A suffocating weight pressed down on my chest. I opened the window to let in fresh air, but it didn’t help. Standing on the balcony, inhaling deeply, the cold wind did little to ease the storm inside me.
After a while, I calmed myself enough to take a screenshot of the group chat before silently exiting. But I remained sitting in the corner of the balcony, lost in my thoughts, until Ferry came home unexpectedly early. He pulled me up from the floor and shut the window.
"It’s the middle of winter. Sitting here with the window open—you’ll get sick," he scolded.
I stared at him, searching his face. He was fussing over me, adjusting my clothes, but something about him felt different. He wasn’t the same as before. Was it guilt? Did he finally feel remorse after what he had done? Repulsed, I sidestepped him, avoiding his touch.
"Don’t touch me."
He froze for a moment before finally meeting my eyes. There was something unreadable in his gaze, and then he said lightly, "It’s because of what happened in the group chat, isn’t it?"
"Karen, didn’t we agree before we got married? We were only doing this to fulfill our parents’ wishes."
"They’re satisfied now. I’m content. So what more do you want?"