The Wife He Never Knew

The next day, Shirley threw up before sunrise. She barely made it to the bathroom when the nausea finally eased. She remained kneeling on the cold floor with one hand pressed against her stomach.A smile tugged at her lips despite everything.Two pink lines.She had checked the test three times the previous night to make sure she wasn't imagining it. It read ‘pregnant’ and her heart leaped for joy. She closed her eyes. For a moment, she allowed herself to forget Damien's words from the night before.“A baby”, she whispered with her hand on her stomach. Maybe this was the fresh start they needed…perhaps this child would remind Damien of what they once had.But the hope was foolish and she knew it.Still, she couldn't stop herself from holding onto it.Then a knock sounded on the bedroom door."Mommy!"Shirley quickly stood."I'm coming my love."She rinsed her mouth before stepping out.Little Cindy was already waiting outside in her pajamas.The two year old immediately lifted her

Two days passed and Damien never said a word about the incident.Everything had happened just forty eight hours ago, yet he carried on as though none of it had ever happened.Every morning, he left for work at exactly eight and he would return every evening, just before seven.They ate at the same table and slept in the same room with their backs against each other and a curtain between them. This was the new norm since Damien made love to Shirley three weeks ago in a drunken state. But between them, silence had become another person in the house.Shirley had stopped asking where he went after work and she stopped waiting for him to return home. Even her tears had become scarce…all that was left was emptiness she could not explain.The only person who still managed to draw a smile from her was Cindy.The little girl sat on the kitchen floor, surrounded by wooden blocks."Mommy, look."Shirley turned from the stove."I built a castle", Cindy said, proudly holding up a crooked tower