“He’d do my nails, apply body lotion, prevent me from doing housework or entering the kitchen. He’d always say, ‘Girls should
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Chapter 5
be beautiful and know how to dress up,” she added.
She looked me up and down, testing, “David must treat you the same way, right? What a great man,” she said.
That night, I couldn’t sleep.
I kept telling myself that everyone had a first love.
But David’s actions in the following year made self–deception impossible.
In five years of marriage, he never remembered my birthday without my reminder.
Yet he knew Ashley’s birthday perfectly.
My words were selectively forgotten. Ashley’s words were gospel.
When my stomach hurt, he’d tell me to drink hot water.
When Ashley messaged about her period, he’d immediately drive to her, cooking attentively.
This massive disparity pushed me to the brink of breakdown daily.
When I finally asked him to stay away from Ashley, she soon claimed to be “depressed“.
From then, David’s attitude shifted from cold to disgusted–unchanged to this day.
I slowly opened my eyes, not wanting to remember more.
While still somewhat lucid, I had the caregiver process my hospital transfer.
Simultaneously, I privately hired a detective to investigate Ashley’s past.
The police soon confirmed: David had indeed bribed leaders with fifty thousand dollars to orchestrate Ryan’s dismissal.
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