"What kind of dish is this? It's awful!" Nathan scowled at me.

I tasted it myself; it wasn't that bad.

"I think it's okay. Are you upset about work?" I asked.

Nathan pressed his forehead and exhaled lightly. "A little. But I'm serious, don't you think it's too salty? You usually don't cook like this. Didn't you notice?"

I tasted it again and shook my head earnestly. "Didn't notice."

Then I looked up to meet Nathan's exasperated face.

I tried another bite, glanced at Nathan's impatient expression, and restrained myself. "I'll be more careful next time. The food's already made, let's eat it. Food is already in short supply; we can't waste it."

Nathan picked at the food, ate a few bites, and then didn't touch it again.

I sighed, got up, and started clearing the dishes.

Nathan, who used to share housework with me, has been acting like a lord lately, sitting on the couch all day watching TV and scrolling through his phone, without doing any chores.

In Nathan's words: "You don't have to do anything all day, just a little housework. Why do you need me to help?"

I thought, he makes a good point! Damn it! I wish I could stop doing everything too.

The tension accumulated bit by bit, and on the 20th day of the lockdown, it erupted.

We had a fierce argument.

In the end, Nathan apologized. "Fiona, I was frustrated and might have spoken harshly. Please forgive me. I'm really stressed. The company expenses are so high every month, and we can't do anything now."

"Being stressed doesn't mean you should take it out on me!"

"You're right, I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

Couples fight, but they make up before bedtime.

And so, it ended unresolved.

After reconciling, Nathan remained unchanged, using his words but never stepping up.

The disappointment inside me wasn't just a little; it grew slowly until I stopped thinking about it, and stopped calling him.

I remembered my mom's words: living daily life is just like this, isn't it?

Then the pandemic hit, and business went downhill.

Six months later, my pastry shop closed.

Nathan comforted me. "Right now, there's not much you can do. Just stay home and take care of yourself. Let's have a child."

No matter how much I resisted, I couldn't fight reality.

I agreed to Nathan's suggestion.