"After every time with him, I just take the pill. It's not like I ever planned to have his child."
"What the hell!"
The group gasped, and Claire exploded beside me. "You've put up with that?"
The sunlight pierced my eyes, so sharp it hurt. A laugh broke from my throat, bitter and cracked.
Laughing, until the tears spilled over.
"Ridiculous, isn't it?" My voice shook. "She even said she wanted to be childfree with me."
For three years, Serina and I had tried again and again to conceive, but she never once became pregnant.
I always thought the problem was mine. Not once did I doubt her.
She was so gentle, so tender, always whispering to me, "Marvin, it's okay. We can live as a DINK couple. Just the two of us forever. You're all I need."
But now I see the truth.
The only joke in this story—was me.
Beckett's laughter still echoed in my ears.
"Having a bestie is a thousand times better than marriage—no bride price, and I still get all the benefits. Tsk, what kind of good karma did I rack up in my past life?"
Enough. I'd had enough.
I stood up, refusing to watch that nauseatingly warm and cozy scene a moment longer, and walked away.