Chapter 2
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.
11:00
Chapter 2
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.
