7
My mom didn’t cry seeing me, nor when she
hugged me. The tears came when she saw
my cracked hands.
I comforted her, as if my wounds weren’t my
own.
Home, in bed, comfort enveloped me.
–
I checked my phone — a sea of notifications.
After blocking him, he’d bombarded me from
numerous numbers.
Where were his shirts? His stomach hurt.
Where was the restaurant he liked? He
couldn’t find a contract.
Liam was misplaced.
He didn’t need a wife, but a meticulously
efficient, emotionless housekeeper.
I was too greedy; I needed more. Being a
housekeeper, at least, pays. Years of devotion
yielded nothing.
I’m an investment specialist, and this was a
high–risk, low–return situation. I couldn’t
understand how I’d tolerated it for seven
years.
Perhaps the pain was too great, so I
convinced myself of minor acts of love.
He’d served me food, handed me an umbrella,
picked me up from work… proof that he
cared.
Each breath felt like a sharp pain. I pulled out
my SIM card, snapped it in half.
Back home, I joined my parents‘ company.
After a settling–in period, I excelled. I quickly
became a renowned investment professional.
At Liam’s company, I was his assistant,
handling every menial task – from delivering
documents to making coffee.
He ignored my capabilities, pigeonholing me.
My ambitions were far greater, but Liam
constantly undermined my confidence. “Do
you understand investments? Just be my
assistant. Your salary’s enough to live on.”
It wasn’t about the money. It was about my
dreams.
In his arrogance, he’d forgotten I’d once
saved his company from a stock market crash
caused by his poor decisions.
Months into my career, my mom started
–
setting me up on blind dates successful
men in my field. She wanted me to move on,
and I didn’t resist.
One evening, while strolling along the
riverbank with a handsome blonde, I saw
Liam. He burst from the shadows, saw our
hands clasped, and punched my date.
He looked older, with a scraggly beard and
dark circles under his eyes.
Liam had thrown a brutal punch. I pulled him
off, sending my date away.
I dragged Liam to a quieter spot. Before I
could speak, he started.
