Chapter 3
Suddenly, Lina felt lightheaded. Over the past month, she hadn’t been eating or sleeping properly. From initial shock to eventual acceptance, each day felt like a year. Truthfully, she was at her breaking point.
“Lina? Are you okay? Please, don’t scare me!”
Eric noticed Lina’s unusual state and turned pale with fear. He trembled as he held her close, urgently instructing the driver to head to the hospital immediately. He knew her health had always been fragile, so he had always taken great care of her. Now, his voice was thick with anxiety.
“Honey, wake up! We’re almost at the hospital.”
A tear dropped onto Lina’s face, and she slowly opened her eyes. Seeing Eric’s red–rimmed eyes, she reached out toward his face, but her hand stopped midway, unable to touch him. She couldn’t believe that Eric, who loved her so much, could have betrayed her.
“Eric, I’m alright. I don’t need to go to the hospital. I just want to go home.”
Eric shook his head, clearly frightened. He insisted that the driver head to the nearest hospital–he needed reassurance that she was okay before he could relax. When Lina had fainted, Eric had been consumed by fear and, for the first time, felt guilty regarding her.
Fortunately, all the tests came back with no serious issues. The doctor explained that she had been overthinking and was a bit malnourished, then gave her two injections of nutritional fluids. Lina lay in the hospital bed, watching Eric rush in and out, feeling no affection at all.
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She even pondered, “If I had died just now, would he feel guilty for the rest of his life?” Then she mocked herself as she thought, “What’s done is done. What was she still hoping for?”
“Honey, I was so scared just now. Promise me you’ll take better care of yourself, okay? Your life is important to me, and you have to stay
alive.”
Eric held Lina’s hand tightly against his face. She gazed at him for a while. Yes, I should live well–but not for him. For myself. Eric’s phone kept vibrating in his pocket. When it rang for the seventh time, Lina urged him to pick it up. He reluctantly pulled out his phone, and as soon as he saw the caller ID, a hint of panic flashed across his face.
“Go back to sleep. I’ll step out to take this call.”
Somehow, Lina found herself trailing after him. As they reached the end of the corridor, she heard Eric’s soft voice, “Honey, what’s wrong? We just said goodbye–are you missing me already? You’re such a tease.”
Lina stifled her complaints, covering her mouth. Just moments earlier, he’d been worried about her, yet now he was instantly flirting with someone else. She thought, “When did Eric become like this?”
“Alright, I’ll be there soon. Let me show you what happens when you’re naughty. Wait for me. Love you.”
In a state of panic, Lina hurried back to the ward. When Eric returned, his face was apologetic.
“Sorry, honey. Something urgent has come up at work. I’ll have to leave. Can you take a taxi home later?”
Lina wanted to ask him, “What truly matters most to you? Our
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marriage? Our vows? Or just the thrill?” But the words remained unspoken. She nodded in understanding.
“Go ahead. Work is important.”
If Eric had lingered a moment longer, he might have noticed the sorrow and despair in her eyes. But he didn’t. He turned and left in a hurry, forgetting even to say goodbye, eager to answer another woman’s call.
When Lina finally arrived home, it was already late into the night. Eric hadn’t sent any messages. Looking around the empty house, she headed to his study and started packing up everything that belonged to her. If she was leaving, she intended to do so thoroughly–Eric didn’t deserve to retain a single item of hers, not even a strand of hair.
As dawn approached, Lina still couldn’t find sleep. She opened Instagram and saw Bonnie’s latest post right at the top of her feed- Bonnie had tagged her specifically.
“Husband cooked my favorite fish tonight. I’ll have to work extra hard
later!”
Even though the figure in the photo was out of focus, Lina recognized it as Eric. Fish was his specialty dish. So, he cooked for Bonnie too. She realized she wasn’t his only priority anymore.
Beneath the post, there were numerous congratulatory comments.
“Bonnie, if you keep flaunting like this, we’re going to team up and steal your husband!”
“Yeah, give us single folks a break!”
“Wishing you and your hubby a joyful ‘intimate‘ life forever!”
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***
Lina felt like her heart was bleeding, the life draining slowly into the cold floor. The piece of her soul that had cherished Eric was disappearing along with it.
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