Wife's Secret: She Never Left the City

I flipped through the chat logs on the smartwatch of my brother-in-law, Adam Sorenson, my finger trembling slightly on the screen.

It was no wonder he barely ate his dinner sometimes after coming home from school. I had assumed he just didn't like my cooking, but it turned out he was full because my wife, Queenie Sorenson, had bought him snacks ahead of time.

I recalled how Adam came home excitedly holding a shopping bag last fall. He proudly held it out to me and said with a smile, "Queenie bought us gifts!"

I understood now that Queenie hadn't bought them at all. They were from that man named Joseph Dixon. He had even been thoughtful enough to buy a set for me, too.

Just then, the frail voice of Oscar Sorenson, Queenie's grandfather, echoed from the room, "H-Hunter…"

I instantly snapped out of my daze and turned off the smartwatch.

I swallowed the stinging words, together with the anger and resentment surging inside me, and restored my usual calm expression. I got up and hurried into Oscar's room.

I skillfully grabbed a clean diaper and carefully replaced the soiled one. I then wrung out a warm towel to wipe him down and massaged his limbs with gentle, seasoned movements. I had gone through these motions so many times in the past year that they were deeply ingrained in my muscle memory.

Oscar was old and bedridden with paralysis. He sounded somewhat slurred as he looked at me and mumbled, "I-It's been hard on you, H-Hunter…"

I managed a weak smile and said hoarsely, "It's no trouble at all, Oscar. It's the least I can do."

It wasn't long before the bathroom door swung open and Adam went back to his room in his pajamas. He came skipping over a moment later, his face brimming with excitement.

"I have something to tell you, Hunter! It's my classmate's birthday this Friday, and he has invited me over to his house for a sleepover. I'm allowed to go, right, Hunter?"

I fell silent for a moment, my fingers clenching briefly before letting go. I then flashed a gentle smile and nodded slightly. "Of course you're allowed to, Adam. You have to make sure to mind your manners at your classmate's place, listen to the grown-ups, and behave yourself, alright?"

Upon hearing my reply, Adam whooped with delight and nodded vigorously.