At my engagement party, a pretty, dark–skinned woman stepped forward and presented a striking gift.
A double–lined pregnancy test.
Everyone laughed and made light–hearted jokes. Everyone except my fiancé, Miles Vaughn, quietly put the test kit away, smoothing it out as if it were precious.
After the party ended, Miles seemed dazed, lost in thought.
“That night… I thought it was you, so I just…”
He tried to explain, “Don’t worry, Luna. She’s a foreigner, so she won’t care about things like having a child outside marriage here. I’ll have the child call you mom, how about that?”
I quietly looked at him without saying a word.
‘But Monica is pregnant, after all. She’s got cravings. I remember you studied abroad, so you know how to cook a balance meal, right? You will cook for her, okay? I don’t have much time these days. Just Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I’ll take her out to eat on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.”
I smiled and nodded. But as I turned around, I bumped straight into a firm, muscular chest.
It was Miles’s younger brother. His tan skin was warm and his eyes shimmered with tears.
‘Sis,” he said pitifully, “what about me? Don’t you want me?”
The words left my mouth before I could stop them. “Yes, I want you… every night.”
That night, Miles brought Monica home.
The moment I walked in, I saw Monica sitting on a yoga ball in just a bikini, doing exercises while drenched in fragrant sweat.
Miles stood behind her, holding her by the waist with both hands, occasionally letting out strange, ambiguous moans.
‘So provocative.”
Suddenly, Miles gave Monica a firm pinch.
‘What part of me is provocative?”
‘Your armpit.”
‘You’re saying I’m gross? Fine, come here and smell it!”
The two of them burst into laughter as Monica stuffed her armpit into his face.
My father stood awkwardly nearby, watching with concern.
“Easy now, Monica, careful of the baby.”
Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. They looked like a cheerful, loving family. I was the only one who did not belong.
Perhaps my cold sneer was too obvious. Finally, someone noticed my presence, and they paused.
12:34 pm
I had not said a word, but Miles was already on the defensive, acting like I was the unreasonable
one.
“We were just doing yoga. Don’t be so narrow–minded. Try being more open, like Monica.”
He continued as if nothing had happened.
“So, sniffing each other’s armpits is part of being open–minded now?”
My heart, already in pieces, stopped beating for a moment. My voice was calm but laced with bitterness.
At last, Miles frowned and pulled back slightly.
“I’m in a good mood today. I don’t want to argue with you.”
Miles always did this. Whenever something happened, he would give me the cold shoulder, waiting for me to approach him first and back down.
But truth be told, I had always enjoyed such mistreatment.
The atmosphere had clearly grown tense, but Monica kept laughing beside him like nothing had happened.
“Hey, Lulu’s been busy with the engagement party all day and hasn’t had anything to eat. I just learned a new dish, so let me cook for you guys.”
“What can you possibly cook with your skills? Luna is far better in the kitchen than you. Let her do it,” Miles said, cutting her off before she could even get up. He pushed her gently back down into her seat.
Then, he began naming one dish after another, all of Monica’s favorites.
When he looked up again, he raised his chin slightly, signaling me to head into the kitchen. It was his usual tactic as if he were offering me a chance to make up for my earlier outburst.
But this time, I was not going to yield. I turned and walked straight into the kitchen. And then, I smashed every single pot I had used over the past three years.
Miles’s face darkened instantly. “Luna Westbrook, I’m starting to think you really don’t want to marry me.”
My father stepped in front of me, but instead of shielding me, he leaned toward the outsiders with his tone and words.
‘Lulu, why are you in such a bad mood? Can’t you think about the bigger picture? In the end, isn’t Monica’s child going to call you mom anyway?”
“You have disease and can’t conceive. You should be thankful to Monica for bearing a child, someone who’ll take care of you in your old age.”
