Letting Go Of You Ch 3

Chapter 3 When he realized I’d come down from upstairs, Austin’s face contorted in anger. “You’re just getting up now? Didn’t I tell you to get up early and make soup? Is it really that hard for you? “Can’t you be a little more mature? Stop getting jealous and throwing tantrums all the time!” Looking at his smug face, I almost laughed out of sheer frustration. Every time he made a mistake, he’d find a way to blame me, accusing me of blowing things out of proportion and being irrationally jealous. I couldn’t even be bothered to argue, turning to walk away. Suddenly, pain shot through my wrist as he yanked me back with such force that I stumbled and fell to the floor. Austin was strong—his grip hurt, and I couldn’t steady myself before collapsing. He towered over me, eyes blazing with anger and impatience. “Did I say you could leave? Stop pretending to be weak. Get up.” Cold sweat broke out across my forehead, and my face drained of color. A flicker of panic flashed across Austin’s features. “I didn’t pull that hard. You’re always making me angry—why can’t you just be sweet like Kayla?” As he spoke, he bent down to pick me up. I tried to struggle, but he grabbed my hands and lifted me anyway. I kicked my legs, fighting back. “Put me down!” “Just behave. Stop squirming.” He set me on the sofa and fetched the first aid kit, tending carefully to the scrapes on my wrist, his expression gentle and his movements cautious. Once, that would have moved me. Back then, every little thing he did made my heart flutter, made me believe he truly loved me. He’d wait in line for hours to buy my favorite pastries. I only mentioned once how beautiful the marshes must be in the rain—and before I knew it, he’d bought tickets. He learned how to take better photos of me, showered me with compliments, and always tried to make me smile. Little by little, his sincerity won me over, and I agreed to marry him. Watching his serious face now, I couldn’t help but wonder how we’d ended up like this. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the glow of his phone screen—WhatsApp messages from the same contact with a heart emoji, clearly from Kayla. “Austin, where are you? I’m craving pastries from Florian’s Bakery. “You skipped work to take care of me—won’t Eloise get jealous? If she gets upset, I’ll feel so guilty.” Florian’s Bakery. So those pastries he always recommended, the ones he’d wait in line for, were actually his beloved crush’s favorites. I used to be quiet and reserved, but somewhere along the way, Austin turned me into someone irritable and quick-tempered. He often came home at dawn, sometimes not at all, and whenever I was upset, he’d turn it around and blame me. “I work my tail off every day, staying late at the office is perfectly normal! I’m doing all this for you, for our family.” At first, every time he said that, guilt gnawed at me. I thought I was just overthinking it. But he wasn’t as clever as he thought. I knew the truth—he wasn’t working late or out networking. He was with Kayla. Austin set a cup of supplement drink in front of me, putting on a show of tenderness. “Drink up.” The supplement drink had been prescribed by a doctor long ago; every time I gave blood, he’d make me drink it, worried I’d be too weak for the next donation. After I found out I was pregnant, I stopped, afraid it might hurt the baby. Now, watching him go through the motions, I had no appetite at all. I shook my head. “I don’t want it. Just pour it out.” Austin’s face darkened. He twisted my body toward him, trying to force me to drink. “If you’re not healthy, you need to take care of yourself. Stop being unreasonable.” The bitter, strange smell brought back memories of all those times I’d forced myself to drink it after donating blood. My stomach turned. “I said I don’t want it! Ugh—” I couldn’t hold back the nausea. Tears stung my eyes, and my face grew even paler. Austin jumped up, furious, his voice harsh. “Eloise! Stop being so ungrateful. I skipped work just to make sure you drank your supplement—isn’t that enough? Can’t you just listen for once? “It’s just a blood donation for Kayla! Why do you have to make such a fuss? Kayla’s my good friend, she’s not well—what’s the harm in you giving blood a few times? “I put work aside to comfort you, and you walk all over me. I’ve been too good to you, that’s why you think you can get away with anything!” His temper flared, and he slammed the cup down. Shards sliced my cheek and arm, but the pain in my abdomen was worse. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “That’s not what I meant. I don’t care about you and Kayla, I just—” Before I could finish, another wave of pain twisted through my stomach, making me retch, though I hadn’t eaten anything—only sour bile came up. Austin recoiled in disgust, stepping back and snapping, “Eloise, can’t you control yourself? That’s disgusting. Why can’t you just be a decent wife? “You can’t have kids, you can’t take care of the house—what good are you to me? “You’re such a disappointment.” His words were merciless, blunt, and cruel. If he’d cared about me at all, he would’ve noticed something was wrong. But he didn’t, and I didn’t need him to anymore. I wiped my mouth with a tissue, brushing him off. “Whatever you say.” Without another glance, I headed for my room, Austin’s angry shouts echoing behind me. “Eloise, can you stop making trouble every single day? I regret marrying you. You can’t even give me a child, and all you do is make my life miserable. “Go clean up, and don’t call me unless it’s important. I don’t want to see you.” The front door slammed, and silence settled over the house. I lay on my bed, mind blank, and eventually drifted into a heavy sleep. When I checked my phone, there wasn’t a single message from him, but I saw Kayla’s latest Instagram post. A candid photo of Austin, captioned, “Life is hard, but at least I have you.” The first comment was from Austin, “It won’t be hard as long as I’m here.” I calmly closed Instagram and called my doctor to confirm my appointment. Some ties should have been cut long ago. Loving myself is the only right choice.