(02
I silently got out of the wedding dress and changed my clothes. I wrapped my body tightly in a blanket. When I thought Jimmy recent indifferent and disdain in his eyes, I could not hold back any longer so I covered my face and sobbed.
Be the time Jimmy emerged from the bathroom, I had already sleeping. The ill–fitting wedding dress had been folded and put back into its box on the nightstand.
Without a second thought, Jimmy picked up the box and with his face twisted with disgust, threw it out of the
room.
When he turned around, he met with my red swollen teary eyes.
He frowned a bit and pulled a bracelet from his jacket pocket then slipped it onto my wrist without a word.
“I drank too much earlier, so my tone was harsh,” he said. His voice sounded more annoyed than apologetic. “Take this bracelet as a peace offering. Are you happy now?”
He looked down at me. There was a trace of annoyance in his voice, when he said, “Wipe your face! Don’t you know you look like a mess when you are crying? Your face swelled like a sow. Don’t you know you’re making me
sick?”
Though I had prepared myself for this, his look of disgust cut deeper than I’d expected.
I raised my hand and watched the bracelet glint under the harsh light. Within minutes, my skin began to break
out in a red rash.
I calmly took off the bracelet and was about to throw the bracelet into the trash when Jimmy’s complexion
turned grim. It seemed he thought I was in a foul mood over what had happened earlier.
“Debbie, don’t push your luck. If you keep acting like this, you’ll see where it gets you,” he warned.
With a bitter smile, I held up my wrist, to show him the red rash. “Did you forget I’m allergic to metal? I’d rather not end up in the hospital.”
His breathing grew heavy and after a moment’s pause, he suddenly exploded in anger, “What’s with that attitude? you think I gave you fake jewelry on purpose?”
“I thought you’d just lost a leg, but it seems you lost your mind too. Maybe I should take you in for a full check–up and see if there’s a pig brain in there.”
He did not care in the slightest whether I was feeling embarrassed or not. His cold gaze fell on my swollen, scarred leg.
“What right do you have to act up? You’re a cripple and not only do I support you, but I’m supposed to indulge
“What right do you have to act up? You’re a cripple and not only do I support you, but I’m supposed to indulge
you too?”
He crossed his arms while looking at me from the side as if waiting for me to break down, to cry and beg him to forgive me as I’d done so many times before.
Barely able to disguise the tremble in my voice, I finally reminded him, “I lost my leg because I saved you Hearing this, anger flashed in Jimmy’s eyes as he retorted, “What do you mean by that? You think I owe you endless gratitude for that?”
I took a deep breath, ready to respond, but his phone suddenly rang
He glanced at it and in an instant, his expression softened, his face radiating warmth.
After a few quick taps on the screen, his eyes turned icy again as he looked back at me. “Think about your attitude. I work hard to support you, I do not appreciate to come home and be treated like this
He threw me a final, cold look before slamming the door on his way out
He hadn’t even gone far when I heard him laugh. His laughter was a genuine, unrestrained one that I hadn’t heard in so long. Around me, he always wore a mask of indifference, his rare smiles were more of a begrudging charity than anything else.
With trembling hands, I picked up my phone. The moment I opened my notifications, I saw a new alert on Instagram that caught my eye.
