Thaddeus confirmed a truth.
One could never know pain until suffering falls upon oneself.
After my parents died, he could still apologize to me with reddened eyes, dreaming of us reconciling.
But now, with only a few vague pieces of evidence, he crazily suppressed my company, locked me in my room, and sent three bodyguards to watch over me, not allowing me to leave.
I actually felt little.
There was some irony, and a bit of exhaustion, but it was all faint, without much emotional fluctuation. It was also a good time to rest, to think about what to do next.
On the third night of being locked away, Thaddeus entered my room. I was still drying my hair when I looked up, startled by the coldness in his gaze.
I asked calmly, "Have you found something?"
He didn't say a word, only sat down in front of me. Cross-legged on the carpet, his eyes held the familiar red.
He covered his eyes and cried.
"I thought... I thought we could live peacefully... Everything had already passed."
"I hate it, I hate that you left it all messy, why did you make me discover it... Why?"
I sighed."If you have solid evidence, take it to the police."
"If not, don't blame me for such a big crime." Seeing the bewilderment in his expression, I suddenly wanted to laugh.
"I once told you, if we can't move past my parents' death, we'll never be able to move forward. You didn't believe me."
"So now? Thaddeus, do you believe me now? Since you've already decided I'm involved in your parents' death, can you still hold on to me?"
He instinctively shook his head.
Then, suddenly snapping back to his senses, his eyes grew cold with rage.
He stood up, seized my wrist, and pushed me against the headboard, speaking each word slowly: "I won't let you go."
"I've lost everything, you're all I have left... Irene, I don't care what you've done, or what you want to do. As long as I'm alive, you'll never escape me!"
"Are you trying to force me to kill you?"
I stared at him coldly. "We've already reached this point, do your so-called feelings really matter that much?"
"Thaddeus, can you really not care about your parents—"
"Shut up!"
He suddenly pressed me down on the bed, with a ferocity that pinned my hands above my head. His damp hair soaked the sheets, clinging to his fingertips, cold as ice.
"We'll have a child, yes, we'll have a child..."
He mumbled madly, "Once we have a child, everything will be fine."
"You—"
"Irene, don't blame me, you're all I have left. You can't leave. If you leave, I'll really die... We'll have a child." He bent down and kissed my lips.
---
Thaddeus had completely lost his mind.
In this life and the last, I had never seen him so desperate.
He threw away all the contraceptive pills, forcing me to stay in the room, forbidding anyone from coming near.
"I'll watch over your company for you. Now, you need to focus on preparing for pregnancy."
He tenderly touched my face. "Be good, once the baby's born, I'll take you out."
"Does this amuse you?"
I leaned tiredly against the headboard. "What do you think of the child? A tool to trap me?"
He fell silent for a moment, then smiled. "Then what other way do I have to keep you?"
"Tell me, and we'll try it." I turned my head, unwilling to speak to him.
The story had once again reached a deadlock.
Like in the last life, his obsession, his madness, I was trapped in his cage, like a pet clinging to him.
On countless afternoons, I sat drowsily by the window, my fingers brushing my belly. I was truly afraid of having a child.
I didn't want the baby to become a vessel for our parents' hatred, a tool to hold together a marriage teetering on the edge of destruction.
If I were to get pregnant, should I try to get rid of it? But why...
Thaddeus was in no condition to listen to me now.
I could think of no way to escape from this current predicament. Must it really come to this—let him die?
