“We planned this for months.” Marie Dane regarded her husband with cold looks.

Even though they had been married for almost three years and he had disappointed her at every major event during this time, she thought it would be different today.

“I’m sorry. You’ll have to go by yourself.” Harry brought the car to a stop after he had turned to face the opposite direction of the maternity hospital.

“It’s a checkup. It won’t take too long.” Marie gripped the seat belt with all ten fingers as if it could stop Harry from leaving.

“We’ll have more children. Besides, you’re barely two months along. There will be many other firsts. This business meeting is important.” Harry looked at her with pleading eyes.

“If this is about Violet—”

“Don’t.” Harry frowned. “Not everything has to be about her.”

“The last time—”

“If we stay here arguing, you’ll miss your appointment and whatever business problem I have will be worse. How are we going to afford the 2500 square foot home with an attached nursery garden for the baby.”

Marie frowned. She wanted the garden when she thought that she was the prime receiver of Harry’s affections but seeing now that she was second place or sometimes third, all she wanted was his affection.

“What if something happens?” Marie stared into Harry’s forest eyes.

She had been specific with the doctors about the kinds of egg she wanted implanted. One that has Harry’s eyes and his lean but strong face.

“Nothing will happen. You’re a capable doctor. You can handle this.” He leaned across the car and pecked her forehead. “I promise, I’ll be back to pick you as soon as the meeting is over.”

“Fine.” Marie unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car. Fighting with Harry never solved anything.

She turned to wave goodbye but he had already zoomed off, leaving her to find an alternative way to the hospital. She clenched her fingers and took a deep breath.

If he had stopped her at the other side, it would be easier for her to get a taxi. Now she had to cross.

She looked left and right, before setting out across the Zebra crossing.

She didn’t hear the car tires squealing on the hot asphalt in time to step back.

All she saw was a red car aiming towards her and then, total darkness.

The hospital discharged her later that night with a single piece of paper bearing the worst news.

Marie didn’t need to read the paper to understand what had happened after the drunk driver had hit her. She woke up on the hospital bed after the surgery with an empty feeling in her stomach. She knew even before her colleagues told her.

The last thing she wanted to do was return to an empty house. She hoped Harry would be home but she knew better. Yet, she opened the door to their two-bedroom house expecting to see him. He had not picked any of her calls so he was probably still in the meeting.

She felt empty and cold. Instead of angry and depressed.

She had tried to have a child for years and after succeeding with this IVF attempt, this child was cruelly taken from her in a matter of minutes. All because Harry refused to drop her off at the hospital. It would only have taken him four minutes.

She felt the tears flowing again. Feeling a pang of guilt for failing to protect her child.

Harry would tell her to try again because this wasn’t the first child they had lost. It was just the first one that stayed more than a week in her stomach after the procedure.

Unable to do anything other than sob, she hurried to their bedroom to drown her tears in a warm bath. Their room hadn’t changed much in five years, even though she spent more nights sleeping alone than she did with Harry at her side. Marie was filled with so much emotions in that moment. She wanted to throw something at the wall or smash something against someone’s head.

Just then, there was a buzzing sound from the cabinet beside the bed.

She reached for the cabinet and pulled it open. Harry’s tablet, a gift she bought for their previous anniversary, was nested there. The screen glowed with a notification alert for an Instagram post of Violet.

Marie’s heart dropped to her feet as she picked it up. Harry wasn’t even following her on Instagram but he had the notifications alert turned on for his childhood love and best friend. Marie unlocked the tablet to see what Violet had posted and if Harry had liked the post using his phone.

Marie bit her lips as she stared at the pictures. Her husband was in Violet’s house. He was on a ladder fixing a light bulb. The next picture was Harry tasting some cake that Violet had made. The last picture was Harry helping Violet’s child, Victoria, with her homework.

Violet had tagged the photo: The handiest man I know.

Marie raised the tablet to smash it but then, she dropped her hand and let it fall to the bed. Violet was her husband’s urgent business meeting. He had left her and their child for his lover. Marie pulled out her phone but then she dropped her phone as she reasoned. When had she ever achieved anything by yelling at him in the past six months that Violet had returned to their city as a single mother?

Marie grabbed the tablet and scrolled further down Violet’s page. There were so many pictures of Violet, Victoria and Harry. The picture that destroyed Marie was the picture of Harry holding Victoria’s hand on the street. Looking at the date of the post, it was the day she had the last miscarriage. He told her he was busy and only came by later that night claiming that he stopped by Violet’s briefly.

No wonder he never felt the pain she did. He had a whole other family. A child he could shower with love and a woman who doted on him affectionately while all she had were his thoughts and prayers.

She wasn’t in a marriage with Harry. No, she was married to his shadow that disappeared whenever Violet appeared, needing something as common as salt.

Marie placed the tablet back in the cabinet. She was done with this sham of a marriage.

It was time to give Harry a taste of his own medicine.

Marie was at the hospital the next day, even though the doctor had told her that she could stay home and rest. She didn’t want to. Everything reminded her of Harry and the child she had lost.

The first thing she did was visit the driver who hit her. He had also been injured and he had more sympathy than her husband. Marie could no longer feel any emotion so, his tears were nothing to her but it was easier to forgive him when she learnt that he was hurrying home because his wife had fallen from the staircase.

When Marie could no longer stand his attempts at apologizing, she opted to leave the room and attend to the next case.

One of the nurses met her at the door with her phone. “Dr Marie. There’s a call for you.”

“Thank you.” Marie took off her gloves and stared at the name flashing on the screen. Harry. “I’ll take this privately.”

Marie found the nearest storage compartment and leaned against the back wall before she answered Harry’s call.

“Are you out of your mind? Why didn’t you tell me?” He yelled.

“Good morning to you too.”

“We lost out child.”

“I’m aware, Harry. It was evacuated from my own body.” Marie rubbed her stomach with her free hand.

“You should’ve called to tell me immediately. How could I find such a report on the bed? That’s just careless.”

Marie was tempted to yell back asking him why he had not picked his phone but she remembered that she decided to let Harry to do the work in their marriage. “I’m sorry.”

“Is that all you have to say?”

“Were you with Violet?”

“How can you ask me such a ridiculous thing?”

“You’re right, Harry.” Marie ended the call without waiting for his response.

She was on her way out of the storage room when she got a text message from him: ‘I’m sorry for yelling. I’m so angry we’ve lost our child again. Please, call me, I don’t want you to work while you’re angry.’

She was tired of his lies. If he really cared about their child, he would’ve been with her yesterday. Or he would’ve called to find out if she got to the hospital.

‘I’m not mad.’ She texted back.

He called her immediately. “I’m sorry, Marie. Business has been really stressful. Then coming home to see this. It’s too much for me. I hope you’re doing fine.”

“I am.”

“You shouldn’t be working today.”

“I want to.”

It was silent on the line for a few seconds before Harry responded. “Well, since you want to. You could’ve at least ironed my shirt or made something for me to eat this morning. I’m going to be late preparing those things.”

She usually went late because she was trying to prepare his things. Today, she was two hours early because she focused on only herself.

“Experience it for a change.” Marie said, then cut the call.

She placed her phone on DND and placed it in her pocket. Today would be a beautiful day.

“You called for me, Dr. Baker?” Marie peeked into the office of the department supervisor.

Dr. Baker was her senior for twenty-five years and one of the doctors she highly respected. He was a well-built man with a few grey hairs and a comforting smile but he was also someone very stern about work and the health of his employees.

“Come in, sit.” He pointed at the red couch close to the door.

She did as she was told, holding her fingers in a tight grip and hoping that he would not be mad at her for showing up at work when she ought to be at resting.

“I know I had a miscarriage but I just couldn’t bear the thought of staying at home alone.”

“Alone? Where’s your husband?”

“He’s away. On a business trip.” Marie lied. “I want to keep myself busy until he returns.”

“And how long will he gone?”

“I don’t really know. Possibly a long time.”

“Good.” Dr. Baker smiled. “I’m glad I held on to this for you. How would you like to take the next level of your training?”

“You mean the NCLA?”

“Yes. I think it would be a healthy distraction from you-know-what.”

“Oh. That would be great.” Marie leaned forward, then frowned. “I wish I could. I don’t have enough money.”

She had enough funds after her college debt had been paid but she sunk it into Harry’s business and he promised to pay her back but told her the company had suffered loss so he had to bail it out with the money she gave him.

“There’s a scholarship and with your years of experience and skill, you are a good fit. I’ll put in a good word. That should help. It’s abroad though.”

She had turned down too many opportunities and promotions because she wanted to cater to Harry. It was time she put herself first. This time, she did not care what Harry would think.

“Dr. Baker. I don’t care if it’s in Africa, I’ll go there right now.” Marie smiled.

“Dr. Marie, you have a call.” One of the receptionists said as Marie was on the way to the main door.

“For me?” She clutched her bag and stared at the dark road outside. There was a cab waiting to take her home. The last thing she wanted was more work after she had given her body and mind to the point of sheer exhaustion to the work.

“It’s your husband.”

That sounded even more exhausting than work.

Marie nodded and picked the call, lowering her voice. “Hello?”

“Where are you?”

“At the hospital.” Marie kept her voice low.

Unlike Harry whose voice was so shrill that the receptionist shrunk away when she heard. “Come home, right now. You need to make dinner.”

Before she lost her child, Marie had been so happy with the thought that he wanted her presence that she would’ve run all the way home if she had to but she knew better. He just wanted a cook and a cleaner.

“I’m sorry. I have so much to do at the hospital tonight. I’m working overnight.”

“You NEVER work overnight.”

Marie shrugged, then winked at the amused receptionist. “Well, there’s a first time for everything. I’ll be home by eight tomorrow. Guess you also have to make your own breakfast.”

“Are… Are you mad at me?” Harry asked with a calm voice now.

“Why would I be? You are my darling husband who comforted me when I lost our child. You deserve all of my love but the hospital needs me tonight.”

Marie ended the call, then went out to cancel the cab order. She would stay back in the hospital and prepare for her scholarship application.

And if that was the only change Harry was expecting, he was in for a big surprise.

Marie did not return home the next day. Instead, she took up an extra shift, then worked through the night shift. Dr. Baker ordered her to go home before she would burn out. She didn’t want to but she couldn’t refuse his orders.

She was happy when she finally arrived home and found that Harry wasn’t there. But he had made a mess of things. He had tried to make three different breakfasts; pancakes, muffins and cereal, leaving the kitchen in a sore mess.

Usually, she would’ve gone to the kitchen to clean up everything and make the house smell good before he arrived. But she couldn’t be bothered. She made her way to bedroom and collapsed on the bed.

She had just dozed off when her phone started to ring. She hoped it would stop ringing if she didn’t pick it but she wasn’t that lucky. The phone continued to ring till the point that it made sleeping impossible.

“What?” She said groggily.

“Honey,” Harry’s voice was anything but sweet. “Where are you?”

“Home.”

“Thank God. I need—”

“I’m sorry.” Marie yelled. “If it’s not an emergency, you’ll have to sort it out. I need to sleep.”

“Are you still angry about Violet?”

“Why would I be mad about her? Did something happen that I should know about?” Marie hoped he would take the bait and confess.

“Your overactive imagination is confusing you. And you’re being annoying,” he said.

Marie put the phone on a loud speaker, then placed it on her side of the bed.

He continued, “I have a stomach pain. Can you get me some medicine and something to eat?”

There was no response to his words.

“Marie? Are you listening?” Harry demanded.

But Marie was fast asleep, dreaming of what life would be like without Harry and his silly requests.

She was on the bed, reading a medical textbook in preparation for her scholarship exams when the door was flung open and Harry came in with an angry look on his face.

“How dare you?” He demanded, pointing at her.

Marie ignored him, focusing on what she was trying to read and leaning further into the fort of soft pillows she had made for herself.

“I’m talking to you.”

“Ssh. I’m reading.”

Harry walked to her, then flung her book aside. She stood to pick the book, then he crawled into the warm space she had just left. She picked her book and retreated to the corner of the room.

“Is there lunch?”

“You have a stomach ache, you should not be eating when you don’t know what caused it.” Marie replied.

“Where’s my tablet?”

Marie met his eyes with a strong gaze. It was the tablet that led her to the firm resolution of giving up on their marriage. Was he going to scroll through more pictures of Violet and Victoria?

“In the cabinet where you left it.”

He opened the cabinet and picked the tablet. Marie hoped he would say something but all she saw was his smile, as the light of the cabinet bathed him in a fresh glow.

“Did you touch my tablet?”

“Why’d you ask?” Marie flipped a page of her book.

“Nothing.” He set the tablet aside and leaned closer to her. “Marie, are you mad at me?”

“You’ve asked that for so long that it’s becoming annoying. Is there any reason I should be mad at you?”

Harry stared at Marie’s stomach before his gaze moved to his tablet. “Why don’t you care for me anymore?”

“What do you mean?” Marie flipped another page of her book even though she did not understand anything she read and she was aware of Harry’s intense gaze.

“You did not iron my clothes. I returned home to no food. You didn’t even care that I had a stomach ache. You left me to starve in pain!”

Marie opened her mouth to protest the allegations but then pressed her lips in a thin firm line. The irony of his words was not lost on her. In the past, she would drop everything, even her office shifts, to attend to his needs.

The last time he had a stomach ache while golfing with his friends, she ran out in the middle of a promotion interview to get hot chicken soup and medicine for him, but she was met with the laughter of his friends. They referred to her as his grandmother who was always picking up after him.

He sent her home because he thought she embarrassed him.

“Violet seems to have enough food and medicine.” Marie replied.

Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her off the chair, glaring at her. “Why are you keeping a grudge over Violet? She’s just a friend.”

“Okay.” Marie responded with an undisturbed face.

“Don’t wait for me tonight.” Harry let go of her hand hurried out of the room slamming the door behind him.

Marie smiled as soon as he left the room.