Where could I possibly vent my anger? I had no outlet, no one to listen.
But that night, something unexpected happened. Spencer came home early.
"Tiffany, come here," he called out to me.
His voice, that same condescending tone he always used, grated on my nerves. The mere sound of it filled me with disgust.
"Spencer, what’s with you today?" I snapped back, my patience already wearing thin. Since the night he violated me, my feelings for him had soured. There was no longer any illusion of a happy life together.
His dark, brooding eyes fixed on me, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. There was something unsettling about the way he looked at me.
"Go get checked tomorrow to see if you’re pregnant. Aunt Zeina told me you haven’t had your period this month."
My heart skipped a beat. Why was he paying such close attention to something so personal? Panic surged through me. I had been so consumed with writing lately that I hadn’t kept track.
I tried to brush it off. "It’s probably just a hormonal imbalance. A lot of women experience this, it doesn’t mean I’m pregnant."
My words came out shaky. I felt a twinge of guilt for not knowing myself, but a part of me was also shocked, wondering what I would do if I actually was pregnant.
If there was a child, an innocent caught in this twisted situation, I’d have to make a plan.
Spencer wasn’t giving me any room to breathe. "I’ll take you to the hospital. Let’s go."
His voice lacked its usual coldness, which caught me off guard. He headed for the door, as if there was no question about it.
I sighed. There was no avoiding it now. I had to face the possibility.
At the hospital, I noticed something strange when we finally got the results.
Spencer smiled.
For the briefest moment, I thought I was imagining it. Was he happy?
I hesitated, unsure whether I should ask him what he was thinking. But before I could speak, he turned to me and said, "We’ll be in this together. Call me if you need anything and be careful at home."
"Hmm..." I mumbled, surprised by his tenderness. How many times had I imagined this kind of conversation? Nevertheless, I never thought it would happen at the door of a hospital, under such tense circumstances.
The elders in the family were the happiest, of course. Once they confirmed the pregnancy, they were overjoyed.
Spencer’s behavior changed too. He no longer treated me as coldly as he had before.