Don't Come Home

In an instant, I went from being the optimistic, cheerful, and warmhearted Lily to a sharp-tongued, violent lunatic.

Aiden looked at me like I was insane. His expression only fueled my rage.

I grabbed a pillow and hurled it at his face. "Get out!"

Aiden slowly smoothed down his disheveled hair and stood up.

His voice was calmer this time. "You're too upset to have a rational conversation. I'll leave for now. As for Derrick pushing you, he already apologized to me. You can't really blame him. He doesn't know you. You suddenly rushed in and startled Skyla so badly that she got hurt. He was just standing up for her.

"Skyla's forehead was burned, and it left a scar. But she's not planning to hold you responsible, so you don't have to worry. In any case, this whole situation isn't as ugly as you think.

"Just take some time to calm down. If you still can't get past this, then no matter how you choose to punish me, I won't complain."

He bent down, picked up the pillow, placed it back on the bed, and turned to leave the hospital room.

…

I lay in the hospital for three days, my mind clouded in a haze. I drifted in and out of sleep, jolting awake each time.

Every time I opened my eyes, I needed a few seconds to figure out whether I was in a nightmare or reality.

My mom came to visit me. She told me that Aiden called her, explained everything in detail, and asked her to come take care of me.

She stroked my face and sighed. "He sincerely admitted his mistake. He swore that nothing actually happened between him and that woman.

"Lily, remember how you used to be obsessed with celebrities? You wrote whole notebooks full of love letters to them. Just think of it like that."

I shook my head. "It's not the same."

"But getting yourself worked up like this isn't worth it. If you won't think of yourself, at least think of Chloe."

Then, my mother-in-law, Martha Mattison, and sister-in-law, Amelia Spencer, dropped by. They sat on either side of my hospital bed.

Martha smiled and said, "Of course, Aiden was in the wrong for this. But you know, he's always been the type women are drawn to. And now that he's successful, it's only natural that some opportunistic women will target him.

"In a way, it's good that this happened. It gave you a wake-up call before things got out of hand."

Amelia sipped her iced black coffee and said, "Lily, I'm not just saying this to defend my brother, but Aiden is a sentimental person. He's got a solid character.

"Honestly, he might've been set up. Besides, this doesn't even count as cheating. At worst, it's just harmless flirting. No—honestly, it's not even that. He's way too proper to say anything inappropriate!"

Before leaving, Martha gave me a serious look. "Aiden was willing to tell the family about this himself. That means, at his core, he has nothing to hide. I understand if you need to vent about it for a bit, but it's best to let it end here.

"Aiden is about to be nominated for the vice president position at the research institute. If outsiders hear about this conflict between you two, it could damage his reputation."

…

I honestly didn't know what to do.

Should I get a divorce?

This was a decade-long relationship and the home I carefully built over the years. There was also Chloe's upbringing and the perfect family image we had in front of others to consider.

Mom, Martha, and Amelia all came to talk to me, but none of them mentioned divorce. They only told me not to let it affect my health or the family's harmony.

It was as if, in their minds, this wasn't even close to being a reason for divorce.

However, I was filled with this unbearable suffocation.