“Oh my! The loser husband is finally here,” Meq said as she saw Felix coming back from the pharmacy. She had sent him to buy medicine for her baby.

“What the hell took you so long, huh?” she snapped, holding the child in her arms.

“Meq…” Felix called out in a quiet voice.

“Don’t ‘Meq’ me, you bastard! I hate the sight of you. A loser like you shouldn't have even been born. Ugh!” she shouted.

Felix stood silently, watching his wife insult him. He swallowed his anger and just wondered how she had changed so much.

She hadn’t always been like this. A few months ago, they still talked and shared little moments, though it was never anything physical. But now, Meq had become someone else entirely.

She rolled her eyes and snatched the drugs from his hand, then reached out and handed him the baby without saying a word.

“Meq, we need to talk,” he said gently.

She scoffed. “Talk? With who? You?” She looked him up and down and laughed. “Please, I can’t deal with this. I’m off to work. When Mom comes back, make sure you cook something nice for her.”

And just like that, she walked out of the house.

Felix sat down, feeling hollow. What happened to Meq? Why is she like this now?

He was just a young man who grew up in a countryside orphanage with no money and no real family.

Growing up in an orphanage where he was already accustomed to the feeling of being useless, he had long accepted his fate.

He had no one to call a friend—

he did. His five friends from the orphanage who acted cool around him. But well, that was then. They couldn't also stand him and began treating him with scorn and contempt till he left the orphanage.

He was always insulted by the other kids because of his unending kind gestures and generosity and everyday his little bed will be filled with tears from his ceaseless crying.

In the midst of all this, the only thing that kept him company was the silver necklace that hung around his neck. It was an old-fashioned locket; he had it since he was six years old, and he always wondered how he got it.

“Always be good, baby Felly,” he remembered Mother Emma’s voice; his only mother figure at the orphanage. She was the one person who gave him strength, always telling him to stay strong no matter how cruel the world was.

Trying to calm down, Felix went to the bathroom to take a cold shower. His room was on the lower floor of the house. The upper level belonged to Meq, her father, and the baby. Felix stayed in one of the shabby downstairs rooms.

By evening, he had cleaned the house, washed the dishes, and run errands for Kate, his mother-in-law.

He heard the baby, Dice, crying loudly from the room. Dice was like a little friend to him. He rushed in and fed the baby with a bottle while waiting for Meq to return from work.

But Meq still hadn’t come home.

She worked for the biggest company in MoperVille City, a place owned by a billionaire. In just two months, she had been promoted from a regular worker to a secretary. That always puzzled him.

He could remember how joyful she felt that day and loved the pretty smile on her face but didn't miss the seductive smirk she had while washing her face.

He knew there was more to it than meets the eye, but, he was just too scared to ask her how she got promoted within two months.

By 11 p.m., Meq still wasn’t back. Felix paced in the living room, checking his watch over and over.

Creak.

The front door opened.

A woman walked in wearing a tight skirt suit, her face covered in heavy makeup.

She was finally back.

Meq didn’t say a word. She walked past him like he wasn’t even there.

Felix felt a flare of frustration. “Meq, look at the time! Why the hell are you coming home this late?!” he shouted.

She turned around slowly, a look of pure disgust on her face. “Hey, who do you think you’re yelling at?” she said coldly. “Look here, you trash can bastard,” she pointed at his face, “it’s none of your business when I come or go. And don’t ever raise your voice at me again, you shameless dog!"

Felix remained rooted to the floor, taking in the words without fighting back. He didn’t want her to hate him more so he decided to calm down.

“Babe,” he said softly, “please don’t get me wrong. I’ve just been worried. Why so late?”

"Did I just hear him call me babe?" she gritted her teeth. She couldn't imagine that foolish pauper, who was just a substitute, had the guts to call her 'babe' and it irked her a lot.

She stormed up to him and slapped him hard across the face.

Lord, that was the third slap he had received that day.

Felix stood there, shocked. His cheeks burned with pain and shame. His green eyes turned red, but he said nothing. He looked down, too bitter to speak. What could he do? What power did someone like him even have?

“How dare you call me babe, huh? You filthy, good-for-nothing crippled dick! Did you even brush your disgusting mouth today?”

She leaned in closer. “Let me tell you something, you are not my husband. You never were. Just stick to your job: take care of baby Dice and your screwed life and stay out of my damn way, useless destitute!” she snapped before disappearing into her room.

Felix sank into the couch.

He thought back to the beginning; when he used to work for Meq’s father, Redds, in a small grocery store.

After leaving the orphanage, he had been desperate for work and found a place at Redds’ shop. In exchange for shelter, he worked without complaint. He had been so grateful to Redds and did everything to make him proud.

One day, Meq showed up to speak with her father, and he found her immensely attractive. She was pregnant and scared. Her boyfriend had dumped her, and she didn’t want to be a single mom.

That’s when the idea of marrying her came up to protect her reputation. Felix agreed without question.

Redds had been so kind to him. When the man died from heart disease, it broke Felix’s heart. But at least now, people would think Meq was married. She could say the child had a present father.

He had fallen in love with her, slowly and deeply. And for a while, it seemed like she cared too. He took it upon himself to love her and Dice with all his heart and make them happy.

But everything changed.

Now, whenever he tried to show her love, she only pushed him away with cruelty and rains insults and abuses on him.

He got up the next morning, took his bath, and did all the chores. Meq had already gone to work.

Suddenly, he heard Kate’s voice screaming his name from the parlor.

He flinched His hands began to shake. What did he do this time?

He ran to the parlor, heart pounding.