Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem

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Keith lay sprawled on the rooftop, arms wide open as he gazed up at the sky, letting the rain wash over him. His tears had long since blurred his vision, mixing with the rain that slid down his cheeks.

He wasn't sure if it was exhaustion from crying or the weariness of his heart, but suddenly, he yearned for rest. Slowly, he closed his eyes, and in that moment of darkness, he questioned the heavens,

"God, are you satisfied seeing me in so much pain?!"

"God, what did I do in my past life to deserve this agony?!"

Time passed indistinctly until Keith's phone began to ring.

It rang incessantly, but Keith ignored it.

Only when the unique ringtone of his darling child echoed did he slowly open his eyes and took a deep breath before sitting up.

Brushing the rain from his face, he pulled out his phone and answered, "Hello?"

His voice was hoarse, trembling, like a child who had been wronged receiving a call from their parents.

In a sweet, childlike voice, his baby asked,

"Daddy, it's raining, isn't it? A big, big rain. Did you remember to bring an umbrella?"

A glimmer of warmth seeped into Keith's chilled heart, perhaps the only person in this world who still cared and loved him.

Those who had cared for him, who had loved him, had all left him behind!

Keith didn't know whether to feel sad or fortunate that there was still someone in this world who loved him.

He sniffled, responding tenderly to this love, his voice almost a whisper, "Daddy isn't afraid of getting wet."

"But baby is scared, getting wet can make you sick, and the doctor will have to give Daddy a shot and make him take very, very bitter medicine. So Daddy, don't get wet, you have to be good!"

Keith chuckled, tears welling up again, "Okay, Daddy won't get wet."

He got up and obediently walked inside the building.

Baby said not to get wet.

Baby said to be good.

Yes, he had to be good, to listen to his child, to cherish this last bit of love.

Again, in that sweet, childlike voice, his baby asked,

"Daddy, when will you come back? I want to have dinner with you. Tamsin made lots of yummy food, and even your favorite dish." "...Daddy will be home soon."

"Mhm, baby will wait at home for Daddy, kiss kiss." The little girl blew Keith a kiss through the screen, a gesture he cherished deeply.

He pocketed his phone, wiped away his tears, and sat alone in the building's corridor.

Reflecting on the years, his expression shifted from pain to guilt, and then to fierce determination!

He had thought that the time Kendrick had left him to be chased by wild beasts, witnessing a stranger being devoured by wolves, seeing his sister humiliated to death, and feeling torn apart himself...

Experiencing his brothers' fear, his father's despair, his mother's pain, was just a twisted way to torment him.

But now, it seemed he had misunderstood.

The culprit, perhaps seeing him redeemed by Elizabeth, feared he might forget his hatred and needed to remind him.

To ensure he remembered his hatred, and even deepen it!

Someone had targeted him, deliberately pushing him into the abyss, turning him into a complete monster.

"Heh-"

Keith let out a cold laugh, mocking either himself or those responsible.

He truly was... pitifully miserable and foolishly so!

Completely exploited by others!

The next moment, Keith's brow furrowed, his gaze turning viciously sharp!

After a while, he managed to compose himself, glanced at the pouring rain outside, and muttered, "Every debt has its debtor."

With that, he stood up and left.