I remembered the first time I caught him late at night, locked in the bathroom, having a long conversation with her. I had screamed hysterically and tried to snatch his phone.
He had thrown me to the ground and kicked me in the stomach. The excruciating pain had overwhelmed me.
Afterward, when I occasionally saw him on the phone, I would coldly tell him, "Just avoid me a bit." And now, I faced it all with indifference.
What woman, upon learning her husband was openly cheating, could stand there, unaffected? It took countless tearful arguments and waves of hopelessness to reach this point of numbness.
"I'm going to sleep." Gerald pushed open the bedroom door and went inside.
I knew he was just changing locations to flirt and talk sweetly without restraint.
Sure enough, within minutes, hushed conversation drifted from the bedroom, reaching my ears. He was discussing his upcoming birthday.
"Birthday gift," "surprise," "can't wait to meet," "don't tell Jonah!" Key phrases reached me in fragments.