"Gerald, you're spineless."
"I will never respect a man like you."
He suddenly laughed—a laugh filled with defiance, or perhaps complete indifference.
That afternoon, my mother-in-law came to "persuade" me.
The same old lines—which man doesn't cheat? Men just play outside, it's normal.
She even said the marriage was shaky because I hadn't given them a child.
I had always respected her. But today, I splashed a full cup of coffee across her face.
She shot up in fury. "Are you insane?!"
Yes, I was going insane because Stella had attempted suicide.
Unable to accept that she was the mistress, she swallowed a handful of sleeping pills. She was rescued just in time, barely clinging to life.
Gerald, panicked and heartbroken, dragged me to her hospital bed and forced me to kneel.
"Apologize to Stella!"
"If not for you, she wouldn't have done this!"
"She's two months pregnant—do you have any idea?!"
"You almost killed her!"
His grip was brutal, digging into my shoulders until sharp pain shot down my arms.
My knees pressed against the cold tiled floor.
His voice trembled with rage as he forced the command out.
I pulled my shoulder back stubbornly, but I couldn't break free of his hold.