I rushed forward and yanked at the doorknob several times, but it wouldn’t budge.
Outside, I could hear Callum speaking softly to Briar. Inside, the fish slime clung to my clothes and skin, and I sank weakly to the floor.
Fried carp fillet was my specialty dish. Ironically, I’ve always hated fish. Just the smell alone made me nauseous.
But Callum loved it. When he was young, a fish bone had injured him, and ever since, he could only crave fish but didn’t dare eat it.
After we got married, he told me the story, and I decided to learn the dish just for him. I searched through recipes and even asked the chef at a state-owned restaurant to teach me.
To make it, every tiny bone in the fish must be sliced open, requiring a lot of effort and patience.
Each time, my back would ache, and my stomach would churn for days.
Back then, he used to feel guilty about it, massaging my back and complaining that his greedy appetite caused me so much pain. He even refused to let me make the dish again.
But now, he seemed to have forgotten all of that. Forgotten that he used to rather go without it than let me suffer.
I was lost in thought when the kitchen door opened. Callum walked in and paused when he saw me.