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For a fleeting moment, as I watched his gentle, almost cautious demeanor, a part of me wavered. Could the events of this morning have been nothing more than a cruel illusion? But the moment he opened his mouth, reality struck me like a sharp slap.
“Aurelle, given your condition, having children isn’t possible,” he began, his tone tentative yet calculated. “What if we adopted instead?”
His words pierced through me, and my expression turned icy. Seeing the shift in my demeanor, he panicked, pulling me into a desperate embrace.
“Aurelle, did I upset you?” he pleaded, his voice trembling. “Don‘ t scare me like this. If it’s too much, I won’t mention it again. We can wait until you feel better, okay?”
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His nervous attempts to console me only deepened the chasm between us. While he may have temporarily dropped the subject, the resolve in his eyes told me his mind was already made up.
The next morning, Ruslan left the house early, leaving me alone to focus on work- related matters.
“Ms. Aurelle, when can we expect you to join our team?”
“In seven days,” I replied, my tone resolute.
Just as I prepared to end the call, his voice startled me from behind.
“Aurelle, who are you talking to?”
I quickly hung up, masking my nerves with a calm facade. “No one important, just a scam call.”
Satisfied with my response, Ruslan let the matter drop, his focus shifting to Thea, who trailed behind him like a shadow.
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“Aurelle, meet Thea Hunter. She’s a top- tier caregiver I hired just for you,” he announced with feigned enthusiasm.
“Since it’s hard for you to move around and I’m often tied up with work, she‘ 11 be here to assist you,” he added smoothly.
His words hung in the air like a lead weight. Thea, catching his unspoken cue, stepped forward with a practiced smile.
“Yes, I specialize in caring for people with disabilities!” she chimed in, her tone dripping with faux sincerity.
I managed a perfunctory nod, masking my disdain. “If that’s what you think is best. I’m feeling tired and will head to bed.”
With that, I wheeled myself into the sanctuary of my bedroom, shutting the door on their charade.
When I woke up, the first thing I saw was Thea, dressed in a maid’s uniform, diligently wiping the floor.
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Ruslan sat stiffly on the sofa, his face a mask of seriousness. However, the newspaper in his hands was unmistakably upside down.
The days began to blur together, each one carrying the same tedious routine.
While Ruslan was away at work, Thea‘ s facade crumbled like a brittle mask. After preparing meals, she would deliberately place the bowls on the highest shelves, well out of my reach.
Hunger would eventually force me to wheel over, staring helplessly at the food perched above me like an unreachable prize.
Catching me in that moment, Thea would saunter by with a feigned look of surprise.
“Oh, I forgot you‘ re disabled and can’t stand up!” she would exclaim, her voice laced with mockery so sharp it could cut glass.
Her eyes sparkled with malicious delight,
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the mockery dripping off her words like poison.
But when Ruslan returned home each evening, she would don her mask once more, transforming into the picture of a devoted caregiver.
I would wake to the sound of her creeping into the room, boldly slipping under the covers beside Ruslan.
When he stirred and noticed her, his voice would drop into a frantic whisper.
“Are you out of your mind? Aurelle is right here!” he hissed, panic etched into every word.
But Thea would cling to him like ivy, her tone syrupy and sweet. “The baby in my belly misses you,” she murmured, her audacity boundless.
I could no longer endure the charade. My eyes snapped open, piercing through the dark.
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“Keep it down. I’m trying to sleep.”
Ruslan froze before hurriedly ushering her out, stumbling over his words.
“She’s just sleepwalking.”
Watching him stand there, flustered and at a loss, stirred something bittersweet in me.
Once upon a time, he had been a clean–cut, earnest young man. I remembered how his hand trembled slightly when he first held mine, how his shy whisper carried promises as eternal as the stars.
He had whispered in my ear that even if the world crumbled, he would love me until death.
And when the accident left me paralyzed, he had stayed by my side, resolute and unwavering.
“As long as you don‘ t disturb me, it’s fine,” I said at last, turning my back to him and closing my eyes.
The next morning, I woke to find the back
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of my shirt dampened by his tears.
During breakfast, his gaze flitted toward me, hesitant and full of unspoken words.
