The Day He Chose Her

"Here, they smell good," Smith, her husband said, giving her flowers, but they weren't for her.

"These are Bella’s favorite. You should give it to her and ask for her pardon, then we can live together again."

Tessa smiled pitifully. She was the sick one, the one who had just gotten back from the hospital, but her own husband didn't care about her; his interest was in another woman.

Seeing her reluctance, he frowned. "What? Take them. She has a kind heart and she will forgive you if you ask nicely." He urged her, pushing the flowers closer.

He didn't even remember that she was allergic to rose flowers.

As the flowers came closer, a trigger hit her throat. She sneezed, turned her head, her allergy flaring. She shoved them aside and his face greased into a frown. He pushed her roughly, his temper rising, and her back hit the sharp corner of the desk. He didn't care that she was still recovering.

“How dare you? They are a foreign rare breed. You ruined them." He turned and stormed out, holding the flowers like a lifeline. The tears in her eyes stung, but she didn't let them fall.

Just a month ago, her husband's lover returned, and the man whom she thought her years of persistence would win his heart suddenly changed.

Bella, her husband's first love, set her up, hurt herself, and accused her of doing that to her. Smith believed her and beat his wife so bad that she was admitted to the hospital. He slapped her, she fell and hit her head on the table.

She lost their unborn child, and in the three days she spent in the hospital, Smith never showed up. When she was rushed to the hospital by the servants, there were no doctors to attend to her because Smith had all the specialists gather to take care of Bella, who had just a cut.

It was there in the hospital that something in her snapped. She knew she had no reason to hold on to something that was never hers or a man that was never hers.

She had married him as a naive young girl, who loved him so much even when he didn't love her in return.  But two weeks ago, she believed it had changed, that they were now a real couple.

Smith’s care had been so real. He hadn't shown her real love since she married him. With the way he cared for her, it was impossible not to believe he loved her. She even believed the previous circumstances leading to their marriage no longer mattered.

But finally, the illusion shattered as soon as Bella returned.

Her eyes scanned the living room and she made her way up the stairs. She was about to enter the room they shared together when Smith's voice halted her.

"Your things are no longer there."

For a second, she forgot to breathe.

"I mean, Bella was sick and needed proper attention, so I had her move in so I can take care of her properly.  Your things have been taken to the guest room."

“It's alright,” Tessa agreed without hesitation. She was done struggling to save her marriage. Bella was right when she told her that Smith would always love and choose her, even though he was married on paper.

"Come on, don't be so petty. It's nothing serious. She's just staying for a while. There is no need to be jealous."

“I’m not…”  she was saying when a loud scream was heard downstairs. Smith turned and ran the fastest she had ever seen him run.

By the time she descended the stairs, she saw him holding Bella gently by the waist, cradling her fingertip in his mouth. His eyes carried so much care and concern.

"I'm so sorry, Smith. I didn't mean to startle you.”

“Come on, it's fine. I'm glad you yelled on time. You would have been in so much pain by now."

Tessa's jaw dropped open. Smith hated noise, worse screaming. Not only that, he hated the sight of blood. He had made it clear to her that she must not yell, no matter what it was.

Four years of marriage, 1461 days and nights, Tessa followed every rule he made, hoping it would make him love her.

She never screamed, nor let him see blood anywhere. If she had an injury, she would quickly treat it before he got back. But now, she knew it wasn't it. He wasn't allergic to either of those things; those rules were only for her.

For Bella, there were none. He gave her the permission to scream, and he had her injured finger in his mouth. How ironic!

Bella noticed the look on Tessa’s face and smiled triumphantly.

"But, Smith, the photo on the wall, it's hung too low. That's why I got injured. It's really dangerous,"  she whined.

Tessa scoffed inwardly. The wedding photo Bella was talking about had been there for years without as much as scratching anyone, but as soon as she came into the house, she happened to be the first victim. How interesting.

Before Tessa could say anything, Smith cut in. "Yes, that's right. The photo is too low and can pose more danger in the future. Tessa, have someone take it down and move it to the storage room."

Tessa's eyes widened. That wedding picture meant a lot to her. She used to treasure it so much. She had begged Smith day and night for months before he allowed them to take that photo. She had it framed and hung up there, hoping to make him love her so they could take more in the future.

Well, she had stopped seeing the future with him after her stay in the hospital.

"There is no space left in the storage room," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

His entire face hardened, and he looked like he would reconsider. Bella, who wasn't one to lose a chance, cradled her barely scratched finger like it had been severed and let out a whimper like a kitten.

"Ah, Smith, it hurts so much."

Smith slammed his fist on the table, and yelled, "Then burn the damn photo."