Second Year after Marriage

Chapter 1: Bad Sign

Anya has had a pretty good life over the past 26 years. Her family is harmonious, her parents love each other, her academic performance is average, she has a gentle personality, and she didn't have a rebellious teenage phase.

She was accepted into the university of her dreams without any problems, and she met Abraham there, who spoiled and doted on her. After graduating from university, all her friends were busy looking for jobs, but she was leisurely married to Abraham and moved with him to N City in the south.

She stays at home, taking care of him in the name of taking care of his life, but in reality, they take care of each other in their little life together.

They lead a very refined life.

Their classmates who know them all envy Anya's life, having already settled down early. Abraham started an event planning company right after graduating from university. Although it was a start-up, he was quite capable and soon made it, paying off the mortgage on their N City wedding home.

In the two years since her marriage, Anya has learned a lot about cooking, even if she hasn't learned anything else. She loves to eat, after all.

It's just that she's had bad luck today, cutting an onion and cutting her little finger.

The pain made Anya cry, and she covered her little finger as she searched for the first-aid kit. She dragged it out from next to the sofa and opened it just as a loud thunderclap shook the building, scaring Anya and making her scream. She was terrified of thunder.

The thunder rumbled again and again, and Anya, clutching her little finger, became petulant. She reached for her phone and called Abraham.

- Beep, beep, beep -

The phone kept ringing with the storm outside the window, and no one answered. Anya frowned in annoyance, and when she pressed the button a second time, the phone rang for three seconds.

Finally, someone picked up.

Anya didn't wait for Abraham to speak, but complained, “Why did you answer the phone so late?”

The familiar gentle voice came from the other end, "Honey, I'm sorry, I was busy. Were you scared by the thunder?"

“You tell me.”

“I know, you closed the window when I left this morning, and you opened the curtains, didn't you?”

“Yes.”

Anya answered with confidence, as he would predict her actions anyway. The only thing he couldn't predict was the wound on her little finger, so Anya continued, “I cut my finger while chopping vegetables, and it's bleeding a lot.”

Abraham was shocked at the other end of the line, and immediately said, "Did you stop the bleeding? The medicine cabinet is under the sofa, pull it out and remember to disinfect it before applying a hemostatic patch. Is the wound big?"

Anya listened to his nervous tone, a smile appeared in her eyes, and leaning on the armrest of the sofa, she said, “It's very big. I'll just stick a hemostatic plaster on it. Come home early tonight to help me deal with it.”

She was urging him to come home early tonight.

Abraham understood and said yes.

Having achieved her goal, Anya hung up the phone and did indeed take a hemostatic plaster and hastily applied it to the wound. Fortunately, the wound was not large, and it was just bleeding, which looked a little scary. Moreover, the pain of the torn skin was tingling, causing her to tidy up the kitchen casually and not cook.

She pointed her finger at the takeaway.

It was raining heavily outside, so after dinner Anya took a shower and watched TV directly on the sofa, waiting for Abraham in the meantime.

The clock on the wall ticks away the seconds, and there is still lightning and thunder outside. Anya doesn’t dare to go back to her room to sleep alone. With the TV on in the living room, the room feels a little more lively with people walking around at the screen.

But tonight Abraham is not home on time, as he usually is.

Anya holds the pillow and picks up her phone to check the time a few times. He was rarely this late in the past. She puts the phone down and decides to wait a little longer, and then call if he doesn't come back. After an unknown period of time, there is the sound of a fingerprint unlocking the door.

By this time, Anya was already asleep on the sofa waiting for someone. The room was brightly lit. Abraham's one shoulder was wet as he changed his shoes and entered the room. As soon as he turned a corner, he saw the woman sleeping on the sofa.

He stopped in his tracks and also saw Anya's hand hanging limply by her side, with the scribbled blood-stopping patch. Abraham snapped back to reality, walked over, and knelt down to gently remove the medical kit from under the sofa cabinet.

Inside, the hemostatic and disinfectant items were in a mess, so Abraham took out the disinfectant and held her fingertips, gently removing the hemostatic patch on her little finger.

He was extremely careful.

But Anya still woke up. She had never been a deep sleeper, and when her eyes opened, she saw Abraham. Her voice was thick with sleepiness as she scolded him, “Why did you just come back?”

Her eyes were always soft, and when she first woke up, they were watery.

Abraham looked at her for just a second, then lowered his head to tend to her wound. His tone was low, “I took on a project at the last minute and had a meeting.”

“You took on another project? What is it this time?” Abraham would tell Anya about the projects his company took on, and Anya would sometimes give him some small ideas.

Abraham was quiet for a second, then said, “A jewelry exhibition.”

“Wow,” Anya said in a small voice, then added, “You should have told me about it then.”

Abraham applied a band-aid to her fingertips and spoke softly, “Well, I'll definitely tell you next time.”

He felt guilty.

He knew it was going to storm, and she would be scared alone.

After applying the band-aid, Abraham stood up, bent down, picked Anya up, and walked towards the master bedroom. He looked down at her and said, "If you get really sleepy in the future, go back to your room and sleep. You'll roll onto the floor like that."

After listening to his explanation and his promise, Anya didn't blame him for being late tonight. She hooked her arm around his neck and said softly, “I was afraid of the thunder, I wasn't asleep.”

Abraham understood that she had waited too long to fall asleep, so he nodded and said nothing.

Anya smiled but then saw his wet shoulders. She reached out and touched them, ”Did you get caught in the rain?”

In that moment, the muscles under his shirt tensed a little. Abraham's voice dropped even lower, and without looking at her, he went into the room, turned on the light, let out a gasp, nodded, and said, “I took a client to the car and got caught in the rain.”

He put Anya on the bed, reached out and pulled the quilt over her, and said, "You go to sleep first, I'll take a shower.”

Anya touched his shoulder and said, ’Go ahead, don't catch a cold. Shall I make you some ginger tea?”

“No, I'll be fine in this light rain. Don't underestimate your husband.” Abraham stood up straight, smiled at her, unbuttoned his shirt and went to get his pajamas. Anya's face turned a little red, and she pulled the quilt over her head and hid under the covers.

She watched him enter the bathroom, then got up, turned off the room's main light, and turned on a bedside lamp. She had deliberately chosen the mood lamp when buying the furniture. She took out the underwear in her pajamas, folded it and placed it on the storage cabinet, then curled up in the covers and leaned sideways.

They have been in love for three years and married for two.

Some things have become second nature.

Lying quietly, waiting, they hear the bathroom door open. Abraham turns to the living room, turns off the TV and the lights, then returns to the bedroom and closes the door with a click.

Anya buries her face in the pillow a little.

Abraham lifted the quilt in the dim light, and the mood lighting cast a hazy glow around the bedside. He could also see Anya's lithe figure, rising and falling with the light. He climbed into bed silently, reached out and put his arms around Anya's waist. Anya's heart quickened, and she subconsciously raised her eyes. Abraham rested his chin on the back of her head, holding her in his arms without making any other move.

The chest against her back was warm. Anya waited quietly for a while, feeling his breathing gradually become steady, as if he had fallen asleep.

Anya suddenly felt a little lost. She looked at the mood lighting, but deep down she was still reserved. In the end, she closed her eyes and thought about going to sleep. In the afternoon, because of the thunderstorm, she didn't take a nap, so she fell asleep quickly.

Her body was soft as she fell asleep.

Abraham could feel the delicacy of her waist and sense that she had fallen asleep. Abraham opened his eyes in the dark for a few seconds, quickly closed them again, and hugged her tighter.

A figure wearing a slim dress and high heels flashed through his mind.

-

It had rained all night, but in the morning the sun peeked out, and outside the apartment the birds chirped. Anya got out of bed barefoot, pulled back the curtains and looked out.

The rain had finally stopped.

It was a beautiful day. She turned around, went back to bed, put on her shoes, looked at the sleeping man, smiled, stretched, went to wash up, and then went out to make breakfast.

Because she still had a bandage on her little finger to stop the bleeding, she couldn't touch water, so she steamed four buns and heated some milk.

Footsteps could be heard in the master bedroom. Abraham had woken up. Anya walked smiling to the door and peeked in. “You're awake.”

Abraham was in front of the closet, looking for a tie. He was wearing a dark blue shirt today and was having trouble deciding between the few ties he had bought. They were all dark in color, and he couldn't make up his mind. Anya came up to him and pointed her finger. ”This black one seems pretty good.”

Abraham held it up to his neckline and compared it to the red and black one he was holding in his other hand. Anya smiled and winked, “Do you need to choose so carefully? You didn't even want to wear a tie before.”

Abraham paused for a moment, and put the red and black one back. ‘I'll use the one you chose.”

Anya leaned against the closet with her arms folded, and whispered, ’I steamed some buns, let's have them for breakfast.”

Abraham nodded, "That's fine.”

He fastened his tie, picked up his jacket, turned around, and Anya smiled at him, took his hand, and went out for breakfast. The island counter was quiet, with the couple sitting on either side of it. Anya tore open the buns and started eating.

Sipping her milk, she looked very fair, and today she was wearing plain-colored pajamas.

Abraham finished breakfast, rinsed his mouth out, and returned to the island counter. Anya looked up at him with bright eyes. Abraham put his hand on the island counter, leaned in close to her, and kissed her forehead.

This had been their habit for a long time.

He would always kiss her before going to work.