The Act of Love

I went upstairs. Just as I was about to open the door to the bedroom, I saw a pregnancy test in the trash can outside the door.The familiar shape visible through the plastic bag. It was the same one I'd used earlier today, and the results were the same, too: Rachel was also pregnant.It wasn't that Xavier didn't want kids. He just didn't want to have kids with me. The thought disgusted him.My nails dug into my palms. It felt as if vines had sprouted out of the ground and were strangling me. I couldn't breathe.No one knew better than I did how hard it was to grow up in a broken family.If that was the case, then it was just as well to have the child's own father end its life.Calmly, I restored everything to its original state.Before I left, I turned and looked back at the old house for one last time, thinking of all the memories that it held.Xavier and I had bought this house three years ago when we'd first gotten married. When we got the keys, he'd told me that I would be

Xavier's gaze quickly swept over the blankets covering me. He had no idea that he was ending his own child's life with his own hands.He worked deftly—dilating the vaginal canal, suctioning out the fetus, and removing the rest of the placenta.I was under anesthesia, but my heart was clenched so tightly that I found it hard to breathe.Tears flowed uncontrollably down my cheeks. The cold liquid made me tremble.The surgery went on, and Xavier did not notice anything unusual.If only he'd looked more closely at the patient he was operating on, he would find something familiar about the scar on my thigh.But no. He did not recognize me at all.He wasn't the Xavier from two years ago—he'd forgotten what I'd gone through for him.All of a sudden, my body felt lighter than ever before. Something was taken away from me, and long with it was my love for Xavier.The surgery came to an end. Still, Xavier remained oblivious. He got the nurses to wipe away his sweat and clean up the thea

I turned and saw Xavier running toward me with a panicked expression on his face.He was still as handsome as ever. The once arrogant youth was now a mature and calm man.Two days ago, I thought of Xavier as nothing but a piece of meat that had turned rotten all of a sudden. Now, I knew better—he'd been rotten on the inside long before I ever noticed.I might have suspected it before, but I hadn't wanted to admit that I had been wrong about him.Xavier reached my side. The stench of rotting meat seemed to solidify around him.I could almost feel the sickening odor of blood splattering across my face.Xavier took my hand and held it tightly. "Let me explain, Shelly."I turned and wiped away my tears before smiling at him. "Explain what? Rachel was just telling me that she's about to get married. Do you know her husband?"Xavier paused for a moment. "I… No, I don't. How would I know who her husband is? I haven't spoken to her for a long time. I was just worried you would misunder

I walked to the side, took out a box from the cabinet, and handed it to him. "Here, Xavier. I got you a birthday present. Take a look and see if you like it."There was nothing unusual about the box from the outside. There weren't even any logos on it.Xavier took the box but made no move to open it."Take a look," I urged. "I think you'll like it."He seemed intrigued. After inspecting the box curiously for a few moments, he opened it.For a moment, he froze. Then, his hands started trembling.He must have recognized what was inside. After all, this was his expertise."Do you not like it? I've cleaned it up, so it's not disgusting anymore."Xavier did not move. He continued staring at me."What's wrong, Dr. Leeson? Did you forget that you'd performed the surgery on me yourself?" I continued.He stared at me with wide eyes, the fear in them almost palpable. "Why, Shelly? Did you… Did you find out about that?"No, listen to me. That's not true. I can explain."He fell to his