It was late at night and I was on my fifth consecutive shift at the hospital when a neighbor’s call shook me to the core.

She criticized me, "Doctor Scott, can you and your wife keep you’re your voice done when you are doing the deed with your wife? My children are still living in our house."

"This has been going on for five straight nights!" She continued, "When I knock on your door, you both act like you’re not home. Are you doing this on purpose?”

Then she added, "Your wife is paralyzed but you're still having sex? Are you a beast?"

The hand that had been writing the medical record froze and my whole body turned cold.

Five days? I hadn’t been home at all during these five days!

——

As soon as my colleague arrived to take over, I rushed to change into my civilian clothes and then headed home. While driving, I called Jill Ackmand, my wife, but no matter how many times I dialed, she didn’t answer.

Even more strangely, our housekeeper, Margaret Lockwood, who usually never missed a call, was unreachable too.

An uncontrollable sense of unease gnawed at me and subconsciously, my foot pressed harder on the gas.

Jill and I had always had a strong, loving relationship. She would never betray me. Besides, she was paralyzed from the waist down, so it was impossible she did that.

However, Margaret was different. Jill mentioned that she had been taking personal calls with the person she had an ambiguous relationship with during work hours. She repeatedly refused to listen to my advice.

I had considered replacing her for a long time, but I hadn’t found a suitable alternative.

How dare she bring a man to my house?

The more I thought about it, the angrier I was. I sped up at one hundred and twenty-eight kilometers per hour all the way home. When I entered the password, my hand trembled so much that I had to do it three times, before I could finally open the door.

The house was pitch-black, save for the sound of heavy breathing.

"Jill? Margaret?" I called out repeatedly but no one answered.

An ominous feeling settled in my chest as I fumbled to turn on the lights. However, all I saw was Jill lying on the floor! While Margaret was nowhere to be seen.

Jill's hair and face were wet and there was a red mark circling her wrists.

Rage overtook me and I almost lost my mind. How dare Margaret kidnap Jill just to satisfy her own selfish reason? She was too much!

Jill raised her head and her tear-filled eyes locked onto mine.

“Honey, why are you home?” Her voice was hoarse and it broke my heart. How long had she been crying?

I lifted her gently and carried her to the bed. Then I held her close while stroking her hair.

“I’m sorry, my love. I came back too late. You’ve suffered so much .…” I said.

Then I added, “If the neighbors hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known what’s been happening here!”

Hearing my words, Jill stiffened. She pulled away from my arms.

“What … what did the neighbors say?” she asked.

Her nervous gaze made my heart ache even more.

"Dearest, Margaret has been bringing a man here for five days. Has she been holding you captive like this the whole time? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Did she threaten you?” I asked.

Jill exhaled a sigh of relief and leaned back into my arms.

“Honey, you’re so busy saving lives at the hospital. I didn’t want to burden you …” she said.

Then she added, “Moreover, the man she brought with her is tall, strong and fierce, I'm afraid that something will happen if you have a conflict ....”

As I listened to her soft sobbing, I blamed myself even more.

My wife had to endure so much hardship alone at home to avoid disrupting my work.

At the same time, my hatred toward Margaret became even stronger.

I grabbed my phone and dialed nine-one-one, but before I could press the call button, Jill snatched it from my hand.

She gripped my hand tightly. She looked pleadingly at me. "Hubby, don't do this if you call the police, it's going to be known by everyone …."

When I looked at her begging me, my heart became even more uncomfortable.

Jill's lower body had been paralyzed for years and despite the specialized medication and the rehabilitation sessions I supervised, her condition had shown no improvement.

To cover her expensive treatments, I had to work tirelessly, leaving less and less time to spend with her.

I had watched her grow more withdrawn and sensitive. To escape being stared judgmentally by others, she was not willing to enter the outside world for several months and even refused to go to the hospital for checkups.

I was so useless. I could not make a lot of money or make her better.

Suddenly, there was a bang downstairs, a car alarm blared outside, followed by angry shouts from several men outside. I instinctively moved toward the window, but Jill grabbed my hand and pulled me back.

“Don’t go,” she whispered, burying her face in my chest. “I’m scared. Just stay here with me.”

I immediately went back and wrapped her in my arms once again. Nothing mattered more than Jill.

I hugged her and lay on the bed. Jill tilted her head up and kissed me gently.

The time passed by and eventually, she fell asleep in my arms.

Quietly, I slipped out of bed and into the bathroom, filling a basin with cold water. I submerged myself in it.

I had never shared true marital intimacy with Jill. Many nights, I had to endure my passion in the ice-cold water, just like today. This was another form of happiness for me.

Yet tonight, the bathroom reeked a strange putrid smell, oozing a putrid acrid stench that gave me a headache. After rummaging for a long time, I finally pinpointed the source from the trash can.

It turned out the culprit was a pair of red woman's underwear!

My emotion that originally had calmed down was ignited with anger once more! What Margaret had done was over the top!

Early, the next morning, I threw the underwear out. After I wiped Jill's body and changed her diaper as usual, I was ready to leave for work.

Today, Jill acted very abnormal. She was reluctant to let me leave.

"Hubby, what time will you be home tonight?”

Normally, she was afraid of affecting my work, so she was rarely acting like this. It looked like she still felt shaken from yesterday's ordeal, so I hurriedly petted her head lovingly.

I promised her, "As soon as my shift ends, I’ll come home to make your favorite coconut chicken.”

Despite her reluctance, I had to go downstairs. Her special medication supply was dwindling and I needed to find extra income from my side gigs to cover the cost.

As I drove out of our neighborhood, my phone rang. Margaret’s name flashed on the screen.

Before I could speak, she lashed out at me, "Doctor Scott, did you make a report that I was fooling around at your house? How could I work in this industry if you accuse me so falsely?"

“You'd better take good care of your wife if you have this time! Don't let you be a fool after you've helped raise other’s child!”

I have not made my move yet but she had the audacity to look at me! However, what did her statement mean?

After her rant, she immediately hung up the phone and she ignored every message that I sent her.

An uneasiness gnawed at my heart. I asked for a leave and headed home.

The moment I entered the garage, I noticed my parking space was occupied. After several attempts to call them, a burly and tall man with a plaster cast on his leg hobbled toward me. He was out of breath and there were a few small love bites on his neck.

I recognized this man; he often took my parking space!

I complained a few times, but he gave me a hard stare in return and drove off without even saying sorry.

I was in an awful state of mind after having two bad problems in just one morning. Only when I returned home and saw Jill's sleeping face did I gradually calm down.

When I stroked her hair gently, inadvertently, I saw a faint lipstick smudge on the corner of her mouth.

I did not recall applying makeup on her this morning. My unease deepened as my gaze drifted to her legs.

Over the years, I had grown accustomed to her legs’ atrophy despite the rigorous therapy and medication. However, surprisingly, I realized that her legs looked firm just like they were before the accident.

She suddenly woke up and looked at me and there was uneasiness in her eyes.

"Darling, why did you suddenly come back?" she asked. "Is there something wrong with my legs?"

I hurriedly shook my head. “Oh, nothing. I was just worried because I forgot your morning message. I wanted to check.”

She smiled and pinched my nose, but then suddenly lowered her head, tears falling in big streams.

“I’m so sorry for being such a burden, Hubby. My paraplegic's condition makes you constantly worry so much for me … and this makes you so tired.”

Usually, her vulnerability made my heart ache and I would immediately take her in my arms and say how much I loved her.

However, Margaret’s words, the strange man in a cast and all that had happened today made me feel very uneasy.

Was it possible? Could Jill’s paralysis have healed a long time ago?

An overwhelming urge to uncover the truth came over me. I grabbed a towel, that I used to wipe her body, purposedly soaked it in boiling water and dabbed her legs with it while feigning routine care.

The hot towel immediately turned her legs crimson red. I sneaked a look at her, but her expression remained unchanged and she looked at me with a smile.

I immediately came to my senses and really regretted my impulsive behavior. What was I thinking? Jill loved me so much, but by suspecting her of hurting me, I really deserved to die!

After panicking and rummaging to find the medicine, I trembled as I helped her wipe the water off.

Looking at the bulging blisters, an overwhelming sense of guilt eroded my heart, I lowered my head and I could not hold back my tears. "I'm sorry, Jill … this is all my fault …."

Jill stopped for a moment. She struggled to lift her upper body with her hand and hugged my head into her arms. "It's okay, Hubby. It's not like I can feel my legs anyway. It doesn't matter.”

She pulled a box of milk out of the drawer, stuck a straw in it and handed it to me.

"Honey, you've been so tired lately," she said. "It'll help you to relax by drinking milk. After this, have a good sleep for a while."

Her kindness made me happy. I gulped down the milk but immediately noticed the bitter aftertaste.

My heart went cold. As a doctor, I knew perfectly well that it was the taste of a sleeping pill.

Jill was still looking at me dead in the face.

I did not know how she put it in, all I knew at that moment, she needed me to fall asleep immediately. So, in order to know what her plan was, I decided to follow her scheme.

After excusing myself to go to the bathroom, I vomited all the milk out of my throat and then collapsed on the bed in a daze.

Jill cautiously came over and shook her hand repeatedly in front of my face.

After she believed that I was already “dead asleep”, she snorted coldly. "Pathetic lapdog."

I squinted my eyes and watched with my own eyes as my paralyzed wife stood up effortlessly.