Filed to story: When His Wife Can’t Forgive
“What are you doing, Caden?” she asked.
Could he be so upset that he’d resort to cooking the dog?
Caden responded without emotion, “My stomach hurts. I’m putting this dog to cook for me in the kitchen.”
Alicia was at a loss for words.
She had never seen Caden behave like a child having a tantrum.
Caden set the dog down on the floor, and they looked at each other, both frozen.
Alicia crossed her arms and tilted her head, watching intently.
“Go ahead,” she said, “I’d like something to eat too.”
Caden reprimanded the dog, “Did you hear that? If you don’t cook, your mom will be disappointed.”
Alicia interjected, “Stop causing trouble.”
The dog, with its head low, scampered away.
Caden didn’t try to follow it.
Instead, he rolled up his sleeves and started to cook.
His stomach was aching, filled only with acid and alcohol.
He needed to eat.
Alicia didn’t go back to the bedroom. Instead, she crouched down to pet the dog, her ears tuned to the sounds coming from the kitchen.
Caden was still downstairs.
The sound of water sizzling brought back memories of happier times.
She noticed the little dinosaur plush toy on the sofa, untouched by the rain.
Alicia scolded herself for being so sentimental over such a small thing, yet she couldn’t look away.
What was she to do, so helplessly in love with him?
As she was deep in thought, a sudden crash from the kitchen interrupted the silence.
Instinctively, Alicia worried something had happened to Caden and hurried to check.
Just as she had anticipated, Caden tipped over the pot, causing boiling water to splash onto his hand.
The steam made it hard for Alicia to see clearly.
Her heart raced with worry as she saw Caden clutch his hand, standing pale and motionless.
She said urgently, “Why are you just standing there? Run it under cold water immediately!”
Was he planning to wait until blisters appeared before taking action?
Alicia rushed forward to grab his hand, but Caden quickly pulled it away.
She stood there, utterly stunned.
Caden seemed unfazed by the pain, his face emotionless as he replied, “Please don’t touch me. Isn’t that a bit too forward?”
Alicia stared at him as if he’d lost his mind.
“Caden, are you out of your mind?”
Caden turned on the faucet, letting cold water flow slowly over his hand.
“We should respect boundaries. What kind of relationship allows for this kind of contact?”
Alicia’s anger rooted her to the spot as she stared, wondering if he’d been possessed.
Choosing to be direct, she asked, “Then how would you define our relationship right now?”
Caden replied calmly, “We’re boyfriend and girlfriend.”
“And a girlfriend isn’t allowed to touch you?” Alicia asked.
“No,” Caden replied plainly.
“Only a fianc?e can.”
Alicia’s voice grew hoarse.
“Will you ever stop this? If I refuse your half-hearted proposal, are you planning to drag this on forever?”
Caden lowered his eyes, silently watching the water run over his hand.
Knowing how painful burns could be, Alicia held back from saying anything harsh and remained silent.
In a soft voice, Caden said, “It wasn’t a real proposal. I let my feelings get the better of me. I wanted you to be completely mine in that moment.”
Alicia blinked, momentarily taken aback.
The fire of anger within her unexpectedly faded away.
Caden turned off the water and looked at her, sincerity shining in his deep eyes.
“I’ve never treated you badly. Why would I hesitate about proposing?”
He added, “That ring was just a simple piece of jewelry to me, not tied to marriage. I was hurt when you gave it back. Were you trying to end things between us?”
Alicia wanted to respond, but his words left her speechless.
She murmured, “I dislike you making a joke out of a proposal, but I did like that ring. And yet, you threw it away.”
“It frustrated me,” Caden replied.
“Why keep something that only upsets me?”
A wave of sadness washed over her.
“Couldn’t you have told me this earlier? Why did you have to ignore me?”
Caden gazed deeply into her eyes.
In recent days, he had rushed to another city to oversee the creation of the ring, hoping to propose sooner. At the same time, his company was overwhelmed with problems, leaving him exhausted.
With everything piling up, he returned only to find her with Blake.
In that moment, he nearly considered giving up.
However, the more he thought about it, the less he wanted to let go.
Letting go wasn’t an option for him.
After a long silence, Caden finally said, “Alicia, it seems no matter how sincerely I treat you, you can never fully be loyal to me.”
Emotion welled up inside Alicia.
She retorted, “You went on a trip without telling me. How was I supposed to know who you were with? You said I’m unfaithful, but you’ve never planned to build a family with me seriously.”
Tears gathered in her eyes, threatening to spill.
She held them back, refusing to show any weakness.
Defiantly, she added, “Maybe next time I’ll disappear without a word, so you can see how it feels.”
Her determined voice, edged with unshed tears, reached him.
It wasn’t defiance. It was a silent plea for his attention.
His frustration melted away.
He drew her into his arms.
“Did you miss me while I was gone?”
Feeling her strength fade, Alicia leaned into him.
In a hushed tone, she said, “Only someone foolish would miss you. Caden, you’re such a jerk. I even went to the airport to pick you up tonight, and you left me hanging.”
Caden’s words stirred guilt within him.
“Every time I see you smile at Blake, I feel like punching him.”
Alicia said, “He showed up out of the blue and urgently needed my help to choose a gift for Ray. I had no idea you were arriving tonight. If I’d known, I would’ve picked you up and told Mr. Langstaff I couldn’t help.”
Her honesty melted away his stubbornness.
Forgetting about the noodles, he leaned in to kiss her.
Alicia enjoyed the embrace for a moment but then remembered something important and gently pushed him back.