Chapter 2: The Bowl Beside the Dog
After that dinner, I thought things couldn’t get worse.
I was wrong.
The next morning, I woke up before sunrise.
Old habits.
For years, I had convinced myself that being a good wife meant making everyone else comfortable before myself.
I cooked breakfast.
I prepared coffee.
I packed Daniel’s lunch.
Even after what happened, a small part of me still hoped he would notice.
Maybe he would see my swollen eyes.
Maybe he would remember that I was his wife, not a servant.
He walked into the kitchen wearing his expensive suit.
He kissed my forehead.
“Morning.””
I froze.
That simple gesture almost made me cry.
Because I wanted to believe it meant he cared.
“Daniel.””
“Yeah?””
I looked at him.
“Do you think what happened last night was okay?””
His smile disappeared.
“Not this again.””
“This again?””
I put the coffee cup down.
“Your mother made me eat on the floor.””
“She was upset.””
“She gave me food from the dog’s bowl.””
Daniel sighed.
“You’re exaggerating.””
Those words felt like a slap.
“Exaggerating?””
“Yes. You always make everything bigger than it is.””
I stared at him.
The man standing in front of me wasn’t confused.
He wasn’t unaware.
He was choosing.
“I need you to understand something,” I whispered.
“I felt humiliated.””
Daniel grabbed his keys.
“I need you to stop attacking my family.””
Then he left.
No apology.
No comfort.
Nothing.
That afternoon, Margaret called me downstairs.
I walked into the kitchen and saw a plate sitting on the counter.
“There’s your lunch,” she said.
I looked at it.
Cold leftovers.
Again.
“Thank you,” I said quietly.
She smiled.
“You should be thankful. Before Daniel married you, this house was peaceful.””
I swallowed.
“What does that mean?””
“It means you changed him.””
I almost laughed.
Changed him?
I wanted to say, “Your son is the one allowing this.””
But I stayed silent.
Margaret stepped closer.
“You came from a simple family. Don’t forget that.””
Her words were carefully chosen.
Not loud enough to be called cruel.
Just sharp enough to hurt.
That evening, I called my father.
The moment he answered, I heard his familiar voice.
“Sweetheart?””
And suddenly, I was twelve years old again.
The little girl who ran to him when she scraped her knee.
The little girl who knew someone would always protect her.
I almost told him.
Almost.
But then I heard Daniel enter the house.
I quickly changed the subject.
“I just wanted to hear your voice.””
My father became quiet.
“Something is wrong.””
“No.””
“You’re my daughter. I know when you’re pretending.””
My eyes filled with tears.
Before I could answer, Daniel walked past the doorway.
I lowered my voice.
“I’ll talk to you later.””
After hanging up, I found Daniel watching me.
“Are you telling your father things about my family?””
My heart dropped.
“No.””
“Because if you are, you’re creating problems.””
I stared at him.
“Creating problems?””
“Yes.””
That was when I understood.
In his mind, the problem wasn’t the cruelty.
The problem was that I was speaking about it.
Over the next few days, I noticed something strange.
My stomach started hurting.
At first, it was a small pain.
A burning feeling after meals.
I ignored it.
Then came nausea.
Then dizziness.
I told Daniel.
He barely looked up from his phone.
“Maybe you’re stressed.””
I wanted to believe that.
But my body knew something was wrong.
One night, I went downstairs for water.
The kitchen light was on.
I heard voices.
Margaret and Emily.
I stopped behind the wall.
“I still can’t believe she ate it,” Emily laughed.
Margaret answered, “She’ll never question anything. She’s too desperate to keep Daniel.””
My blood turned cold.
Then Emily said something I would never forget.
“But what if she gets sick?””
Margaret laughed.
“Then she should have been more grateful.””
I covered my mouth.
My hands trembled.
I slowly stepped backward.
But then my foot hit something.
A glass.
It fell.
The sound shattered through the kitchen.
The voices stopped.
Margaret turned around.
Her face changed when she saw me.
“What did you hear?””
I couldn’t speak.
Because at that moment, I realized they weren’t just humiliating me.
They were hiding something.
May you like
And whatever was inside that food…
They knew exactly what it was.