The Flower Bloomed Sixty Times

Xena slowly got used to the darkness and forced herself to calm down.

She counted the seconds and listened to the sounds outside.

Julian, Zayden, and Yannick moved Moon’s belongings into the house.

The three of them cooked together and bought a cake to welcome Moon into the house.

She heard Julian’s voice. It was gentle. His tone held a smile. “Moon, I took two days off work. I want to stay with you and help you get used to things here.”

How absurd!

When she had given birth, she asked him to take a day off and stay with her. He had said with a cold face, “My job’s important. I can’t take time off whenever I want. Since you chose to marry me, you should’ve expected this. Xena, you need to learn to be independent.”

She heard the two boys rush to clear the table. “Ms. Jensen, your hands are so pretty. You shouldn’t do housework. We’re old enough now. We can handle it.”

She heard them push Moon back onto the couch when she tried to help with the laundry. “Ms. Jensen, don’t come over. The dirty clothes stink!”

They complained as they washed. “Mom’s so lazy and so irrational. She can’t even compare to you!”

Julian laughed along with them. “Moon, the kids are grown now. This is the time they should be learning life skills. You won’t need to do this kind of work in the future.”

How absurd was that?

To think people could be this biased!

After ten years of constant effort in that home, she could not even compare to Moon.

Xena bit her lip hard. She listened to the sounds outside and suffered in silence.

She could not hold back any longer and let out a low, bitter laugh. The laugh turned into sobs as tears fell from her eyes.

Two days later, starving and dizzy, Xena was finally released.

Julian and the two boys wore casual clothes that matched the color of Moon’s dress. They looked like a small, happy family.

But their eyes were cold when they looked at her. “Consider this matter over for now. From now on, do your duties and don’t cause trouble.”

The two boys grabbed Moon’s hands and bounced with excitement. “Mom, look! The clothes Ms. Jensen bought are so beautiful. They are a thousand times… no, ten thousand times prettier than yours!”

“Dad, Ms. Jensen, let’s go! I want to go to the new amusement park!”

The four of them turned and walked away. Their laughter and chatter echoed far into the distance.

Xena did not look up again till they were gone.

In just two days, the living room had completely changed.

The couch that she bought when they first got married had been replaced with a trendy leather one.

The pillows and ornaments she had made by hand were gone. Everything had been replaced with Moon’s preferred soft, elegant style.

The home she had poured her heart into bore only Moon’s marks.

The only thing left was their wedding photo on the TV stand.

Xena smiled brightly in the photo, while Julian’s eyes looked cold and distant.

Xena glanced at it, opened the frame, took the photo out, and tore it into pieces.

She made a simple meal, cleaned up, and then began packing.

She sorted out every corner of the house and every item she had carefully prepared. Then, she threw them away.

The last things she packed were their clothes.

Over ten years of marriage, she had made almost all of their clothes by hand.

If they could not compare to what Moon bought, there was no reason to leave them here.

She gathered all the clothes she had made and carried them to the courtyard. She threw them into the fire, one by one.

There was the first shirt she had made for Julian after their wedding. Then, there was the first pair of underwear she had made with a flushed face. She burned them all.

There were even more clothes for Zayden and Yannick. From tiny onesies she had prepared during her pregnancy to blankets and little booties, everything went into the fire.

Hundreds of pieces of clothes she had made over ten years, through all four seasons and countless nights, went up in smoke.

The smoke filled the air.

The courtyard gate flew open. Urgency flashed through Julian’s eyes before his expression hardened.

He stared at the clothes that were still burning, and his eyes widened.

“What’re you doing?”