People always say that when a woman finds out she is expecting her first child, the joy she experiences is immeasurable. This joy, like a branded mark, etches deep in her heart, evoking feelings of happiness each day of her life when she reminisces. For me, however, the day I confirmed that I was carrying Ethan child is unforgettable. Not unforgettable out of happiness, but utter despair.
"Mother, may... may I discuss something with you?" After dinner, I washed fruits, meticulously cut them into small pieces, and served them to my mother-in-law. Once I noticed her satisfied munching, I dared to sit next to her, carefully asking. I knew my mother-in-law didn't like me. So, for my part, all I could do was try to please her as much as possible, make her happy. Regardless, no matter how hard I tried, she never acknowledged my efforts.
"What is it now?" Sure enough, the very moment I spoke, her face hardened. "Don’t you know your position in the Yin family? 'Discuss'? Look at yourself, what gives you the right to even utter the word 'discuss'?" The mother-in-law's taunts always hit hard. She didn't even bother to hide it from the servants cleaning the room around us. I bit my lip, painfully aware of the low chuckles coming from the servants. In their eyes, my role as the Brown family's young mistress hardly differs from being a mere maid.
"Mother, I apologize, it was improper of me." Despite her reprimands, I had to speak up. So, with a hardened determination, I stood next to her and softly asked, "I've been feeling unwell these past few days, may I go to the hospital tomorrow?"
"Unwell? Aren't you a nursing student? Can't you look after yourself?" Her already harsh voice took on an unmistakably sarcastic tone. "You got your current position by pleasing Ethan's grandmother with your nursing skills. Now you're saying that you're feeling unwell and want to go out to see a doctor? Willow Smith, I never realized you were so cunning!" At her verbal onslaught, words failed me. I didn't know what to say, where to go next. In reality, my mother-in-law wasn't wrong. I wasn't the chosen daughter-in-law of the Yin family; instead, I was "air-dropped" by Grandma Brown. Because of this, the man whose allure surpassed the brightness of the night stars never even gave me a second glance. Yes, I am in love with Ethan , but Ethan doesn't love me. However, I feel content to simply stay by his side. As long as I carry out my duties as a wife, perhaps one day he would see me for who I am? I guess that day would be the day when all my hardships pay off.
"You said you want to go out tomorrow? It's not a problem," his mother finally said after I'd been standing hunched over next to her for quite a while. "But if you do go out, don't come back before nine o'clock tomorrow night. Ethan is coming home, we are having guests for dinner."
Ethan is coming back tomorrow? I am surprised, my heart starts to race like a frisky deer. It's been over two months since Ethan went on a business trip. Though he has always been cold towards me, I'm still overjoyed to the brim by the thought of seeing him again after more than two months. The day after, I get my test results from the Women's and Children's Health Hospital. Reading the black characters on the white paper, I feel like my heart is about to jump out of my chest. I'm pregnant, truly pregnant! After all the years of our marriage, I am finally having a child with Ethan ! Every time I meet with my grandmother, she would always ask when she could hold a great-grandchild in her arms. I could only make excuses—Ethan seldom sleeps with me, it's not like I can have a child whenever I want. But now, my wish has finally been granted. Today is also the day Ethan returns home. I wonder, if he finds out about this child, would his attitude towards me change a bit? Feeling absolutely overjoyed, I cradle my belly—how I wish I could rush home right now to share the good news with Ethan and my parents-in-law. I completely forgot about my mother-in-law's instruction last night—not to return before nine o'clock. When I finally get home, there's nobody in the living room on the first floor. I take out my phone to check the time; it should be around the time for my mother-in-law to have her afternoon nap, right? After a busy morning, I, too, long for a rest in my bedroom. As soon as I settle on the idea, I head straight upstairs towards my bedroom. When I was about to reach the bedroom, I noticed that the door had already been cracked open slightly. A faint light was seeping out, along with some rustling noises. Could it be that Ethan had already come home? Just thinking about seeing the person I'd been missing for so long made my heart flutter. I suppressed the surge of excitement in my heart and walked briskly to the door. However, when I reached it, the sounds emanating from the room weren't as I expected. It was the voice of a woman talking. Why would there be the voice of a woman in our bedroom, the room Ethan and I shared? Moreover, the voice sounded vaguely familiar; yet, the voices of the duo speaking were not loud, and the woman seemed to be cooing in a coquettish manner. The door muffling the sounds made it tricky to discern, and I couldn't recall where I had heard this woman's voice before. However, I distinctly caught her next words. "Ethan, do you love me?" Her voice was extraordinarily clear and captivating. Not only would it charm any man, even I had to admit it was pleasing to the ear. Yet coupled with what she was saying, it was awfully grating. "How could I not love you? You are the only person I've loved in this lifetime." Hearing these words from a familiar voice felt like a bucket of icy water had been thrown on me in the heat of summer. I felt chills run down from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. My husband, in our marital room, is telling another woman, "You are the only person I've loved in this lifetime." I looked down at the crumpled lab report in my hand, and suddenly the four characters "eight weeks pregnant" seemed to pierce my eyes. No one could understand how badly I wanted to escape at this moment. However, just as I was about to flee in despair, the voice from inside the room made me halt. "The wall has your wedding photo hung on it. It's so annoying to look at!" the woman's whiny voice echoed. "Then don't look at it. I'll prove to you that you're the one I love..." Hearing the sounds of kisses and clothes rustling inside the room, I couldn't bear the rage welling up inside me any longer and pushed open the door to charge in.
