The Price of Separation

When Lionel Franco returned home, I swallowed a mifepristone tablet—the medication I was supposed to take for the abortion—with a bite of cake.

It was my birthday. I had bought the cake earlier, planning to celebrate with Lionel and tell him I was pregnant.

I waited until 7 p.m. but he ignored my calls and didn’t reply to my messages.

Then I saw Sandra Howard’s Instagram post flaunting a property deed.

I couldn’t help myself so I left a comment.

Within seconds, Lionel called back—not to explain, but to lash out at me.

Before I could explain, he hung up and blocked me.

I was so furious that I nearly suffered a miscarriage.

When he finally arrived home, he glanced at the cake and the medication on the table.

He furrowed his brow.

“Whose birthday is it? Yours?”

I silently put away the pills and threw the cake in the trash.

“No,” I said calmly. “It’s a friend’s.”

He exhaled in relief.

“I thought so. Your birthday’s September 28th and today’s only the 8th.”

Five years of marriage, and Lionel had forgotten my birthday every single year.

The irony was that he always remembered hers.

Lionel sat down beside me and handed me a stuffed bear.

“Sandra asked me to give this to you. She was upset by your passive-aggressive comment earlier. Go apologize to her.”

I noticed that the bear wore a tiny Mercedes logo.

It was a promotional gift that came with the Mercedes. A greasy stain marked its surface.

“I don’t want it,” I said flatly.

Lionel frowned.

“What’s with the attitude? She was terrified and even took the initiative to make amends.

“Can’t you just apologize to her?”

When I didn’t respond, he grabbed my arm, determined to have me call Sandra.

His grip was forceful, and as he yanked me up, my injured leg hit the cold edge of the coffee table.

The injury was Lionel’s doing.

A week ago, he had walked out of the kitchen carrying a pot of boiling soup. He was distracted by his messages with Sandra and spilled the scalding liquid all over my right foot, burning the skin raw.

Now, as blood seeped through the wound again, Lionel panicked.

“I’ll take you to the hospital,” he said, flustered.

I decided not to argue with him.

“Fine.”

Once we got into the car, the Bluetooth connected to an iPod and played a woman’s demure voice.

“Welcome back, my big guy. Remember to work hard and earn lots of money for me to spend!”

Lionel stiffened.

“That’s from last time,” he muttered. “Sandra must’ve left it in the car. I’ll get rid of it.”

“That won’t be necessary,” I replied evenly.

He was silent as he gazed at me uncertainly.

“You’re not angry?”

I pressed my lips together.

Once, I had cared deeply about his involvement with Sandra. But now, I didn’t even care about Lionel so why would I bother with the women he got tangled up with?

“Just drive. It’s late.”

The hospital was only a kilometer away—one U-turn and a straight shot.

Just then his phone rang. His lips curled into a smile as he answered.

It was Sandra.

Her playful, teasing voice filled the car, begging Lionel to teach her how to drive a Mercedes with a stickshift.

“She has something urgent on,” Lionel said as he ended the call.

“I’ll drop you off here. The hospital’s just across the street.”

He didn’t even want to make the U-turn.

He couldn’t wait to see her.

I stared at him.

“I can’t walk.”

Lionel looked at me coldly.

“Can you stop being so dramatic? It’s such a minor injury!”

He opened the passenger door and yanked me out of the car, forcing me to stand on the pavement.

“Call me when you’ve had your bandages changed,” he said before speeding off.

The car’s tires splashed dirty water onto my injured foot, soaking the wound.

A fine drizzle began to fall.

Raindrops mingled with the dampness on my skin as my eyes burned with unshed tears.

Fifty meters to go.

It wasn’t far, but after just a few steps, cold sweat broke out all over me. A sharp pain suddenly tore through my abdomen, and my legs gave out beneath me.

I collapsed in the middle of the crosswalk.

Cars sped past, some swerving dangerously close.

If not for the security guard outside the hospital who rushed to help me, I might have been hit.

After struggling through hours of treatment and finally returning home, I lay down to rest.

Lionel stormed into the room, fury etched on his face.

“Didn’t I tell you to call me after getting your bandages changed? I waited for you at the hospital entrance for a whole hour! Your phone’s been off this entire time!”

I stared at him blankly, unable to muster a response.