” <
Lwe have to go to the family nome.j
[Okay, should I bring anything?]
A moment later, a bank notification popped
- up. The money he’d transferred was enough.
to pay for a small vacation. He replied: [It’s up
to you.]
That’s when I knew Ben would never love me.
I was an employee, not a wife.
But I was okay with that. Contract marriage is
what it is. I could spend his money however I
pleased.
Things got slightly better after we stayed at
his family’s estate. To appease the elders, he
had to share a bed. I was pretty sure he
wouldn’t touch me. But, then my mother–in-
<
law’s soup had some… special ingredients.
Ben started by saying “Sorry,” then he asked
“Is this okay?”
He ended by saying, “Tell me if it’s too
much.”
I put up with it for as long as I could, “Excuse
me…this is a bit much, I think.”
“Sorry.” he apologized quickly.
“It’s okay,” I replied, even though it wasn’t.
…Much later, I asked, “Why aren’t you
stopping?”
Ben finally looked up at me, hesitating, but he
leaned down and kissed me, just a peck.
<
Much later, I understood what had driven him.
that night.
Chloe had a boyfriend overseas, and it was
the night they went public.
When I found out I was pregnant, I sent Ben
the ultrasound report.
He replied after a long time: [Congrats.]
Then, five hours later he finally figured things
out. A transfer came into my account. [You’re
doing a great job.]
Six months later, our son, Ryan, was born.
He was a good father, setting up trusts to
cover his education, healthcare, and expenses
for the rest of his life.
<
Life went on.
