Married to a Ghost

I decided to just shake that thought off. I grabbed the cup of soy milk and sandwich and headed into the study to get back to my unfinished designs.

I was a designer and worked on high-end projects in a variety of styles, so my workload was always steady. Sometimes, I also gave suggestions for designs at Sebastian's company.

The project at hand was a wedding dress—though an unusual one, as it was to be black. The client wanted something bold and vibrant, with a youthful feel.

After receiving the request, I spent a long time thinking. Only then did I start sketching out rough concepts. I went through a few drafts, but I ended up rejecting them all.

The client was strange, too. She only communicated via email and refused to accept messages. Even when she did reply to my email, it would take forever.

Suddenly, a spark of inspiration hit me. I quickly grabbed a pen and began sketching the design.

It would be an A-line dress with a v-neck to highlight the neckline and collarbones, while the waist would be cinched with three-dimensional tailoring to accentuate the curves.

By the time I was done sketching the rough outline, a lot of time had passed. The details still needed some work.

As I glanced at the clock, it was already close to noon. The household staff, Agnes Parker, should have prepared lunch by now.

I headed downstairs. When I looked at the dining table, I found it completely empty. I was puzzled. Agnes was always on time with meals. Why wasn't she here today?

Just then, my phone rang. I followed the sound and found it on the couch where I had left it earlier.

It was a call from Sebastian. I picked it up and asked, "Aren't you busy today? Did you get your checkup done this morning?"

There was a slight pause before he replied, "I went this morning. The results won't be out for another two days. Anyway, Agnes had an emergency at home. She said she tried calling you several times but couldn't get through. I'll order something for you to eat."

I looked at my phone and saw several missed calls from Agnes. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. I'll make something with what's in the fridge."

"Alright," he said before hanging up.

I couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed by how quickly he ended the call.

In the kitchen, I opened the fridge to find it stocked full. I sighed in relief. Thankfully, I always kept extra food on hand. I quickly made some pasta, just enough to satisfy my hunger.

When Sebastian returned that evening, I asked him, "What happened to Agnes? Why did she leave in such a hurry?"

He took off his coat and handed it to me. "She said her daughter-in-law is having complications with childbirth. She's lost a lot of blood. That's all I know."

I was taken aback. I hadn't expected it to be something so serious. "I hope her daughter-in-law is alright. We should let her take as many days off as she needs to look after her."

Sebastian nodded. "She mentioned that too. She said she might quit after this, so I'm planning to hire someone else."

I felt a pang of disappointment, but there was nothing I could do. Agnes had been with us since we first got married. Not only was she an excellent cook, but she was also someone I had grown used to having around.

Suddenly, I remembered Sebastian's checkup earlier that day. I reached out to place a hand on his shoulder and said softly, "Your results won't be out for another two more days, right? Maybe we should try again tonight?"

Sebastian glanced at me and gently patted my hand. "It's just two more days. Let's wait and see if there's anything to worry about first, alright?"

I looked at him suspiciously. He didn't seem very interested in the whole thing. In fact, every time we went through the motions, I ended up sleeping through the night, forgetting everything by morning.

If not for the occasional bruising on my body, I might have convinced myself that nothing had happened at all.