Chapter 8
706words
I never imagined how wrong I'd be.
He never forced me to do things I hated, never demanded I adapt to his routines.
When I casually mentioned wanting to resume my medical studies, he arranged for the city's top medical professor to mentor me.
"Is this too much?" I asked him.
Leo Growthn smiled. "I'm just clearing the path."
"How you walk it and where you go—that's entirely up to you. Don't feel burdened."
I was speechless.
I'd studied medicine in college.
After graduation, Evan Growth's germaphobia couldn't handle the smell of disinfectant or my work with "disgusting" viruses. He forced me to decline a research position at the university.
"Don't you love me?" Evan Growth had asked. "If you love me, can't you do this one simple thing?"
I laughed bitterly at the memory.
Nothing is more revealing than comparison.
The butler entered the room.
"Sir, Madam, the younger Mr. Growth is here again."
Leo Growthn's expression darkened as he turned his wheelchair.
I placed my hand on his wheelchair.
"I'll handle this."
Leo Growthn nodded. "Come back soon."
As I stepped outside, Evan Growth rushed forward and grabbed my arm.
"Why won't you see me? Do you know how many times I've tried to find you?"
His eyes were bloodshot, nothing like his usual composed self.
I looked away coldly.
"Evan Growth, have you forgotten I'm your sister-in-law now?"
"Know your place."
The words "sister-in-law" hit him like a slap.
He opened and closed his mouth several times. "You really married him. It wasn't just to hurt me."
I nearly laughed.
"Is that all? If so, please leave."
As I turned away, he grabbed my hand.
"Don't go."
I yanked my hand away, disgusted.
"Let go."
Evan Growth's eyes grew desperate. "Cecilia, please. These past weeks without you—I can't live like this."
"I was wrong. If you don't like my friendship with Lynn Miller, I'll cut her off. Please forgive me."
"Cecilia, I don't believe you just stopped loving me overnight."
I was about to walk away when his words stopped me.
"Overnight?"
I turned back, laughing coldly.
"I did love you. But what did I get in return for five years of devotion?"
"For you, I abandoned my dreams. For you, I ate bland vegetarian food every day. For your germaphobia, I kept my hair short so not a single strand would contaminate your precious space. And what did you do for me? For Lynn Miller, cat hair wasn't a problem. For Lynn Miller, you'd eat from her fingers. For Lynn Miller, you killed our child."
Evan Growth's mouth opened, but no words came.
But he couldn't say a word.
"No one suddenly stops loving someone," I said, staring him down. "Love dies slowly, killed by a thousand cuts. And now? You just make me sick."
"If I could, I'd never see your face again for the rest of my life."
Evan Growth went deathly pale.
I turned to leave.
Suddenly, Evan Growth dropped to his knees.
"I know I was wrong! Please forgive me, Cecilia! I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you!"
"Evan Growth, who do you think you are? You think you can make up for five years of hell?"
A maid passed by carrying a garbage bag. Evan Growth snatched it from her hands.
"I can! I really can make it up to you!"
He began stuffing food scraps into his mouth—meat, vegetables, everything.
Grease dribbled down his chin, staining his pristine shirt.
He crammed garbage into his mouth until his cheeks bulged.
"As long as you forgive me. Cecilia Jones, please—just forgive me."
I watched him coldly, feeling absolutely nothing.
"I once thought I could tolerate anything from you. I believed we'd be together forever. I even dreamed about our child, picturing our perfect little family."
I laughed bitterly.
"But now? It's too late."
"I don't love you anymore, Evan Growth."
Because I no longer loved him, seeing this germaphobic vegetarian covered in filth and garbage stirred nothing in me.
I turned and walked away without hesitation.
Behind me, Evan Growth—face smeared with filth—sobbed until his eyes were raw.
