At midnight, the sound of water echoed through the bathroom. Lying in bed, I was bereft of sleep—my mind filled with the disconcerting behaviors of my man recently...
For instance, at noon, when I asked him to take out the trash, he specifically changed into clean clothes, spritzed some mousse into his hair, added a hint of cologne, and came back with a smirk on his face...
And more recently, he's been coming home extremely late every night and falls asleep snoring instantly, seemingly exhausted.
I just couldn't help but overthink. Could he be seeing another woman?
When I confided this suspicion to my best friend, she brushed it off with laughter. She claimed that if a man as dutiful as Wu Yicheng could cheat, there would be no good men left in the world.
Indeed, Wu Yicheng is considered by everyone to be a model husband.
I met Wu Yicheng at a blind date after college. With his excellent demeanor, I fell head over heels for him. Now, three years into our marriage, I'm finally pregnant with our child.
My mind was clouded with suspicions. I couldn't help but wonder if he was straying because of my pregnancy.
My pregnancy experience has been quite difficult—I suffered from severe morning sickness, and there had been some bleeding early on, leading to a cessation of our intimacy. However, Wu Yicheng always had a robust need for that aspect of our relationship. Initially, he would reluctantly hold me and cuddle but would never cross the boundary. Yet recently, he's been distant—the warm gestures are missing.
Even our usual banter has significantly reduced.
The bathroom door swung open and masking my sadness, I greeted him with a forced smile.
Frowning, he questioned why I was still awake before jumping into bed and turning his back to me.
Looking at his deliberately distant back, my emotions were a jumble. I quietly moved closer to him, but just as my hands made contact with his waist, he snapped. Lamenting he had to get up early the next day for unfinished work, he asked me to stop causing a fuss.
My hand froze mid-air. I'm his wife. How did me wanting to hug him become "causing a fuss"?
I asked him, why was he working overtime so frequently and having to wake up so early?
He abruptly turned off the light, his voice heavy with a nasal tone, saying that he would be going to Beijing on a business trip over the weekend.
Beyond that, he didn't want to say another word.
My heart skipped a beat. Another business trip?
This was his fourth trip away this month. I shuffled closer to him, pressing against him intentionally but he showed no response. So, I leaned over to plant a kiss on the nape of his neck — a place he was usually sensitive to - still, he remained motionless. All he managed was a series of yawning, saying grumpily, "Go to sleep, why are you so restless? You're pregnant."
In a faint voice, I said, "Honey, it's been a while since we have...you know."
He seemed to have fallen into a light sleep momentarily, only managing to grunt in reply.
Once again, I called out to him. The only response was his rhythmic snoring, unusually clear in the dead of the night.
We fell asleep just like that - lying together but lost in different dreams.
I lay awake, staring blankly at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. Then, the cell phone on the nightstand lit up. It was a friend request on WeChat using my husband, Wu Yicheng's name. I found it strange, decided to accept the request. Before I could check the person's Moments, a message came through.
----You are Yicheng's wife, aren't you.
The person's profile picture was of a woman. I clicked to enlarge it. She wore minimal makeup, her features delicate and a white long gown donned on her, a beauty untold. For some reason, an odd feeling crept up in me. I asked who she was. She sent another message.
----Want to know who I am? Check Yicheng's phone, the password is 171214.
My heart pounded. Picking up Wu Yicheng's phone, my hand was shaking with anxiety. I stubbornly keyed in the password that I knew of; it prompted as wrong. I tried using our wedding anniversary, his birthday and mine, all wrong. Until I keyed in those few numbers.
