It's Time to Fight Back

I lifted the blanket slightly and saw the dark circles under his eyes as well as his fatigued appearance. Then, I thought about how he had been so busy preparing for the New Year's festivities these past few days that he barely got enough sleep each night.

Besides, it wasn't absolutely necessary to leave in the morning. Based on my estimation, setting off after lunch would still be fine.

So, I tucked the blanket around him snugly and left the room quietly.

Once I was in the front yard, I called my parents to let them know that Gordon and I would be arriving a bit later. After hanging up the call, I went to the kitchen to start preparing lunch.

…

After lunch, I began urging Gordon to drive me to my parents' house.

"I've already packed everything. You just need to drive," I said, pulling him toward the car. "It's a long drive. You can drive for a while first. When we reach a rest area, we'll switch. That way, we won't get too tired, and we'll get home sooner. Maybe we'll even make it in time for dinner."

The more I spoke, the more excited I became. Hence, I didn't notice the impatient look on Gordon's face at all. I rambled on and on. Just as we were about to leave the front yard, he suddenly flung my hand away.

"I don't want to go!" he bellowed.

His loud voice startled me, and I stood frozen in place.

I turned to him and stammered, "W-What did you just say?"

Gordon looked very annoyed. Without answering my question, he frowned deeply and turned to walk back to the house.

He said irritably, "I said I don't want to go."

I chased after him and grabbed his arm. "What do you mean, Gordon? Didn't we agree we'd go to my parents' house for New Year's Eve? What's this supposed to mean now?"

Gordon shook my hand off forcefully and shouted at me, "I don't feel like going! So, I'm not going! Don't you get it?"

After yelling at me, he turned and started walking back inside.

I stood there watching his retreating figure. He walked away so briskly and resolutely without any regard for my feelings. His unexpected outburst echoed in my ears.

And then, I was hit by a bolt of realization—Gordon had never intended to go to my parents' house for the New Year.

He tricked me into coming to his house and hid the car keys from me. With my parents' house being far away from his hometown, I wouldn't even be able to buy a ticket to get back home no matter how much money I had due to the travel rush.

So, where we would spend the New Year was entirely up to him.

This epiphany made my anger surge. I rushed over, grabbed his hand, and kicked him hard in the leg.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you? You were planning to stay at your parents' house for the New Year all along! You tricked me into coming here!" I snapped.

Gordon was about to lose his temper when I kicked him. But upon seeing how upset and agitated I was, he softened his tone and tried to persuade me that staying was the right choice.

"Look around you, Dakota. No married woman in this village goes back to her own home on such a major day. Now that you've married me, shouldn't you stay with me and my family?" Gordon reasoned.

I was so angry at his absurd reasoning that I laughed.

Without missing a beat, I retorted, "This isn't an issue in my family! My brother and sister are both eagerly waiting for me to come home for the New Year! I don't know how things are done in other families, but my family will be happy to see me home!"

Gordon realized that I wasn't going to back down without a fight. So, he tried his best to calm me down and coax me into complying with his wishes.

He said pleadingly, "Dakota, if you go to your parents' house for the New Year, what will the people in this village think of me and my parents? Please, just do me this favor and stay here for the New Year this time!"

"Why do you even care about something as trivial as keeping up appearances for outsiders? How is that of any importance?" I asked, seething with anger and gritting my teeth. I didn't even bother to listen to anything else he had to say.