Till Baby Do Us Part

Shattered

"I want a divorce."

The words came out before I could stop them, hanging heavy in the air between us. But I was serious, determined. Tay barely looked up, loosening his tie as though the weight of my words meant nothing to him.

"New, I'm not in the mood for this tantrum tonight. I just got back from work. Where are the kids?" He said while walking to their room. "Why aren't they in their room?" His voice was tired, dismissive.

I stared at him, unable to believe how easily he brushed me off. "Tay, I'm serious. Did you even see my texts? My calls? Inn even tried reaching out to you. I'm tired, I'm exhausted, Tay. I was scared—I thought something bad had happened to them," I said, tears rushing down my face.

"What are you talking about, New?"

"The kids—" My voice faltered, but I pushed on. "The kids are in the hospital."

At that moment, Tay's exhaustion dissolved into confusion, then panic. He reached for his phone, hands trembling slightly as he scrolled through the notifications he had missed.

I got up from the dining chair, ready to go back to the hospital. After spending half the day trying to reach Tay in vain, I ended up calling my mother for help. When she arrived, she forced me to go home, shower, and change my clothes. The kids' temperatures had risen beyond normal, and they had become very weak. I had been such a mess and so scared that I forgot I was wearing one of my old pyjamas, stained with baby food.

As I watched him now, frantically reading through his phone, my mind slipped back to a different time, a time when he was always there, always knew what I needed before I even said a word.

On my nineteenth birthday, Tay, Inn, Great, and Off had planned a birthday party for me, even though I had initially declined. Tay said he really wanted to do it for me. It was the second semester of my second year in university and Tay's final semester before graduation, so I let him do whatever he wanted. He was soon going to face adulthood and probably wouldn't be able to do childish things like this.

When I arrived at the party and saw the people I cherished most, I got emotional. Tay had even invited a few of my friends from the university, and everyone seemed genuinely happy that I was turning a new age. The party looked amazing.

We were all dancing, drinking, and having fun when Tay excused himself. The next minute, he came in with a cake in his hand while everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to me. I was truly touched, watching him walk through the crowd, everyone clearing the way for him. He had put in so much effort. He really loved me, I thought.

He brought the cake to me and asked me to pull the lever in the middle. When I did, words appeared as I pulled. "Newwie, there is no one else in the world that could make me feel the way you do. You make me so happy, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." At the very bottom, a ring dangled. Shocked, I looked at Tay, who was already on one knee, hand stretched out.

"Will you marry me?"

I was so surprised I almost laughed, but I had to control myself because it wasn't the right time for that. Everyone cheered. "Say yes! Say yes!" they shouted.

I looked at him and smiled. "Of course."

He took the ring and placed it on my finger before pulling me into an embrace. Just like that, I was engaged to the love of my life. The party carried on, and I pulled Tay to a corner. Anyone could tell we were both very happy.

"I didn't think I'd be a husband before a boyfriend. What happened to dating first?" I asked. He was clearly drunk—he hardly ever drank. He must have been dying of happiness.