After My Husband
After My Husband 12

Chapter 12

Part 12

“Who are you?” Adrian sputtered. “What does this have to do with you?” He brushed off Tyler’s hand and let go of mine before standing in front of me. Tyler was car was parked nearby. He looked at me silently and his response was curt, “I’m her mentor.”

“Well, I am her husband,” Adrian responded. “This is between Madeline and me. It’s none of your business.” His tone filled with hostility toward Tyler.

“A relationship is built on mutual respect, wouldn’t you agree?” Tyler countered, his words a quiet challenge.

Adrian paused. The irony of the statement hung heavy in the air. Respect, a concept that had been conspicuously absent from his repertoire throughout our marriage.

My past outbursts were dismissed as me being overly emotional. Now that I no longer cared, he saw it as me being unreasonable.

With a scoff, Adrian ignored Tyler, grabbed my arm again, and started to pull me away. “Madeline, we’re going back.”

Not wanting to make a scene in front of my superior, I turned to Tyler and said, “Doctor Graham, I’m sorry. Thank you for your help and sorry for the trouble….”

Adrian hurriedly dragged me away, not even giving me a chance to finish my words. He shoved me into the car, fuming all the way, as if he had already forgotten that he was the one who had traveled here to apologize to me. I remained silent, letting him be.

The apartment he rented was much nicer than my dorm. As soon as we arrived, Adrian started washing vegetables and preparing dinner, acting as if nothing had happened. “Madeline, relax for a while, or go take a shower first. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”

I watched him with a detached amusement. I remembered how his mother used to tell me that she never let Adrian step foot the kitchen, let alone wash vegetables and cook.

“My son has been spoiled by our entire family. Madeline, since you’re married to Adrian, you must take good care of him,” she used to say. Her words always carried an undertone of condescension, as if I was the one who should feel honored and obliged. And Adrian never once stood up for me in front of his parents.

I did not feel like showering, so I sat on the sofa in the living room. Pulling out my phone, I found myself drawn to Twitter, and a mindless scroll led me to Sophie’s latest update. A picture–perfect image of a luxurious house, accompanied by a caption, [Always wanted to settle down abroad. Thank you, Jesse’s dad for the house.]

Had Sophie gone abroad and reconciled with her ex–husband? Was that why Adrian quit his job and came all the way here to reconcile with me? It was almost nauseating. Watching him busy in the kitchen, I realized I no longer felt any sadness at all.

Chapter 13

Chapter 13