During my post-abortion checkup, Adrian once again made an excuse to suddenly leave. This had become a familiar occurrence, so I was used to it. I had to admit that I was stung with a sense of abandonment at first, but slowly, I no longer cared.

I took the medicine after the checkup and went back by myself. As I made my way home, I could not shake the feeling of loneliness that seemed to echo within me.

I opened Twitter once I arrived, and saw someone named Lovely One tagged Adrian in a post. It read, [Just had a sore throat, but he insisted on dragging me to the hospital and has been accompanying me since. After all this time, you're still the best!]

I did not bother to ask Adrian why he kept lying to me, nor did I lose my temper like I used to. Looking back, I should have felt betrayed and confronted him, but it just felt like another exhausting chore, another hurdle in a race I no longer cared to win.

Later, he took this Lovely One to the company's team building event, and I received intimate photos of them. Was I angry? No.

On a different occasion, I ran into him holding Lovely One's child on the street, looking like a family of three. I had to admit that I was surprised to find myself smiling calmly and said, "The child needs a father figure. You should spend more time with them, Adrian."

Adrian, however, grabbed me in a panic and asked anxiously, "Madeline, why don't you care at all?"

Part 1

I had a miscarriage because someone accidentally collided with me on my way home from work. Today was the second month after my abortion surgery, so Adrian accompanied me for a checkup.

I did not stop him as he left in a hurry after making an excuse. No longer did I cling to him, pleading for his company as I once did.

Watching Adrian's back as he slowly walked away, an unexpected wave of detachment washed over me. I suddenly realized that his presence or absence held little effect over my emotions. I did not seem to be that sad anymore when he was not around.

A nurse called my name, and I quietly accepted the test results before gathering my things and heading home. Not long after, I received a message from Adrian, which read, [Madeline, you can go home on your own, can't you? I still have things to do.]

In the past, I would have refused desperately and replied with something like, [But I need you to come get me.]

Now, it just felt pointless to do so. With a resigned acceptance, I simply typed, [Ok.]

I put away my phone and hailed a cab. As I settled into the backseat, a familiar sight caught my eyes. It was Adrian's car.

Well, that was odd. Why would he return to the hospital? Did he not he say he could not pick me up?

As soon as I got home, I saw Lovely One tagged Adrian in a post on Twitter, which read, [Just had a sore throat, but he insisted on dragging me to the hospital and has been accompanying me since. After all this time, you're still the best!]

Unsurprisingly, Sophie posted a photo in her WhatsApp status with the same exact words. A corner of Adrian's shirt was visible in the picture. It was the one I had picked out for him on his birthday. Yes, the Lovely One was Sophie Davis, Adrian's childhood sweetheart.

A few years back, Sophie had moved with her wealthy husband out of town. However, fate had taken a harsh turn last year when her husband went bankrupt. Following their divorce, she returned with a four-year-old child.

In Adrian's eyes, I was nothing more than a replacement for Sophie after she left. However, I had been deeply in love with him at the time, foolishly choosing to marry him.

At one time, I had even wanted to get pregnant and bear his child. The following miscarriage was probably a sign, having a child with Adrian would not be good for me or the baby.

After taking the prescribed medication, I drifted off to sleep. The creak of the door woke me up in the middle of night.

"What did the doctor say today?" Adrian came to my bedside and gently stroked my head

I caught a foreign scent on him, a woman's perfume. My head shook in a silent refusal as I avoided his hand.

"Nothing important." I forced a smile and continued, "Everything's fine."

Adrian nodded and offered a hurried explanation, "Work just got hectic and I've been kept very busy lately."

Instead of calling him out on his lie, I rolled over and went back to sleep. "Well, maybe you should take a shower before going to bed."

He seemed to hesitate for a moment, but he said nothing. I then heard the bathroom's door being opened and the trickles of the shower.

Part 2

The next day was a pre-dawn shift, so I went to the hospital early. After the morning meeting ended, I received a call from Adrian.

His voice was dripped with a subtle annoyance when he said, "Madeline, why didn't you wake me up? You left early without telling me and I overslept."

I used to take care of him in every possible way and even more so after we got married. Clothes laid out, breakfast prepared with love and a gentle morning call, a routine I meticulously followed.

His tone now suggested that he took those things for granted. It was as if my acts of love were mere obligations, a chore I was simply expected to perform.

However, I was never his caretaker, I was his wife. I had the right to refuse.

"Well, since you're going to be late, you'd better get up soon."

He asked again, "What am I going to wear today?"

"Just choose whatever you want to wear. It's all in the closet," I replied.

"But I can't find it...." Adrian tried to say.

My colleague called me over for some help, so I hurriedly said, "I have something else to attend to, I need to go. Just find your clothes yourself."

Barely a moment later, Adrian's message pinged on the screen. It read, [The shirts are wrinkled! You haven't ironed them yet? I can't show up in the office wearing them.]

It did not stop there. Another one came, saying, [You haven't prepared breakfast either?]

Just then, the department head happened to call me over, so I did not have time to reply to Adrian. "Madeline, good news!" he boomed, "After assessing your performance, it looks like the hospital wants to discuss your further training. Oh, look, you're fully recovered now, too."

I had initially planned to marry Adrian and have children, so I declined the hospital's offer before I was pregnant. But now I figured it out. Marrying him, building a family, those naïve aspirations had lost their charms. Staying with Adrian felt not just pointless, but foolish.

"I've thought about it, sir. I'll go," I replied with a newfound conviction.

"Excellent choice!" The department head was practically beamed. He then asked me to prepare everything and said he would notify me when the date was set.

His enthusiasm was infectious. I agreed that the time was indeed right. This was my ticket to a future I could finally design on my own terms.

Time seemed to melt away as I dove into work. Before I knew it, the world outside the window had turned to dark. However, just as I settled in with another stack of documents, Adrian called me.

"Why aren't you home yet? Where's dinner?"

I found the very thought of returning to Adrian was somehow revolting. That was why I stayed in the office preparing documents until late.

"My colleague had something urgent coming up and had to switch shifts with me. Takeout's probably your best bet tonight," I said, casually found an excuse.

"Takeout?" Adrian sounded surprised.

Back then, eating out was not even an option for us. I practically catered to every meal, three times a day.

"Is there anything wrong?" I asked him.

"No." Adrian hesitated before continuing, "Just take care of yourself and don't get too tired."

"Thank you," I replied flatly.

Adrian was silent for a while, then asked again, "Madeline, are you angry?"

The question, so slow to come, sparked a flicker of something akin to anger. But mostly, it was a disappointment. Was he truly this oblivious, or simply did not care about my feelings? However, it did not matter. I would not be angry anymore.

Part 3

In an apologetic tone, Adrian took the initiative to explain, "Madeline, it's not easy for Sophie to raise a child alone. She doesn't know anyone else here. She only has me."

His words felt like a slap. He conveniently forgot sometimes that, I too, only had him.

"Of course, I understand. She must've been through a lot," I answered calmly.

"Madeline, what's that supposed to mean? What's your attitude?" He lost his temper all of a sudden.

"I said I understand," I repeated, my voice losing its lightness, "Is that a problem?"

"Do you have to talk to me like that?" he snapped.

"Then what do you want me to say?" I countered, frustration creeping in.

Silence fell between us, heavy and suffocating. Finally, he mumbled a defeated, "Do as you wish," before hanging up.

Wasn't it ironic? He once said I was annoying when I questioned him visiting Sophie. And when I called him to ask when he would be back from Sophies's, I was also the annoying one. Now, even trying to understand him earned me his frustration.

With a sigh, I tossed my phone aside. Dwelling on it would not change anything. There was more important thing to do, like a stack of documents in front of me.

The night shift ended and I deliberately lingered after cleaning up my desk. The thought of returning home, held no appeal.

When I arrived, Adrian had already left for work. I took a shower and went off to sleep, but just as I began to drift off, had the tranquility was shattered by the insistent ringing of my phone. It was Adrian.

"Madeline," he sounded like he was holding back pain, "my... my stomach hurts."

I mumbled a response, but I was too tired and fell back asleep. In a dream, I seemed to hear Adrian calling my name, but the sound felt distant, so I pushed the dream away.

After some time, I was completely awakened by the sound of the door opening. Adrian stood by the bed, his face a mask of hurt.

"Madeline, why don't you care anymore? You used to be worried when I was sick and you would even make porridge and give me medicine."

That was indeed the old me. I remembered it only too clearly.

Once, Adrian had a stomachache, so I asked for leave to bring him medicine at his office. As luck had it, I got caught in the rain on my way there, leaving my hair soaked and me looking quite a mess.

However, things just got better when his colleagues laughed at my appearance and Adrian did not even try to stop them. To top it off, he told me never to come to his office again because, in his words, I was an embarrassment.

"Are you feeling better now?" I rubbed my eyes. "We might be out of medicine, though. Maybe you can grab some yourself."

Adrian was speechless, then frustration boiled over. He grabbed my arm and shouted, "Madeline, how long are you going to keep fighting with me about Sophie? I told you, there's nothing between her and me!"

"Oh, okay," I said, my calm a stark contrast to his anger.

In a fit of rage, Adrian slammed the door and left. The silence that followed was liberating.