I showered, came out of the bathroom, and went into the bedroom to lie on the bed. My mind alternated between the slap marks on Tang Jia's butt and that mysterious text message, leaving me feeling uneasy. Before Tang Jia's promotion, our married life was harmonious, with at least two high-quality sex sessions a week, often initiated by Tang Jia. But around the time of her promotion, she became somewhat distant towards me, her body seemingly rejecting me.
Just as I was daydreaming, Tang Jia, naked, entered the bedroom. She smiled at me, placed her hands on the edge of the bed, and slowly crawled towards me. As she approached me, she asked, "Honey, how are you going to ravage me tonight?"
The words were so exciting, like a spark in a pile of dry wood, instantly igniting my desire. I pushed Tang Jia onto the bed, my crotch facing her sexy mouth, and gritted my teeth, saying, "Fuck! I'm going to fuck you tonight!"
"Come on, let's see who surrenders!" Tang Jia challenged, unwilling to be outdone.
I stopped talking and began my warm-up exercises, lowering my head to take Tang Jia's cherry in my mouth...
That night, I had a satisfying meal as I'd hoped. Having sex with Tang Jia eased my doubts, but the thorn remained buried in my heart, unable to be dislodged. I grew suspicious and paranoid, constantly feeling that Tang Jia had changed her mind. My intuition told me that it was only a matter of time before she cheated.
Tang Jia continued to work overtime, coming home later and later, seemingly busy every day. My suspicions grew, and I tentatively stalked Tang Jia several times, even finding excuses to pick her up from her workplace at night. I discovered clues. My suspicions also made Tang Jia irritable, and we argued frequently.
Besides stalking Tang Jia, I repeatedly called the phone she'd texted from, using different numbers, but no one answered. A few days later, I called the number again, but it was disconnected. Who could be the owner of this phone? Was it really just a prank with ulterior motives?
I suspected it, but I couldn't find any real evidence. Without direct proof, I became increasingly narrow-minded.
Until one day, I found an abortion notice in Tang Jia's bag. It said she was three months pregnant. Seeing it was like a bolt of lightning. My mind went blank, and I was practically petrified.
We'd been married for five years, and we even had a house and a car in Shenzhen, a first-tier city. The only thing we didn't have was the fruit of our love—a child. It wasn't that I didn't want one. In fact, my parents had been urging us to have children so they could have grandchildren. But Tang Jia always prioritized her career and refused to conceive, claiming she wasn't considering children before she turned 30. So, she always insisted I use safe sex. The only exception was the night I received that mysterious text message. She didn't ask for contraception. But that was days earlier, so it didn't match the three-month mark.
This child couldn't be mine, so it had to be someone else's. This bitch, she'd been cheating on me for a long time. Even if the child was mine, what right did she have to abort it without consulting me? This was both contempt and an insult to me.
Thinking back to that mysterious text message threatening to murder my husband, my mind raced, unable to calm down. I sat there, clueless, with the abortion order in hand from noon until dusk.
Before this, I had noticed signs of pregnancy in Tang Jia: frequent retching, a noticeable decrease in appetite, and obvious signs of pregnancy. Secretly delighted, I asked her if she was pregnant, but she flatly denied it, explaining that she was feeling unwell after eating unclean food. Doubtful, I wanted to take her to the hospital for a checkup, but she refused.
Is Tang Jia pregnant? This question tormented me for days. Tired of my incessant questions, Tang Jia requested a three-day business trip to Shanghai.
Three days later, Tang Jia returned from her business trip in Shanghai. Her nausea and retching had subsided, and she had a smile on her face. However, she was visibly weak and pale, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness. Seeing her so frail, I assumed she must be exhausted from the trip, so I became even more attentive to her, preparing her favorite meals for her every day after get off work.
However, Tang Jia always came home late, and the meals were cold by the time she got home, leaving me no chance to make amends.
What really irritated me was that for several nights in a row, when I signaled my desire for sex, she refused, claiming she wasn't feeling well.
She wasn't like this before; she almost always obliged, and our relationship was relatively harmonious. But since she got a promotion and a raise, her work has become even busier, and she's often working overtime, and our relationship has almost completely ceased.
Tang Jia's erratic behavior made me suspicious. Was she becoming increasingly displeased with me? She was avoiding even the most basic marital interactions, even showing disgust and repulsion when I touched her. So many questions swirled in my mind that needed answers.
But the abortion certificate clearly stated that the abortion took place at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital, on the very day she was on a business trip to Shanghai. It turned out she wasn't on a business trip at all; she was having the abortion at the hospital.
As the sky darkened, I didn't even turn on the lights, chain-smoking, waiting for Tang Jia to come back so I could confront her about whose bastard she was carrying! Damn it! I love her so much, I've treated her so well, and she's cheating on me! How can this be tolerated?
I waited until after eleven o'clock before Tang Jia returned, reeking of alcohol. Had this bitch been out with her lover again? It had only been a few days since the abortion, and she was already drinking. A man truly disregards his own body for this.
When Tang Jia turned on the light and smelled the stench of smoke filling the room, while I sat on the sofa smoking like an idiot, she froze for a moment and asked impatiently, "Why are you smoking so much without turning on the light? It's pitch black. What's going on?"
I stubbed my cigarette out in the ashtray, opened the balcony window, pointed to the sofa across from me, and said, "Tang Jia, come sit here. I have something to ask you."
"What's wrong, honey? Why are you so serious? What happened?" Tang Jia changed into slippers and sat down across from me. Unlike her usual cold and impatient demeanor, she looked at me tenderly.
The more she acted like this, the more I felt Tang Jia was guilty. My heart ached, and I became even more certain that she was cheating on me.
I picked up the abortion certificate from the coffee table and handed it to Tang Jia. With a sullen look on my face, I stared at her intently and asked, "What's going on? Explain it to me."
Seeing the certificate, Tang Jia's face was filled with astonishment. A flicker of panic flashed across her eyes, and her expression suddenly darkened. She blurted out, "Where did you get this?"
"Don't worry about where it came from. I just want to ask you, why didn't you admit you were pregnant and secretly abort the baby yourself?" I asked coldly, anger raging inside. Seeing Tang Jia's stunned expression, my heart ached.
Tang Jia was silent for several minutes, her head bowed, and she remained silent for a long time. Silence was tantamount to acquiescence, and the humiliation I felt inside only grew stronger.
"Tell me, why?" I demanded angrily, my emotions on the verge of losing control.
Tang Jia raised her head, looked at me with a somber gaze, and said softly, "Fang Wen, calm down. Calm down and I'll explain."
"Calm down! Tell me why you aborted the child." I pulled another cigarette from the pack, lit it, and took a deep drag. My hands were shaking with emotion.
Tang Jia said softly, "I'm sorry, husband. The child is yours. I absolutely have never cheated. The reason I refused to acknowledge my pregnancy and secretly had the abortion was because this is a period of rapid growth in my career. I've just taken over the Finance Department, and I'm overwhelmed with work. The daily pressure is immense, physically and mentally draining. If I go ahead and have the baby now, I'll definitely lose my position as Finance Manager. The company won't fire me, but my career will stagnate with the arrival of the child.
This promotion is very important to me. I can't let pregnancy jeopardize my future at this critical moment. It was wrong of me to have the abortion without your knowledge, and I didn't want to upset you. We have a high monthly mortgage, and we just bought a car. Your income isn't high, and we're under so much financial pressure. I really can't give up my career to go home and take care of the baby. I hope you can understand."
After hearing Tang Jia's words, my anger slowly subsided, and instead, a pang of guilt welled up in my heart. Indeed, Tang Jia is the backbone of our family. Her parents provided the down payment for the house before we got married, and Tang Jia pays the mortgage every month. My monthly salary was only a little over 4,000 yuan, while Tang Jia's monthly income was up to 25,000 yuan after she became a financial manager. Because my career hadn't progressed much, I felt ashamed in this family.
Slowly, I began to calm down. Tang Jia had a point. Our family's food and clothing depended on her. If I lost my current job, my meager income wouldn't even cover the monthly mortgage payments, let alone basic living expenses.
"I'm sorry, it's not that I don't want this child, but it's the wrong timing. I know you're sad, but I promise, once I work for another two years and earn enough to cover the mortgage, we'll have a baby. Okay?" Tang Jia said gently, her tone sincere.
I thought to myself: In a first-tier city like Shenzhen, the cost of living is too high, and even working-class people wouldn't dare have children easily. Although I still had doubts, I could accept her reasoning.
I nodded and said, "Okay, I understand your difficulties. What makes me angry is that you refused to tell me you were pregnant. Even if you had discussed it with me, I would have agreed. You taking such a big decision on your own is really hurtful to my pride."
"Are you okay, honey? I'm not angry anymore. I've already apologized. I'll go take a shower and wait for you in bed." Tang Jia smiled, as bright as the sun breaking through the clouds, and my depressed mood instantly lifted.
Tang Jia was a nearly perfect woman, with fair skin, delicate features like porcelain, two rows of white teeth, and a particularly charming smile. She was 1.7 meters tall, with a curvaceous figure, ample breasts and a rounded hip, and especially her long legs that captivated me. Before and after our marriage, every time I saw her, I couldn't help but want to pounce on her and give her a warm hug.
Tang Jia was not only beautiful, but also virtuous and generous. She was also very kind to my parents, who were absolutely delighted with her. When I got married, I was a broke kid. My salary was less than half of Tang Jia's, and I was basically living paycheck to paycheck. So, Tang Jia's family didn't even ask for a dowry. It was like I'd found a beautiful, rich woman for free, so I've always doted on her.
The next day, at lunch at the office, my colleague Liang Tian sat across from me with his food bowl. He looked at me, head bowed, and gave me a mysterious, sinister smile.
"What are you laughing at? When you smile, I know it's not good news. Let's talk it over first. Except for borrowing money, everything else is easy to talk about." I raised my head and gave Liang Tian a stern look.
Liang Tian chuckled and said, "Don't underestimate me, Brother Fang. I really won't borrow money from you this time. There's just something I've been hesitant about whether to tell you, and I'm afraid you'll be angry."
"What could possibly make me angry? I'm most angry about you not paying me back the thousand yuan you borrowed from me last time," I said angrily. This guy lives paycheck to paycheck, always running out of money at the end of the month. He's borrowed from everyone in the company.
Liang Tian lowered his head guiltily and said, "I'll definitely pay you back after I get my salary. Brother Fang, I have something to tell you. A few days ago, I saw my sister-in-law in the hospital. A man accompanied her to the obstetrics and gynecology department for an abortion. I was wondering why it wasn't you who accompanied my sister-in-law for the abortion, but another man."
Hearing this, I felt like I'd been struck by lightning. My head almost exploded. Another man had accompanied Tang Jia for the abortion? Who was this man?