Chapter 4

Julian grabbed my shoulder hard.

"What the hell is wrong with you? This is my client! Apologize to Mr. Wilson right now!"

"Mr. Wilson, I'm so sorry. She has mental issues, please don't mind her..."

I wiped my tears and looked straight at Julian.

"Julian, I have a mental illness, but that doesn't mean I am useless."

"You work hard every day, but I've been running my online shop and doing freelance work too."

"I am contributing to our home!"

"Why do you have to call me a burden?"

The man on the other end of the line lost his patience.

"Forget it, Julian. You can't even manage your own wife. Don't bother showing up for this project."

"You two can sort out your own mess. Don't come this afternoon."

Julian tried to speak, but the call went dead.

His eyes were terrifyingly red. He suddenly pushed me away with immense force.

When I fell to the ground, he panicked and reached out to help me, but I flinched away.

My knees were scraped, and blood was oozing out.

But the pain in my chest was ten thousand times worse than my knees.

Julian's chest heaved. He finally pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Do you have any idea how many all-nighters I pulled for this project? How much overtime I worked? And you ruined it with one sentence."

He pointed at me, his voice piercing my ears.

"Who hasn't struggled? Emily drank three cups of coffee a day during exams. I lived on instant ramen when I started my business."

"Why didn't we get depressed? You're just drama!"

"Don't try to scare me with suicide anymore. Next time you want to die, do it somewhere else. Don't dirty my house!"

After that, Julian and I entered a cold war.

He came home very late every day. He went straight to the study without even looking at me.

On the coffee table in the living room lay a credit card. That was my monthly allowance.

Other than that, we lived in two different worlds. No connection.

Two weeks later, he stopped coming home altogether.

During those days, my headaches grew worse. When people spoke, it sounded like they were shouting through thick glass. I even started forgetting what I had just read.

A few times, I wandered to abandoned buildings, half-conscious, wanting to just jump and end it all.

The day I stood outside the safety railing, a black-and-white stray cat ran over. It wrapped its tail around my leg.

I thought, Maybe it doesn't want me to die.

So, I brought it home. I named him Phoenix.

With Phoenix around, the days didn't seem so unbearable.

One day, Emily showed up at our house again.

"Julian has been in a horrible mood lately."

"He won't even reply to my texts. Did your pathetic, depressing self do this to him?"

I ignored her insults and kept stroking Phoenix's fur.

She suddenly leaned in closer.

"Have you ever wondered why you've tried everything for years but could never get pregnant?"

"The supplements Julian gives you every month? They're birth control pills. He's terrified you'll pass your crazy genes down to a kid."

My head went numb. I instinctively snapped back, "That's impossible. Julian loves kids. Stop trying to mess with my head."

"Impossible? If you don't believe me, go to the hospital and get tested. See if you can ever have kids in this lifetime."

The last bit of my self-delusion shattered.

Seeing my pale face, Emily smiled triumphantly.

"What was the point of getting good grades in school, Georgina?"

"You're still a nobody. Living like a piece of trash."

Before she could say another word, Phoenix suddenly pounced on her.

"Get off me, you filthy beast!"

Emily screamed, clutching her bleeding arm.

Just as I picked Phoenix up, Julian walked through the door.