From Wife to Aunt: His Worst Nightmare novel Chapter 18

Chapter 18

From that moment on, there was no longer any need for Steve and me to communicate with each other.

I thought I had figured it out and let go. But that night, I couldn’t sleep again.

As I was wide awake, I scrolled through Instagram aimlessly. Soon, I saw a post from Isabel. The photo showed her crouching on the ground in an airy pink dress, hugging the white Labrador with puffed cheeks as she made a cute face.

The caption was, “The dog has diarrhea, so we have to delay returning home. Any recommendations for animal hospitals in Beyer Island?”

She just published the post minutes ago, but it already had hundreds of comments.

Some people praised Isabel for being beautiful, while others praised her for being kind- hearted. Others recommended animal hospitals in Beyer Island…

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. How utterly ironic this was.

In Steve’s heart, my child and I weren’t even as important as Isabel’s dog. So this was the reason he had broken his promise and delayed his return.

I tossed and turned in bed, telling myself over and over not to think about it. But I felt as if a heavy weight was pressing down on my chest, and I could barely breathe.

I wanted to call Juliet and vent, but it was already very late. Besides, this kind of incident might happen again frequently in the future. I had to learn how to save myself. I couldn’t rely on my best friend every single time.

So, I sat back down at my desk and turned on my computer.

A sudden idea came to me–I would write a novel. I would use writing to release the depressive feelings in my heart and to record my marriage with Steve in words. It was also a way to say goodbye to the past 25 years of my life.

I registered for a new account using the pen name, “Unending Night”.

It mirrored the endless nights I had lived through over the past three years. I had lived through so many dark nights, but they never seemed to end.

Perhaps because of my background as a journalist, I was used to writing. Putting words together and narrating experiences wasn’t difficult for me.

X CLOSE

Chapter 18

I wrote until 2:00 am. When the drowsiness started settling in, I went to bed.

2/3

Early the next morning, I was woken by my phone ringing.

It was my adoptive mother calling me. She said it had been a long time since Steve and I had visited her and Dad. So, she asked me to bring him along for a meal.

I said, “Mom, Steve can’t make it today. He…”

My voice trailed off. I hesitated, not wanting to upset them.

Then, I made up an excuse. “He’s on a business trip abroad. I don’t think he’ll be back yet.”

Mom replied warmly, “You can still come even if he can’t. I’ve missed you.”

I thought about it for a moment. It really had been a while since I had gone home, so I agreed.

By noon, Mom had already prepared a full table of dishes when I arrived at the Yaxley

residence.

Seeing the various gifts I was holding, she smiled and said, “Silly girl, you’re coming back to your own home. Why are you being such a stranger? Go wash your hands and ask your dad to come down for lunch.”

When I went to the study, Dad was playing chess by himself.

He sighed regretfully and said, “Has Steve been very busy lately? I haven’t seen him in a long time. I was hoping to play a few rounds of chess with him.”

The warmth and expectations my parents held toward Steve made me swallow all the truth back down. Even if I told them about this shattered marriage, what could they really do?

They hadn’t given birth to me, but they had raised me. I didn’t want to burden them with

more worry.

So, I said, “I’ll make sure he finds time to come play chess with you when he comes home.”

At the dining table, it was just the three of us.

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