35. Something is happening

*Brrring* *Brrring*

*Brrring* *Brrring*

“Ughhh…”

*Brrring* *Brrring*

*Brrring* *Brrring*

*Brrring* *Brrring*

“Yeah, yeah. Heard you loud and clear.”

*Brrring* *Brrring*

*Brrring* *Brrring*

Just shut up already!

I swung my arm out in frustration and slammed my palm down on the alarm, silencing it with a sharp hit. The damn thing almost made my ears bleed.

I didn’t get up right away. I lay there, staring at the clock for far longer than necessary, then at the wall for no apparent reason. It was like I was deliberately trying to waste time, even though I knew I should be getting ready to leave.

When I finally turned over, my eyes stopped at something which my eyes were not used to. My wife. She was sleeping soundly. Too deep in sleep, I suppose. Since, the loud rings of this little demon (Alarm Clock) clearly did not make a dent in her rest.

And no, watching her sleep was not something my eyes were not used to. I was not pointing at that. What felt strange was that she was always up and about with her routine at least an hour before the alarm clock ever went off. Seeing her still asleep now, untouched by all that noise, made the room feel oddly out of sync.

Guess, she must have been too exhausted.

Anyways, I couldn’t afford to lie around any longer. I had an important meeting to get to, and dilly-dallying wasn’t an option.

I gathered all my willpower and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. One foot hit the floor, then the other. Just like that, I was up. Standing there for a moment, I exhaled slowly before heading to the bathroom.

After getting fresh, I glanced around and noticed she was nowhere to be seen. Probably still asleep.

I sorted out my things at a steady pace, not rushing, because I noticed that I still had around an hour before I had to leave. More than enough time.

The chirping of the birds was soothing as always. It never failed to lift my mood. And honestly, it felt even more refreshing than taking a bath.

But, the quiet of the house did not feel as refreshing, since the spark of the house was still asleep. Normally by this time, there would have been the clatter of utensils, the rich smell of breakfast drifting through the rooms. But not today.

I checked the time again, just to be sure. Over an hour had passed since I woke up. She should have been up by now.

But then again, it was not too abnormal for someone to sleep longer sometimes. Maybe she had a rough day. Perhaps she was not feeling well.

I decided to make a quick and simple breakfast for both of us and then go check up on her. Keeping my movements quiet, I moved into the kitchen and got to work. Within twenty minutes, the breakfast was ready, hot and fragrant, filling the entire air with a homely comfort.

At last, it was time to check up on her, and I did just that. As I reached the bedroom, I stopped short. To my surprise, she was already awake, sitting on the bed with her head lowered, one palm placed over her lower belly.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I stepped inside. “I smell ‘Hunger’.”

She lifted her head and gave me a strong, convincing smile. “Of course,” she said, standing up and immediately grabbing my hand. She laughed lightly as she talked about how hungry she was, how she could not wait to fill her belly.

We sat together and ate breakfast. She thanked me for the food, just like always. And then, after everything felt oddly normal again, I finally kissed her goodbye and left for the office.

I reached the office just on time, exchanged greetings with my coworkers, and ended up chatting with a few of them. And almost immediately, I noticed something. The difference in the environment. Everything here felt… different from home. I did not feel trapped. The air felt lighter. The people felt distant in a good way. My mind felt calmer.

As much as I had been complaining about the meeting, I was glad it was happening offline. I needed this change more than I had realized.

Eventually, I made my way to the meeting room and took my seat.

*Ding*

Hmm? I pulled my phone out of my pocket to check the notification. A message. From Ray.

“Are you at home today?”

One of my eyebrows raised slightly in confusion. Why would he want to know that?

Then instantly, it relaxed as the realization hit me.

Ah, Maybe it was related to my injury. A simple check-in, perhaps.

I was about to reply when suddenly the manager walked into the room. I hurriedly locked my phone and slipped it back into my pocket without responding. I could always reply during the break, I thought.

The meeting began and dragged on for nearly an hour before we were finally given a thirty-minute break.

God, I had been dying for the break since the meeting started. I had been holding my bladder the entire time, barely managing. At first, it felt manageable, and I thought I would be able to hold it until the break. But boy, was I wrong.

The moment the break was announced, I stood up and walked out, walking so fast it was barely different from running. The pressure was insane. I just hoped I would make it in time. And thankfully, I did.

My shoulders sagged as the tension finally drained away. I let out a slow breath, savoring the moment.

Ooooooooohh... So... Goood....

Just as I was finally being liberated, my cell phone started ringing.

And I knew who it was without even looking. It’s her. I was sure of it.

I picked it up, and my expression changed instantly.

Ray?

And it was a video call?? Why was he video calling me? Should I answer? I hesitated for a second. Maybe I should. Maybe it was something important.

I accepted the call.

Ray’s face appeared on the screen. He greeted me the moment he saw me, and I greeted him back. From the looks of it, he wasn’t inside his house or any room. He was outside, walking. Maybe just taking a stroll.

“How’s your head?” he asked. “Does it still hurt?”

“Not really,” I replied. “Just a random sting here and there. Otherwise, I feel exactly the same as before I hit my head.”

He smiled. “Really? That’s good news.”

Then he suddenly switched the camera. “Aww, look at this dog.”

The dog came into view, and my eyes widened slightly. It felt oddly recognizable. Where had I seen him before?

Ray was patting it when another dog wandered into the frame. And the moment I saw that one, it clicked.

Outside the old man’s house.

Ray straightened up, the camera switching back to him. But something small caught my eye in the background. I leaned closer to the screen, squinting, everything suddenly feeling too familiar.

I could not see much from the limited angle, but I caught a glimpse of a woman near a gate, sweeping the ground outside.

Is she… As I was trying to figure out who she was from the shape of her back, something made my breath freeze. A person.

Another figure appeared. One arm held behind his back by the other hand, as he walked. Too recognizable.

*THUMP* *THUMP*

*THUMP* *THUMP*

My chest constricted. My stomach twisted into that strange coil again. Just that glance was enough to remind me every single details of yesterday's dream. I... I felt helpless. Ray kept talking, casually, like nothing was happening. I wasn’t hearing him. My eyes were glued to the figure.

He was walking towards her. Most likely her. My wife.

*Thump* *Thump*

*Twitch* * Twitch*

I tried to push it away. Tried to tell myself it couldn’t be. But everything pointed at it. My heart pounded so hard I thought he could hear it. I kept giving myself reasons to cope, to justify it. Even if it was him, it wasn’t like it could be her, not really. I was in denial. But a part of me already knew.

Ray shifted the camera slightly. I got a better view of him walking. At his every step, my chest ached. My hands were clammy. My cock... twitched?? I couldn’t help it. The memory of yesterday’s dream flashed vividly. I forced my eyes away, tried to focus on Ray’s voice, but it didn’t matter.

Then his hand reached outward, swinging back slowly like he was getting ready to h-hit something.

*THROB* *THROB*

My breath caught in my throat. My mind screamed. Is he… Is he? He can’t, right? He can’t do what I’m thinking.

*THROB* *THROB*

My stomach twisted even harder. The strange heat from yesterday's was flaring again. My hands clenched so hard I thought I would break something.

And then, just as my mind was about to have a stroke, Ray’s face filled the screen. I blinked, my pulse hammering, my stomach on fire. I forced myself to nod, to act calm. I couldn’t ask him to move, not directly. I didn’t want to see more than I already had. But I was dying to know.

Ray asked with a concerned face, are you okay? I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My eyes and thoughts were fixed on what must be unfolding behind that face.