THE SAME TRAUMA

"I was so worried when I left you with Mother, but it turns out you are a great potential actress, Monica."

If Monica usually sounded talkative, now she was indifferent to Nathan's silly statement; it was not important.

"You must be thinking hard about who Arini is," he quipped again, trying to provoke Monica into speaking.

Monica chose to close her eyes and fold her arms across her chest, with her face turned towards the window. Nathan gave up. This was what it felt like to look for a conversation topic, but the person he was talking to was a stone wall.

They were silent throughout the journey. Not long after, the car stopped, automatically making Monica wake up immediately.

"Stay here!" Nathan ordered.

Monica yawned lazily. Apparently, Nathan brought her to this house, not her residence. Her eyes looked at Nathan, who had disappeared behind the door.

At first, she was patient, waiting, playing with her phone, and trying out new apps she didn't know about, even watching videos. Nathan still hadn't come out.

"What is he doing inside? It's taking so long," she snapped annoyedly.

"Should I follow him? It's boring!"

Finally, after weighing her decision, Monica chose to get out to find Nathan.

The house looked empty; the maid she had seen was also nowhere in sight. Her gaze swept around; she was reluctant to shout to call Nathan. Finally, all she could do was walk around some corners inside the house. The kitchen, the storage room, the three rooms downstairs—all were empty and indeed unlocked. Only the stairs leading to the second floor were yet to be explored. She was a little hesitant because the prenuptial agreement also contained a prohibition for her not to step on the second floor, for whatever reason.

"What exactly is on the second floor?" she muttered curiously.

Because her curiosity overcame her fear, Monica decided to go to the second floor to look for Nathan. Slowly, trying her best not to make suspicious sounds, like a thief trying not to be caught red-handed by the homeowner. All the rooms in the house were locked, but the room at the far end was more attractive, slightly dim. Slowly, she approached; she faintly heard a man's voice.

"Arini, how long must you let me be like this? I'm sorry, this is all my fault, but don't ignore me! I even keep kissing your pale lips without any response. Come on, dear, open your eyes!"

That was Nathan's voice. No mistake, but why was he calling Arini's name? Wasn't the woman dead? If she was still alive, then why was he looking for a woman who looked similar to Arini? Knowing Nathan only made her confused.

"Her name is Monica. You two look alike, but I can't love any woman other than you. Wake up and curse me as much as you want for marrying her, but I promise not to touch her!"

Monica was furious; her heart was burning. Nathan loved Arini so deeply that Monica was only used as a display to cover up this big secret!

"But, I can't keep my promise in the future! Wake up and look at me!"

The atmosphere became silent again. Monica tried to compose herself. Why be hurt? After all, she didn't like Nathan from the start; the two of them were only bound by a mutually beneficial agreement.

But again, Monica couldn't hold back. Her hand reached for the doorknob.

"You are being presumptuous, Monica!"

That heavy voice sounded terrifying. Nathan was standing, looking at a large picture frame in front of him. Monica scanned the surroundings; there was nothing. Only an empty bed. This room was indeed clean and well-maintained.

"You took too long; that's why I came here," she said honestly. Nathan remained in his position.

"I only told you to wait, but you broke your promise and still went up to the second floor. That's a fatal mistake!"

"Besides, what makes you forbid me from coming here? I'm your wife, in case you didn't know, and there's no one in this room but you, right? Or are you hiding something from me?"

"MONICA!!!"

Nathan yelled at her loudly, shocking Monica. This was the first time she had been yelled at since her father.

The trauma came back. The sound of a whip echoed. Reflexively, both hands covered her ears, with Monica suddenly crouching in front of the door and continuing to scream.

"No, don't do that! Forgive me, mercy!"

Monica kept screaming in fear, making Nathan panic too. His face softened. The annoyance he felt earlier turned into pity. His long strides quickly approached Monica, who seemed unwilling to be touched by him.

"Monica, what's wrong with you?" Nathan let out a rough breath before finally choosing to lock the door.

He used his two muscular arms to carry Monica to the car. His wife's face was swollen, and the look of fear was genuine. If he recklessly brought Monica home now, he was worried her condition would worsen. In the end, he had no choice but to take Monica to the hospital, and at the same time find out the cause of her actions just now.

Sobs were heard, but Monica was still screaming softly in fear in his arms. Nathan immediately went in and took her to the treatment room. And now he chose to wait outside anxiously.

"What happened to you, Monica?"

Seconds and minutes passed, and finally, a woman in a white uniform came out to approach Nathan.

"Excuse me, could you come to my office for a moment? There is something important I would like to discuss," she said to Nathan.

The man nodded and followed her footsteps to the doctor's private room.

"The patient is suffering from severe past trauma. This is a serious problem that can disrupt the functioning of her brain. There are a few things that cause her brain to stop thinking and only focus on one point, a condition where she will only halt at past wounds," she explained, surprising Nathan.

Monica, that woman, had trauma just because he yelled at her. He thought again that Monica was not much different from Arini. A woman with past trauma, disturbing her psyche, and finally her brain function stopped working. Until now, Arini was only lying stiffly on the bed because she was fighting her illness and her trauma. So he was that evil.

"Mr. Nathan!"

"Uh, yes, Doctor. Thank you," he said stiffly. Without further ado, he left, cursing himself for being so careless.

Nathan was reluctant to enter and chose to sit outside, waiting. His mind was agitated. Meanwhile, Monica was already sound asleep after being given a tranquilizer.

Nathan stood up, observing Monica's face sleeping soundly in peace.

"I shouldn't have acted like that," he cursed himself.

"Why regret it only now? You are evil! You shouldn't be alive on earth. You are evil, creating prolonged trauma just to satisfy your desires. You know, Nathan, you are nothing more than a coward. We should never have met. I regret it. I hate that I ever loved you. I hate you. I'm sick of seeing your dirty face full of ambition, just like your mother. You are all evil, despicable, dirty!"

Nathan gasped; his eyes opened. It was only a dream. But that voice was like Monica's voice, full of revenge, anger, and hatred. Thinking about Monica even made him fall asleep outside.