To Love a Wife

Eighteen

Bradley sat down on the chair next to me. I stared over at him as he was thinking about what to say. 

"I don't want to overwhelm you," Bradley tells me. 

"I'm already overwhelmed from hearing that we're married and that I woke up in the hospital," I explain to him.

"Fair enough. You're gonna find out sooner or later," Bradley sighed.

"How bad was it?" I asked.

"Very bad. I just want you to know that I regret it. I feel awful about the situation that you are in right now because it really is my fault."

"Please get to the point," I asked.

"Before you got into a car accident, I admitted to you that I had cheated on you from a business trip I took a few months prior. You ran off upset and had gotten in a car accident."

I stared over at Bradley in shock and disbelief. 

"What?"

"There's something else you should know."

"What is it?"

"You were also pregnant when you got into that accident."

"Is the baby okay?" I asked, placing my hand over my stomach. Bradley started to cry as he shook his head. 

"The accident was really bad."

I could feel my eyes tear up as I looked down at my stomach. I felt a few tears fall before looking over at Bradley. 

"Was it a boy or a girl?" I asked.

"It was too early to tell."

"Oh."

"I'm so sorry. If I can just explain to you about everything-"

"Is that why my family was upset at you?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"So what now?" I asked.

"It's up to you. Your sister is letting you stay over at her place until you feel comfortable again but it's up to you on where you want us to stand," Bradley told me. 

"I think I need to think about this," I tell him.

"I understand. I'll have your sister come by the house to pick up your clothes," Bradley told me before getting up.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"To bring back your family. I didn't think you'd want to talk to me anymore after telling you the news," Bradley said. 

"Can you tell me something before you go?" I asked.

"Anything."

"Did you have feelings for that person you slept with?"

"None. After that, I realized that I should have been appreciating you and giving you all the love and attention I should have given you when we married," Bradley told me.

"Why didn't you love me before?" I asked him.

"I did. I just didn't know how to express them to you," Bradley explained before leaving the room. My family came back inside the room but I wanted Bradley to stay with me a little longer for some reason. 

Once my family left, I looked through my sketchbooks to look at what I had drawn before. I noticed that a few of my drawings were Bradley's side view. I stared at the drawings before closing the book. I took out the iPad that Sabrina got me before putting on a movie for myself. As I lied down, I couldn't help myself from replaying Bradley's words in my head. 

I paused the movie before going onto Google to look him up. I typed in his name and went straight to his Wikipedia page. I read through the entire page before turning it off. I looked back at my sketchbook before touching the drawings of Bradley. My fingers ghostly touched the drawing before closing it again. I turned off my light before closing my eyes to fall back asleep.

Bradley's P.O.V

The next day, I was in my office catching up on work that I have missed. Though I had rather wanted to be with Tessa, Sabrina advised me to go back to work. 

"How are you doing?" Debbie asked as she brought me coffee. 

"Fine."

"I know you wanted to be with Tessa today but the company does need you. Besides, we both know she wouldn't want you to miss work or anything important because of her," Debbie reminded me. 

"That was the old her. She's like a new person now."

"I'm pretty sure that one car accident couldn't have made her into a whole new different person," Debbie assured me.

"It feels like it has. Plus, she wouldn't be living with me. She'll be with Sabrina. There's no doubt that Sabrina will tell her to divorce me," I tell her.

"I don't think she'll do that."

"What makes you so sure?" I asked.

"Sabrina wants what's best for her sister. But she also knows she can't do anything that'll have Tessa regret anything," Debbie mentioned. I nodded in agreement before taking a sip of my coffee. 

Later that night when I got home, I stared at the room that Tessa and I had planned on turning into a nursery. It was empty since we have moved everything from inside to make space for the baby. I groaned in disappointment as I leaned against the doorframe.

My phone rang and buzzed from my pocket making me take it out and answer it quickly. 

"Hello?"

"Bradley, it's Sabrina."

"Hey. What's up?" I asked. 

"I spoke to Tessa's doctor. She is allowed to be discharged tomorrow."

"I can pack her clothes for when she stays with you," I tell her.

"Thank you. And anything else she needs would be great."

"I'll drop it off at your house tomorrow."

"I'm going to take her out to lunch when she gets discharged. Maybe you can deliver it before we get home?"

"It sounds like you don't want me to see her," I said, standing up a bit more straight. 

"Bradley, look. It's not that I don't trust you. It's just... I think we should take things slow with her," Sabrina said. 

"She's my wife."

"Yes, but you did cheat on her, Bradley. She may have lost her memory but that doesn't excuse the fact that you cheated on her. You do know that when you two divorce-"

"What are you talking about when? Don't you mean if?" I corrected.

"You know what. That would be Tessa's decision on whether or not she wants to continue being with you or not. But for right now, let's take things slow," Sabrina told me. 

"Alright. I'll have her stuff over at your house tomorrow before the two of you get back," I tell her.

"Thank you."