"What on earth are you up to, Aaliyah... What are you up to?" Her lips quivered, and her gaze flickered, complex and unreadable. She was used to my gentleness, my tranquility. She must not have expected that I could also be this cunning.
"Were you not prepared for this when you hurt me? Did you not think about what would happen when I woke up, when I started collecting my dues? Don't worry, today I only invited him over to hear what you've been saying." I attempted to soothe her, but I could see that my words had the opposite effect.
Her eyes constricted, and she wrapped her arms around herself, fidgeting nervously, clearly feeling vulnerable.
I glanced at her nonchalantly, "Whether he's behind all this is simply a matter of my word against yours. If I say you did it, then you did it. Do you think he'd take the blame for you? Or would you take the fall for him? ...Either suits me fine! After all, I'm certain Jaylan will be grateful. We still have to live our lives!"
"Aaliyah, how... how did you find out about all this?" Zora blurted out mindlessly.
I ignored her, my gaze intense, "Zora, let me be honest with you. I can forgive Jaylan because he’s the father of my child, and I can't leave my child without a father.
I can tolerate his mistakes because the cost of divorce is too high. For money, Jaylan would definitely submit to me, and I can keep his social status. But you…”
I paused, looking at her as if pondering something. Zora swallowed nervously, perhaps still harboring some hope.
I shook my head, quite resolute, "No! If you hadn't gone after my child, I wouldn't have rushed things. We've lived together for eight years, and I hadn't planned on wiping you out completely. I could have turned a blind eye and let you live. But you were cruel enough to harm a child, so you can't blame me for what comes next!"
In reality, I said all this to give Jaylan the illusion that I could bear his mistakes for the sake of our child. Divorce would be too much hassle, too much loss. This was the harsh truth everyone knew.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Crises in Love (Zora and Jaylan)