His annoyance was evident as he rubbed his nose. "Can you stop being so unreasonable? I'm drained from work. How can I remember every little thing? And it's your fault we didn't land that client today. Mia, when are you going to be more considerate?"

Every time we fought, Daniel pushed the blame onto me. In the past, I would have felt guilty and bent over backward to appease him until he calmed down.

But now, the love that once clouded my judgment was gone. I saw the man in front of me wasn't as perfect as I had once thought; my love had merely cast a glow over him.

I finished my noodles in silence and went to wash up. A loud crash echoed from the living room, but I didn't check. Instead, I moved to the guest room to sleep.

The next morning, to my surprise, Daniel had made oatmeal.

"Mia, I might have been too busy with work lately and overlooked you, but you have to understand that I'm working hard for our home!"

This was about as close to an apology as Daniel would get.

But I didn't want to accept it. "I've never liked oatmeal."

With a dark look, he dumped the oatmeal down the sink and left without another word.

For days, Daniel hadn't come home, and honestly, I didn't have the energy to care. After the miscarriage, I felt awful. The doctor said I was weak and needed to focus on healing, so he loaded me up with bitter meds that made my tongue numb. Each bowl of medicine felt like a chore, leaving little room for anything else.

In the past, during our fights, I'd stay up waiting for him, ready with his favorite meals outside his office. Whether it was scorching hot or freezing cold, I'd wait at the door, convinced that if he just ate my food, everything would be okay. It wasn't until I saw a post from Ada that I realized those meals usually ended up in the trash.

Now, I wasn't in the mood to cook; I wanted to work. While I was job hunting, I ran into someone from Christopher's HR department. Christopher offered to help me find a new job, saying he believed in my abilities. It had been a long time since I'd felt that kind of trust. Determined not to let him down, I dove into my new role and pushed thoughts of Daniel aside.

So, when Ada called, I was surprised. "Hey, Mia! I'm with Daniel at a hotel. Can you come get him? He's drunk, and it's not appropriate for us to be alone together." I was in the middle of a project, so I said I couldn't and hung up.