Chapter 2Seven Years of Torment

Half an hour later, Justin posted a status update visible only to me.

“She says only I truly understand her. She asked me never to leave her.”

The accompanying photo showed the back of Evelyn’s head, buried in his embrace, and their fingers tightly intertwined. Just minutes earlier, Evelyn had told me I could trust her. But her idea of trust probably referred to the pure “friendship” between her and Justin. Trusting that her repeated absences from my follow-up appointments, all for some minor issue of his, were merely out of “loyalty” to a good friend. Trusting that spending an entire night together, naked in the same bed, was simply a platonic “reunion.”

Soon after, Justin, just like many times before, deleted the status update, wiping it clean. As if what I had just seen was merely a figment of my “suspicious mind.” Then, he sent me another message. “Brother-in-law, Evelyn was in a bad mood tonight and came to drink with me. Please don’t overthink it.” “It’s not worth it, letting an outsider like me affect your relationship.”

Don’t overthink it? I looked at those words, a cold laugh escaping me. I remembered back then, when I, burning with fever, confronted Evelyn with a screenshot of Justin’s post, her explanation had been much the same.

“Justin and I grew up together. After high school, he went abroad to study and stayed there. Now that he’s finally back, can’t I spend some extra time with my old friend?”

“Adrian, you’re just bored from being home sick, that’s why you’re always overthinking things.”

Seeing my feverish, increasingly pale face, Evelyn seemed to realize her slip of the tongue. She quickly pulled me into her arms, pressing her forehead against mine. “Adrian, even for the sake of our child, you should trust me, okay? Don’t overthink it.” She gently wiped away my tears, her voice helpless. “Don’t cry, Adrian. Alright, I promise you, I’ll keep my distance from him.” Seeing my tears flow even harder, Evelyn then deleted Justin’s contact information right in front of me. She even changed all her passwords to my birthday.

Ten years of a relationship, seven years of marriage, and our child was about to be born. At that time, I truly couldn’t bear to let go. So I gritted my teeth, forgave her, and chose to trust her one more time.

But what happened later? Less than a month later. Just when she went into premature labor, and we learned the baby had died in utero, when she most needed to rest and recover in the hospital. She left the hospital without a second thought, merely because Justin said he had a “stomachache.”

I instantly broke down, frantically grabbing a fruit knife beside me, my voice hoarse as I asked her: “Evelyn, are you sure you want to choose him? If you take that step, we’re completely over!”

Evelyn’s face instantly twisted in disgust, her eyes looking at me like I was a madman. “Adrian, stop making a scene. I have a family doctor there, and besides, the doctor already said he’s fine.”

“Justin just returned recently. He’s alone, and his health has always been delicate. I have to go; don’t make this difficult for me.”

With that, she never looked back, leaving me with only a resolute back. The moment the hospital room door closed, the knife in my hand slipped, uncontrolled, cutting my wrist and leaving that hideous scar.

The vibration of my phone pulled me back from distant thoughts. It was a voice message from Evelyn, sounding as if she’d been drinking. “Adrian, please don’t be angry with me anymore. Can we have another child?”

A child? I subconsciously rubbed the scar on my hand, though it was already numb with pain. Yet, hearing her mention a child again, my heart still ached in waves, threatening to drown me. After a long while, I finally composed myself, wiping away the last tear. I quietly blocked both Evelyn and Justin’s contact information. Then, I dialed a long-distance number.

“Dad, three days from now, I’ll meet you at the airport.”