Chapter 28

Daniel lay on his bed staring at his ceiling. A sad expression rested on his face as he listened to the sound of the rain.

The stormy weather messed with his mind. The more it rained, the more he remembered Amelia, and the more he realized the great gem that slipped off his grip.

"Ahh," he let out a low breath from his mouth and turned away from the ceiling. He stretched his hand to where Amelia always lay in the past. Feeling the soft mattress under his palm, the tears he had been holding in forcefully rolled down his cheeks.

FLASHBACK:

Daniel's sharp steps halted when he walked into the room. He paused, held the doorknob, and scanned the whole place with his eyes.

Seeing the room empty, accusations filled his eyes. He should have known something would happen between that whore he calls a wife and that perverted doctor.

"Why is she not yet back? She's probably out there crying in the arms of that old hag to gain sympathy and become his mistress," he muttered in conclusion under his breath.

Bitterly, he slammed the door behind him and angrily tore his tie off his neck, flinging it meters away from him.

He took off his business attire and threw them across all edges of the room without regard. Even his socks weren't spared.

As if on time, the doorknob turned open, and Amelia appeared. She froze on the spot when she locked eyes with Daniel.

Daniel scoffed, "You finally decided to leave your lover, and remember your husband," he said, eyes roaming around her body in disgust.

Amelia gulped softly. She shook her head fearfully and closed the door behind her. They were a married couple, and it embarrassed her each time Diana came in, joining their argument and mocking her.

Amelia let out a soft breath and took off her sandals using her feet. "I went to see a doctor. I had a terrible fever this morning," she explained fearfully.

Daniel scanned her appearance, eager to slam her head on the door behind her. "You had a fever…" he muttered, taking steps towards her. "You had a bad headache, and that's why you're dressed like that?"

Amelia's eyes widened in fear. She hurriedly took off her sandals completely and took a step back, almost gluing herself to the door.

She looked at her feet. She wasn't wearing anything wrong, she was dressed exactly how he asked her to dress whenever she stepped out of the house.

What she was wearing was nothing to write home about. She was putting on a long flowing gown, two times her size with a head scarf wrapped around her head and neck, covering her face. She was barely unrecognizable.

She broke no rule, so what happened again? Why was he saying this?

"The result would be out tomorrow," Amelia tried to can't the topic to divert his attention from her outfit. She knew he didn't care what happened to her, but she just needed to bring out a new topic.

She went on, "And then, I stopped by at a grocery store to buy everything we lacked…" Her voice trailed off at the end when Daniel stood directly before her.

She raised her fear-filled gaze and locked eyes with Daniel, causing blood to drain from her face. Her breathing turned uneven, and she asked for breath.

Daniel stared down at her. He leaned in a bit and fixed his piercing hateful gaze into her eyes as if to capture her soul. "How many hours did you spend with the doctor?"

Amelia gulped, "I spent just a few minutes... I left the house a… an hour ago immediately after preparing your meal." she answered with difficulty, her palm turning watery.

Daniel's lips curled into a smile. He brought his left hand to her waist. Using his fingers, he devilishly traced her waistline.

Amelia's lips began to quiver. She had no idea what he would do next. Her hand resting on the door also quivered. In the next second, Daniel's hand on her waist swiftly got a hold of her neck, choking badly.

"I_ argg_" Amelia yelped breathlessly, in pain. Daniel's hand gripping her neck was extremely tight, and the look in his eyes turned beastly.

Amelia gently hit his hand around her neck with both hands. Tears slipped down her face, "Daniel please not today, I'm unwell. Please let this pass," she begged helplessly, her eyes rolling in pain as a result of the tight hold.

Daniel's eyes darkened, "You should have known you were unwell before tempting me," he retorted. He tightened his hold around her neck and forcefully slammed her head on the door.

Amelia turned dizzy. She started her lips to beg but was cut short when Daniel slammed her head on the door again.

She felt thick liquids coming down her head and touching her neck. When she felt the liquid and the scent that wafted her nose, she needed not to touch the liquid to know what it was.

Suddenly, something built up in her, deep down her stomach. She felt like throwing up again, just like in the morning.

A sudden great force came over her, and without a second thought, she pushed Daniel away from her and ran into the bathroom.

Daniel was stunned. He stood frozen for a moment in disbelief and denial, wondering when she began to have so much guts around him.

Recovering from his shock, he ran after her. Getting to the bathroom door, his angry feet halted at the door when he saw her bent over the toilet seat, emptying her stomach.

Daniel's jaw clenched, "Disgusting slump piece." he cursed under his breath and stepped out of the bathroom, slamming the door hard after him.

END OF FLASHBACK:

Daniel gulped softly and turned towards the direction of the bathroom. He gritted his teeth in self-hate, and the puzzles began to fix themselves.

"How could I have been so dumb and ignorant? Even with her great skill at hiding and pretending, there were times the baby wanted to show herself to me, but I was so stupid. I never wanted to pay attention," he commented in tears, remembering a couple of times Amelia would be throwing up in the bathroom, and he walked in unexpectedly.

He staggered from the bed and sat up in tears, "I lost a wife and a family," his body trembled, "I should have known!!!" he screamed in pain, dragged the closest object beside him, which was the lamp, and threw it towards his window.

A loud crashing sound owed his action. A satisfied broken smile covered his lips when he saw the window broken.

"At least I'm not the only one destroyed," he muttered to himself, fell back on his bed, and laughed out loudly with a ripped-out heart.