Thanks for Taking Out the Trash

"Risa's mom has a heart condition, and her biggest wish is to see her daughter get married before she passes on. Why can't you just understand that?

"You're always accusing me of something! I married you, Moira. How's that betrayal? What more do you want from me?" Elmer said.

"You already betrayed me," I said, looking at him coldly.

"It's not just sleeping with someone else that counts as betrayal. The moment you left me at that hotel without a word, we were done. And then you gave her the scarf my mom made me."

"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd overreact. That's the only reason I left like that. Risa gets cold easily, so what if I brought a scarf for her?"

"And what about next time?"

He blinked. "What?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "Her mom's still alive. Her wish was to see her daughter get married, not just bring a boyfriend home for the holidays."

"Moira!"

His voice snapped sharply, cutting through the air. "Don't you dare curse her mom like that!"

I laughed through my tears, unable to stop them from falling.

So my mom was just in the past tense now, but that precious Larissa's mom was sacred and untouchable?

I shook my head and slid the divorce papers toward him again. "Sign it."

His fists clenched, knuckles cracking. His jaw was locked tight. "You're serious?"

"Yeah." I picked up my bowl like he wasn't even there.

The next second, he snatched it from my hands and hurled it at the wall. It shattered, soup splattering across the floor.

He stared at me. "If we're getting divorced, what the hell are you still eating for?"

Then he turned and stormed out, slamming the door so hard the frame rattled.

I stood up. "Elmer…"

But everything suddenly went black. I reached for the table but missed, and slammed into it, knocking it over with a loud crash.

I hit the floor hard. A glass cup rolled off and shattered near me, shards slicing into my skin.

Pain bloomed in my lower abdomen, sharp and blinding. I struggled to lift my head. Through the blur, I thought I saw the door open again.

Elmer's figure rushed toward me. "Moey!"

…

"It hurts…"

Cold sweat broke out across my back. Just saying one word made my entire body tremble.

Elmer completely forgot we were in the middle of a fight. Without hesitation, he scooped me into his arms.

"Don't be scared. I'm taking you to the hospital right now."

But just as the words left his mouth, his phone rang at the worst possible moment.

The caller ID was "Risa".

One arm around my waist, he answered with the other, his voice sharp with irritation. "What is it?"

Larissa sounded a little hurt. "Elmer, you're leaving like that? My parents aren't coming home tonight, I'm scared of being here alone. Can't you come stay with me?"

"I don't have time."

He hung up without another word and adjusted his hold on me carefully.

The phone rang again almost immediately. Elmer let out a frustrated sigh. "I've got an emergency."

"Elmer!" Larissa started crying.

I felt Elmer's body stiffen.

Her voice on the phone was soft, pitiful.

"You used to never treat me like this… Whenever I said I was scared, you'd drop everything and come right away… But now that you're married, you've changed, haven't you?"

That was it. I couldn't take it anymore.

I snatched the phone from his hand, pain shooting through me as I growled into the speaker. "Call again, and I swear you won't even know how you died."

Then I hurled the phone against the wall.

The screen shattered on impact. I clenched my teeth, glaring at Elmer. "Can you take me to the hospital now?"

He froze, then gave a small nod, lifting me back into his arms.

As we stepped out the door, the smashed phone lit up again.

Beneath the broken glass, a message popped up. "If this is your choice, then I wish you well. From now on, we're strangers. Our paths will never cross again."

Suddenly, I slipped from his arms and crashed to the ground.

Elmer let go of me without thinking and grabbed the phone, bolting out the door without so much as a glance back.

I used every last bit of strength to call his name, but his footsteps only grew faster, farther.

Pain twisted through my abdomen, and the world spun violently. His silhouette in the hallway kept shrinking until it vanished.

Everything went dark, and I lost consciousness completely.

…

I had a miscarriage.

One of the neighbors found me collapsed outside, lying in a pool of blood. They rushed me to the hospital without wasting a second.