Chapter 4

The past few meals had been so unpleasant that I was practically starving. Hence, I decided to order takeout.

I got myself some beef tacos, and I specifically instructed the restaurant to go easy on the oil and spices.

My food arrived fairly quickly. Thankfully, Ivan and Sophia weren't home when the delivery arrived.

The moment I caught myself feeling relieved, I let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh.

How pathetic. I couldn't believe that I had to sneak around just to eat a meal.

The beef tacos were delicious, and a hundred times better than anything Sophia had made for me. Tears streamed down my face as I ate, but I wasn't sure why I was crying.

…

Later that afternoon, Ivan spotted the empty takeout container in the trash.

"Why did you eat something like this again, Lily?" he asked disapprovingly. "Sophia would be so upset if she found out. I went through a lot of trouble to convince her to come back. How could you do this?"

"I don't care about any of that. Besides, the food I ordered was perfectly healthy," I replied.

Pointing his finger at my face, he snapped, "There should be a limit to your tantrums. Do you think that you should be granted some kind of special privilege just because you're pregnant?"

The moment the words left his mouth, he froze. I, on the other hand, simply turned around and headed back to my bedroom.

…

In the evening, nothing changed. The pair indulged in a spread of hearty dishes, while all I had was a small plate of plain pasta and some boiled greens.

Sophia brought out a package and set it on the floor.

"Your family sent you some dried strawberries, Lily. I picked them up for you."

I told my mother to make me some dried strawberries.

I tried one. It was really sweet. It had the same familiar taste I remembered from my childhood.

I reached for another, but Sophia kicked the package away with her foot. Grinning smugly, she said, "You shouldn't have too many of these, Lily. I'll put them away for now."

"She's right," Ivan casually chimed in. "You shouldn't eat so many of these snacks. Eat your dinner."

He hadn't even bothered to take a look at the food on my plate. It was barely any different from kitchen scraps.

I didn't want to put up with this anymore. I got to my feet and grabbed a handful of dried strawberries. Then, I reached for a dinner roll and ate them together.

It was just as delicious as I had expected it to be.

As he watched me eat, Ivan grew tempted. He took a dried strawberry from my plate and popped it into his mouth.

His eyes immediately lit up.

After that, he started reaching over for more. Before long, he was passing them to Sophia as well.

"Try one, Sophia. These are actually really good."

Eventually, there was only one strawberry left on my plate.

Ivan paused for a moment. Then, he picked up the last one and placed it on Sophia's plate.

"You can't eat too many of these anyway. Sophia can have it," he declared.

Sophia let out a soft laugh.

The sound of her laughter made my heart ache.

Ivan lowered his head and continued to eat his dinner. After a moment, he glanced at me and gestured toward my plate. "Go on. Eat."

I stared at the plate of plain pasta and felt my throat tighten. Soon, all that remained on the table were scraps and leftovers.

As Sophia cleared the table, she flashed me a fake look of concern.

"Are you really not going to eat, Lily?" she asked.

Before I could answer, Ivan spat, "Let her be. She's always throwing a fit because we've spoiled her too much."

I didn't say another word.

Later that night, Ivan and Sophia were curled up together on the couch. Sophia was holding my bag of dried strawberries. By then, the bag was almost empty.

When she met my gaze, she shot me a dismissive glance.

I suddenly found it hard to breathe.

I took out my phone, thinking I could at least order myself a bubble tea to make myself feel better. But to my dismay, I was met with a glaring notice that said "Transaction Declined."

My balance was 1.28 dollars.

What happened to the 2,000 dollars I'd been given for household expenses?

When I checked my other savings account, I realized it was empty as well.

My chest tightened. When I turned to Ivan to demand answers, he didn't seem to think he had done anything wrong.

"If I don't stop you, you'll spend all your money on junk food," he said matter-of-factly. "You have a sensitive stomach and you're pregnant with our baby. You shouldn't be eating things like that."

My arms fell limply at my sides. In a strained voice, I said, "That's my money, Ivan."

"So what? I'm doing this for your own good."

With that, he went to sleep.

I stood beside the bed and stared at him for a long time.

I thought I'd cry, but I didn't. Instead, I quietly packed a few things and tucked my medical reports underneath my pillow. Then, I borrowed some money from a friend and headed to the airport.

The moment the plane took off, I finally felt like I could breathe again.