the model couple at the machinery factory. When he suddenly fell critically ill and was hospitalized, I went to his office to pack up his things. That was when I found the thick, hardcover technical manual he always kept by his side. The manual had been hollowed out. Inside, hidden in the cavity, were a marriage certificate and a family record booklet. I opened them. Edward was listed as the husband. The wife's name was his female apprentice, Julia Bennett. He actually dared to commit bigamy. And their son's name was Michael Grant. They even had a son. The boy's name sounded old-fashioned. He was only two years younger than my son. I felt ice run through my veins as I remembered how, over the years, Edward would often talk about grooming a "successor." He'd bring along a young intern named "Michael," teaching him hands-on, his eyes full of admiration. I'd even praised the boy as clever and told Edward to look after him more. It turned out Edward was already paving the way for Michael. Our home, everything we'd built together as a couple, in his eyes, it had probably already become another son's inheritance. I sat in that hospital room reeking of disinfectant, clutching that heavy marriage certificate and household register, staring at the man who'd been planning our future while actually gutting us from the inside. For the first time, from the bottom of my heart, I hoped he would never wake up.