2#02

2

As I was leaving the hospital, I decided to request the tiny embryo from the doctor. Though not fully developed, you could vaguely make out the form of a small infant.

I clutched the glass container to my chest, feeling tears well up. I'm sorry, little one. I had wanted you for so long, but it seems fate had other plans for us.

I took a deep breath and made up my mind. Since I was departing, I wouldn't suffer this anguish alone. Before I left, I had one final present for Troy.

When I returned to the place I'd called home for six years, it felt empty and lifeless. As I'd expected, Troy was probably spending the night with his loyal secretary.

I couldn't bring myself to eat dinner, and my stomach felt slightly uneasy as I reclined by the bed. I must have drifted off without realizing it.

While in a deep slumber, I was jolted awake by a loud crack of thunder outside. My phone on the nightstand vibrated several times, but I ignored it, irritated, and turned over to resume sleeping.

All of a sudden, I heard the door being opened. Alarmed, I thought an intruder had broken in.

Just as I was about to rise, I saw Troy's drenched figure standing before me.

I rubbed my eyes and asked, "What are you doing back?"

Upon seeing me at home, he exhaled a long sigh of relief. He removed his soaked coat and hurried over to embrace me, saying, "Felicia, there's a thunderstorm outside. I recalled how thunder always frightens you. So I rushed back from the hotel in the middle of the night."

His wet clothes touched my face, the cold dampness making me uncomfortable.

I gently pushed him away and said, "You'll get sick. Go take a shower first."

For once, he smiled at me tenderly and replied, "I'll join you soon."

The sound of running water came from the bathroom, but I stared at the lightning and thunder outside the window, lost in thought.

Over the past three years, I had undergone numerous IVF treatments, and Troy had begun leaving early and coming home late. Sometimes, he didn't return at all.

Initially, I assumed his work had simply become more demanding. Until one day, I discovered lingerie in our wardrobe that wasn't mine. And the number of condoms in the house mysteriously decreased.

Not long after, his secretary, Louise Clover, grew increasingly bold. She would often flaunt their 'relationship' on social media or subtly taunt me.

Now, I was weary of it all. The irony was that Troy now remembered my fear of thunder.

Yet he was unaware that during countless unbearable nights, I had already learned to endure the lightning and thunder on my own.

I must have dozed off again, as I didn't notice when he finished his shower and emerged.

He lay beside me in his bathrobe, attempting to embrace me from behind. His breath on my shoulder and neck grew warmer as he said, "Felicia ... can we?"

I sat up and pushed him away. After composing myself, I noticed the ambiguous marks under his collar and asked, "Was Louise not enough for you?"

He froze, his expression changing from embarrassment to anger. "Felicia, can you stop being difficult? We haven't seen each other in days. Do you have to be so confrontational every time? I've told you, Louise is just my secretary. Taking care of my daily needs is her job! Why do you have to make a fuss about it every day?"

I calmly watched him finish his outburst, then shifted slightly and lay back down. "Go to sleep," I said.

Frustrated, Troy couldn't fall asleep. He got up angrily, grabbed a pillow, and said, "I came back to be with you because you're afraid of thunder, and you treat my kindness like this!"

He stormed off to the study, slamming the door behind him. His words only amused me.

The last time I was scared of thunder, I huddled in the corner, teary-eyed, texting him to ask when he'd be back. But he didn't reply until the next day.

[You're a grown woman. Even kids aren't scared of thunder. Why are you pretending to be so weak?]

[Louise's water pipes broke. She's just a woman, she couldn't fix them herself. I was busy helping her!]

Tears slipped down as I let out a bitter laugh. I could never understand why a CEO would stoop to fixing his secretary's pipes in the middle of the night.

The memories quickly faded. I closed my eyes and thought about what to pack for tomorrow. With an early flight, I couldn't afford to be late.