Before she left the house, Ruby dug into the trash can and fished out the used condom that she and Austin used last night. She waved it teasingly in front of me, then dropped it into my bowl of chicken soup.
Though Austin saw what she had done, he did not say anything nor rebuke her. He just pinched her nose playfully and then said to me, "Sweetheart, let your husband feed you your breakfast."
I cast down my eyes and stared at the condom floating in the chicken soup. My lips twisted into a bitter smile as I said, "I don't want to. I'm not hungry."
"You must eat, Baby. Your body is weak after the miscarriage. Be a good girl and eat something." He kept coaxing me to eat and insistently brought the spoon filled with chicken soup to my lips. "Be a good girl and take a bite, okay?"
His tone reminded me of the mornings when he had patiently urged me to eat breakfast. For days, he coaxed me to eat. At that time, I thought he cared about my health and wanted to nourish my body but I had never imagined he would ....
My eyes burned with unshed tears as I pressed my lips together and refused again, "I said, I'm not eating!"