"Can't. Tomorrow has its own problems!" I shot back without even turning my head.
Evelyn watched my retreating back with a small smile, then shook her head. Normally, she never saw me stick to any rules. But now, I was acting like some moral authority.
"Bed by 11:30. If you're late, there will be consequences," Alexander said finally.
I froze mid-step. I spun around to face him, eyes wide. "What kind of consequences?"
"You'll find out soon enough." He lowered his head and went back to his papers, dismissing me completely.
I bit back the urge to flip him off. Instead, I let out a huff and marched into my little sanctuary with my chin held high.
The door clicked shut behind me. The next second, I slumped onto my desk.
How could he treat me like this?
Work was already brutal.
I was still upset about today.
And now, after coming home, I had to deal with Alexander's bullying and write a stupid apology letter!
Life was just too hard! Ugh! Ugh!
I stood in front of my computer, fists clenched, head held high, screaming inside with righteous fury.
But the next second, I obediently sat down. What else could I do?
What kind of apology letter was I supposed to write anyway?
I wasn't a grade schooler who had to write lines for every mistake!
While I was wallowing in self-pity, I searched online for apology letter formats.
Otherwise, with Alexander's picky personality, he'd find a million things wrong and make me rewrite it a dozen times!
Our post-marriage agreement was a perfect example of that painful lesson!
Ugh. If only I had known, I would have added a clause to the original agreement. Instead of writing an apology letter, I could just say sorry and be done with it.
But no, I had no foresight. Now, all I had were tears.
I was tangled up in my writing when I suddenly remembered Alexander's warning about 11:30.
I quickly glanced at the bottom right corner of my screen.
Oh no. I was almost late again.
It was already 11:02!
I quickly saved half of my draft and emailed it to myself.
I could finish it during my lunch break tomorrow.
Otherwise, at this rate, there was no way I'd have the apology letter ready by tomorrow night!
After sending the email, I shut down my computer, turned off the light, and walked out of the study.
When I got back to the bedroom, my first words were, "It's not 11:30 yet! I'm not late!"
Then I realized the room was empty.
I pouted and muttered, "He tells me to be in bed by 11:30, but he's not even here!"
I walked into the bathroom.
Brushed my teeth. Washed my face. Did my business. Got ready for bed.
After I climbed into bed, Alexander still hadn't returned.
I grumbled to myself, "If I have to write an apology letter for being late, then he should have to write ten for being later than me!"
After that little rant, I fell asleep.
I have no idea when he finally came to bed.
But when I woke up in the morning, he was right there beside me, sleeping soundly.
I carefully got up and went to the bathroom to wash up.
After I finished, Alexander still hadn't moved.
I checked the time. He was going to be late for work.
Should I wake him up?
If I didn't, he'd be late.
But if I woke him up before he was ready, he'd be furious. And then I'd suffer.
So I hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to call him.
"Alexander, you're going to be late!"
My voice was barely a whisper.
He didn't react at all.
I raised my voice a little. "Alexander! If you don't get up, you'll be late! And if you're late, they'll dock your pay!"
Still nothing.
I was speechless. How could he sleep like a log?
I had called him twice, and he still hadn't responded.
Of course, this was rich coming from me, considering I could sleep even deeper than he could.
So I got bold. "If you don't get up, you'll have to write an apology letter! And they'll deduct your salary! Not just your salary, but they'll take your bank card, your access card, your car keys, your wallet, your phone, and even your passwords!"
Seeing that he was still asleep, I couldn't help but stare at him and mutter, "Still nothing!"
My courage swelled. I went all in.
"Alexander is a pig! Alexander is a villain! Alexander is a bully! He always picks on Evelyn, the kind, beautiful, hardworking, ambitious, and kind-hearted super beautiful girl in the entire universe!"
A muscle twitched in his jaw, but his eyes stayed closed.
I just sat down on the floor, propped my chin on my hand, and stared at him, continuing my accusations. But as I went on, my tone changed. "How can he sleep so soundly? He's so good-looking! His eyes are so beautiful, his nose is so perfect, even his mouth is so sexy. His eyelashes are so long, longer than mine. His skin is so good, and he doesn't even eat better than I do! How does he maintain it? It's so strange! His collarbone is so charming, too. You could probably raise goldfish in the hollow! It's really unfair for a man to be this beautiful! You know that?"
"What's unfair about it?" a lazy voice drawled.
"It makes it easy for him to get hit on by other guys," I said reflexively.
The next second, my eyes flew wide open. I looked up and met his gaze.
"Ah!" I screamed and tried to scramble to my feet and run.
But Alexander was faster. He grabbed me, threw me onto the bed, and flipped over, pinning me beneath him.
"Good morning, husband!" I said, trying to butter him up.
"Husband? Not a pig? A villain? A bully? Hmm?" He raised an eyebrow, deliberately teasing me.
"Haha, haha, honey, what are you talking about?" I asked, putting on my most innocent face.
"Who was it that just whispered in my ear, calling me a pig, a villain, and a bully who picks on innocent girls?" he asked, taking his sweet time.
"That definitely wasn't me!" I raised my hand and answered without hesitation.
"Is that so?" The corner of his mouth lifted.
"Of course! Honey, you should get up! You're going to be late!"
"Late? We need to settle a score first."
"What score?" I asked, confused.
"An in-depth discussion about how your husband is not a pig and other related issues."
"Huh? Huh? Huh? I don't understand!" I played dumb.
"It doesn't matter if you don't understand. I'll teach you." He finished speaking and buried his face in the crook of my neck.
"Wait... aren't we supposed to be discussing the problem?" I asked, bewildered.
"This is the prelude," he answered shamelessly.
"..."
I was speechless for a long time.
That day, we were both late for work.
It didn't matter for Alexander. He was on a responsibility system.
In other words, he didn't have to clock in. There was no such thing as being late for him.
But me? I was an intern. And I was late in my very first month.
Not just late, but over half an hour late. And I couldn't even give a reasonable excuse.