Filed to story: My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Novel by Anastasia Marie
Lily felt helpless and could only walk into the pool step by step. It was so cold and the water smelled like a swamp. She began to look for the small ring, bending down and feeling along the
bottom.
She winced and screamed several times. When she scraped against rocks and god-knew-what.
What if there were turtles? She could lose a finger.
She had not expected Jason to take revenge for Grace.
And now that he had, she wondered what else he might do to her next.
When Jason returned to the apartment, he saw Grace washing clothes.
Her hands were soaked in ice-cold water and they had already turned red from the cold.
“Why don’t you use hot water?” he asked with a frown.
“Hot water needs to be boiled, which will use a lot of electricity.
Besides, if you wash with cold water for a while, your hands will start to heat up.” Grace said. She soaked the clothes again and wrung them out to dry.
He took her hands in his. They were so, so cold.
“Next time, use hot water when you wash clothes. Just use the electricity, and I will earn the money,” he said.
She could not help laughing. She raised her hand and patted his shoulder. “It’s alright, I should save money whenever I can.
There’ll be many places to spend money in the future. How was dinner with your colleagues tonight, was it enjoyable?”
“Not bad,” Jason replied. Dinner with his colleagues had been his excuse tonight. If he had guessed correctly, then Lily would still be looking for the ring in the Reed family’s pond.
He wondered how long Lily would spend.
“It seems to have grown a little longer,” Grace muttered, bringing Jason back to reality. He saw the person before him raising her hand to gently press his hair back.
“Jay, why don’t I trim your hair for you? When it’s long like this, it’s got to be annoying, getting in your face and whatnot.”
He laughed.
His hair was tied back during the day, and he only left it down around her and while in her environment so people wouldn’t recognize him.
She ran her hands through his hair again. “I think it will look so good,” she said as if already envisioning it.
He stared at her with a bright glint in his eyes. Moments later, he slowly said, “Alright.”
Grace only had simple tools-a comb and a pair of scissors. Then, she took a piece of cloth and wrapped it around Jason’s neck.
She combed his bangs gently with a comb, then began to trim the hairs on his forehead bit by bit. All of her attention was concentrated on the task at hand.
Jason watched her. The way she studied him, so focused on her task.
That singular focus had served her well in her life-first with her education and graduating top of her class at University and later at Law School. And then in surviving prison.
Guilt stabbed at him.
He saw how she’d been abused in the time that he knew her.
What must her life be like behind bars, with no one to champion or protect her, and countless criminals coming after her all in the hopes of pleasing him?
She sucked in a breath and he hung on to that little sound.
Her mouth was pretty. Full lips, a bright smile.
She didn’t smile enough, he realized.
Her skin was still red, likely from the wind and cold, and though it pinkened her cheeks and nose, it only enhanced her beauty.
If he looked hard enough, he could see that she’d been beautiful once.
Her features carried symmetry and character.
But it wasn’t the outward appearance that drew him, but rather
what came from within.
This woman… she’d been the one to fight for him. To sacrifice so that he could have a roof over his head, warm clothes, and something good to eat. She’d asked for nothing in return.
And knowing that she appreciated him for him… awakened something inside him.
“It’s done.” After an unknown amount of time, her voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
“Oh, already?” he asked. It was as if time spent with her passed extremely quickly.
“Mmm.” She smiled, took two steps back, and carefully looked at him for a while. “My skill isn’t too bad. In fact, it’s rather good, and we’ve saved twenty dollars.”
She smiled as she spoke. Then, she took out a dry towel and flicked off the fine strands of hair that were stuck to his face, neck, and on his clothes.
“Alright, go take a shower,” Grace said.
Jason took the change of clothes and walked into the narrow bathroom. Knowing that she wanted to conserve energy and keep their bills low, he didn’t set the shower to hot as he normally would. Warm water rushed over his body as he stepped in and lowered his head to rinse away any shorn hairs. As he glanced down, he saw the scar on his chest.
With time, this scar had grown very shallow. However, every time he saw it, he would think of that woman.
The woman who had abandoned him and his father.
Perhaps this wound was the only thing he had left of her.
He recalled her pushing him away as he knelt and begged her not to leave, and not to abandon him and his father.
The woman had shaken her head and pried his hands free.
When she shoved him aside so she could leave, he’d fallen on a bit of rebar. Jason’s memories didn’t remember the construction or the details of the day, aside from what she wore, how her
beautiful smile had transformed into a snarl, and how he’d been unable to breathe when the metal he fell on pierced his chest.
The doctors had said that the metal had gotten very close to his heart. He was lucky, a centimeter to the left and they would not have been able to save his life at all.
At that time, he had told himself that that woman was no longer his mother.
He walled himself off.
After his father’s death, he stopped having expectations of anyone.
As long as he did not have expectations, he would never be disappointed.
It was just that…