[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-2603221FDDD1-71":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},71,3,"Chapter 3: \"I'm Not Your Housekeeper.\"","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Everett didn’t return home until dinner the following night.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">In the past, whenever he sensed he’d pushed me too far, he would always bring home some small gift to smooth things over. Sometimes it was a bouquet of lilies, other times it was those high-end pastries from that bakery with the hour-long waiting list.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Tonight, his hands were empty.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He offered a perfunctory nod of greeting, then sat across from me and began to eat. But barely a few bites in, he slammed his silverware onto the plate, the metallic clatter slicing through the silence.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Why is this so salty? Evelyn, we’ve been married for three years. Can you still not gauge a simple seasoning?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I didn't know what had crawled under his skin today, but he was clearly intent on offloading his foul mood onto me. For the first time, however, I felt a strange, cold clarity—a shift in the foundation of everything I had known.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Helen, our housekeeper, rushed out from the kitchen, her face pale. She began apologizing profusely, her voice trembling. \"I am so sorry, sir. Evelyn wasn’t feeling well today, so I was the one who prepared dinner. I’ll take these plates back and fix you something else immediately.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Everett looked like he’d swallowed a moth. His expression curdled, his face twisting into a mask of ugly discomfort. He sat there for a long beat before waving her off with a sharp, impatient flick of his wrist.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Forget it. Just eat it as it is.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">After his outburst, Everett didn't spare me a single word. He acted as if his cruel, misguided lashing out was his right—as if I were merely a fixture in the house, designed to absorb his frustrations.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I set my own fork down, making a deliberate, sharp sound against the porcelain.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Everett, do you hate me that much?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The man’s head was bowed, his shoulders stiff. When he finally looked up, his eyes were shuttered, hiding any hint of genuine emotion.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Evelyn, why would you say something like that? I admit my voice was a bit loud. If that upset you, I apologize. But you’re home all day. You shouldn't be burdening Helen with chores like cooking.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I stared directly into his eyes, searching for a shred of humanity, of honesty.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I am your wife, not your maid—and I am certainly not Hailey Silva’s personal assistant. I am done setting foot in that kitchen.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Predictably, the moment I dropped Hailey's name, a spark of jagged lightning ignited in his gaze. He surged to his feet.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"We’re talking about us. Why do you always have to drag her into this?\" He stared down at me, his lip curling in disgust. \"You’re being completely unreasonable.\"\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272927269]