The Voyage Without Return

Synopsis

Edward Shaw had a rule: he never used anything that had been used by someone else. Toothbrush cups had to be kept separate, towels couldn't be mixed, and if I poured him a glass of water, he'd pour himself a new one. I got it. He was a neat freak, and I believed that he didn't have anything against me. When I was eight months pregnant, we had a team dinner. I made a point to use the serving fork to pick up a piece of steak for him. Edward glanced at it, smiled, and pushed it away. "I appreciate the gesture, but I'll get it myself." A colleague jumped in to smooth things over. "Don't take it to heart, Claire. Mr. Shaw is always like this." I nodded, already used to it. When dessert was served, I went to the restroom. When I came back, the new planner, Sophia Reed, from his department was sitting in my seat. She held up a spoon, feeding him tiramisu, and smiled, "Edward, try this. It's way better than the last place." He took a bite, casually grabbed a napkin, and wiped the cream from the corner of her mouth. Everyone at the table went silent for a couple of seconds. Someone muttered, "Guess Mr. Shaw's neat freak thing only applies to certain people, huh?" He looked up and saw me standing by the table, his expression froze for a second. Then he said something I'd heard a thousand times before. "There are a lot of people here. Don't make a fuss." I glanced down at my pregnant belly. Suddenly, I realized that not once in these eight months had I ever tasted a single drop of water poured by him. I didn't cause a scene. I simply slipped off my wedding ring and placed it on the table. From this moment on, his rules were no longer my concern.